28 November 2024

Most of the time, top dressing your lawn is completed to correct poor preparation and lack of soil underneath or to fill in any low spots and correct uneven areas.

In this blog, we will cover how topdressing helps your lawn, how and when to do it, and what product you should use.

What is Top Dressing?

Top dressing is essentially placing an application of sand, organic compost or a similar material on top of the lawn.

Top dressing can help improve the appearance and health of your lawn. As well as help with any low spots/uneven areas. Top dressing can also help improve your soil health.

Tools Required for Top Dressing?

• Lawn Mower
• Shovel
• Lawn Aerator or Corer
• Steel Rake or Broom
• Wheelbarrow
• Turf Sand Spreader

Why Top Dress Your Lawn?

• Enhancing lawn health and appearance
• Correcting uneven lawn surfaces
• Boosting nutrient levels in the soil
• Promoting better grass growth

When is the Best Time to Top Dress Your Lawn?

Top dressing your lawn should only be done during the growing season. Generally this is when you need to mow your lawn weekly. The earlier in the season the better which is generally late spring to early summer.

Calculating How Much Material You Will Need?

To calculate how much material you will need, work out your m2. Simply multiply the length by the width of your lawn then by the required depth. Generally no more than 1cm depth.

Area L x Area W x Soil Depth = Required Top Dressing Material

Topdressing an Established Lawn

Tip: It is best to fertilise around 2 weeks before you top dress your lawn to prepare it and ensure it is in it’s maximum growing capacity.

1. Mow your lawn low with a rotary mower equipped with a catcher to ensure you collect all dead grass clippings.
2. Aerate or core your lawn – this promotes plant growth especially your root system. Aeration also helps with soil drainage.
3. Evenly spread your topdressing material over the desired area, then rake and level the lawn. You can also broom it into the lawns profile.

Tip: Never top dress more than 1cm in a single application, make sure that the grass tips are always still exposed.

Topdressing to Improve Soil Health

Promote a healthy root system that will protect your lawn from weather conditions such as droughts and winter frosts. When top dressing to improve the soil health, it is recommended using a sand/loam/compost mixture.

Topdressing to Improve Levels

For improving levels, it is recommended to use a washed or screened sand. It doesn’t compact quite as hard as bricks sand and is generally easier to be screed and level due to its lower clay and silt content. This also helps reduce the likelihood of the surface crusting and becoming hydrophobic.

Common Mistakes to Avoid When Top Dressing

• Over-applying top dressing material – never apply more than 1cm of material at one time. Ensure to leave leaf matter exposed.
• Using the wrong type of material for your lawn – make sure to do your research and find what top dressing material is right for what you are using it for.
• Failing to prepare the lawn properly before top dressing.

Tips for Maintaining Your Lawn After Top Dressing

Water your lawn just after your topdressing application, then maintain a regular watering schedule to give your lawn a boost after what is a stressful process for it.

Conclusion

Topdressing is an easy way to help improve your turf quality and health. Make sure to follow our guide and ensure to pick the correct topdressing material for the goal you are chasing! If you are unsure, always reach out as we are happy to help!