He also addresses the best time to weed and feed. Grass seed swells as it absorbs this moisture and produces a seedling ready for photosynthesis and rapid growth. When top dressing a lawn with any material, only a very thin layer should be spread evenly over the entire lawn. Be sure to cover your entire lawn, even the areas that are already growing well. Now is a great time to Top Dress your lawn. Top dressing is a good idea, especially if you have areas that have eroded or sunken over the last year. It can be used following seeding, overseeding or sprigging to protect the developing … You can ask Harold a question directly on his Ask the Expert blog. The following pictures … E.L.S. Topdressing reduces lawn stresses, helps keep … On a seeded lawn: After sowing lawn grass seeds, apply a thin layer — about 1/4-inch — of compost as top-dressing to help maintain consistent soil moisture while seeds germinate and tender grass seedlings … This will help to relieve any compaction issues, and it will also provide a good site for the seed to germinate. I suggest that you use a mix of 20% bluegrass and 80% perennial ryegrass. Discount Code. To ensure the top dressing easily rakes through the grass, mow your lawn to about an inch high. Lawn Top Dressing - Compost is applied to your lawn at a depth of 1/4" to 1/2" What is Lawn Top Dressing: Lawn Top Dressing is the process of adding a thin layer of Top Soil onto your lawn… Top Dressing with your overseeding is a great way to maximize the health of your soil – and the beauty of your lawn. Do not expect top dressing to smother weeds while sparing your grass. Any areas where it globs or mounds up should be corrected immediately. Over seeding & top dressing your lawn is really easy. Topdressing's benefits are so numerous, it's hard to understand why it is not the foundation for every lawn care program. The goal of top dressing is to amend the soil with nutrients so that the grass will grow greener, thicker and stronger. Top dressing and overseeding your lawn can rejuvenate it and give it that lush, thick quality you strive for each year. SHOP GRASS SEED … Top dressing does not just improve the look of your lawn, but can also benefit the health of the grass too. I would also like to “weed and feed”. Overseeding a lawn lets you fill in bare spots and improve your grass by adding in better varieties. Landscaping has put together a few important tips for taking care of these lawn areas after topdressing and over-seeding … Turf experts often recommend "topdressing" lawns with a thin layer of compost. Soil structure and drainage can be modified by topdressing with sand or other corrective materials. … But to get the best results possible, you'll need to do some additional prep work before you dive right into the top dressing and overseeding process. Top dressing is the process of spreading additional soil over the surface of your lawn. © Spring-Green Lawn Care Corp. All rights reserved. It's important you prepare correctly and choose the right type of soil for a great-looking lawn. * Compost … Apply the seed at the recommended re-seeding rate found on the label. Did you receive a mailing or email from us? ›, Overcoming Salt Damage: Reseeding & Weed Prevention. Looking for some additional lawn care tips? Not all types of grass have the same nutritional requirements, so it's not always necessary to buy the most expensive compost or topsoil you can find. ft. The reason why I suggest more ryegrass is that it germinates in 5 to 7 days, whereas bluegrass takes 28 days to germinate. It allows you to maintain a true and level lawn surface by filling in any imperfections or hollow areas to … It can reduce thatch buildup by encouraging decomposition. You can add topsoil to an existing lawn -- and in some cases, you should. Place approximately 1/4 inch of top dressing (a 3-way mix of sand, dirt and compost is best). You don’t need much—about a quarter inch or so is adequate. I am glad to read that you had good success in your seeding efforts last year. So why is … A good way to incorporate new seed into an existing lawn is to first core aerate the lawn. Top dressing benefits the lawn as it builds up the quality of the soil over a period of time, - sandy soils will be able to retain moisture better and so the lawn will be more resistant to drought, clay soils will … Her work has been published around the web, including on home improvement sites like Ron and Lisa. In fact, if you simply want to level your yard without blowing your budget, you can use coarse sand. Combining topdressing with overseeding will gain the best result. It has been performed on golf courses since the sport was invented in Scotland, but has only recently … Top dressing is the process of applying compost, soil, or sand over the surface of your lawn. Topdressing can be used to smooth the surface of the lawn. You don't want to accidentally smother the grass, but rather spread a rich organic material in a thin enough layer to allow the grass to push through and continue growing. It also help lawns damaged by a lack of water, heavy foot traffic and heat. Then seed the lawn with half the amount you would for a new lawn and gently go over the entire lawn using the back of a metal tined rake, so the seed … If your lawn area is an acre, then you would purchase between 5 and 6 50-lb. Top Dressing a Lawn: How It Helps Top dressing your lawn is an age-old practice on golf courses. She graduated from Indiana University Southeast with a Bachelor's degree in English. It adds valuable organic matter to the soil base which improves soil fertility and root … Top dressing is the process of spreading a thin layer of material (usually compost or sand) over your lawn, or sections of your lawn. To be absolutely sure you get a top dressing with adequate nutrients for your variety of grass, send a soil test to your local extension office for analysis. OverSeeding - We will Overseed your lawn using High Quality Tall Fescue Grass Seed. Any uneven dips created by cutting out the weeds will be leveled when the top dressing is added. This layer is only about a 1/4″ and is meant to amend … A good way to incorporate new seed into an existing lawn is to first core aerate the lawn. As a soil amendment, topdressing can improve soil biology by adding organic matter and the beneficial microorganisms found in compost. © Copyright 2020 Hearst Communications, Inc. Compost can be mixed with equal amounts of sand for topdressing on heavy soil. Top dressing is a good idea, especially if you have areas that have eroded or sunken over the last year. It settles down through the grass and improves the quality of your soil at the roots. bags of a 14-14-14. This would normally be a loam or a loam and sand mix, depending on the condition of your … Follow appropriate safety precautions when using power equipment. ft. For that product, in a 50-lb. She enjoys writing content that helps homeowners feel motivated and confident in handling projects around the home. Two important lawn care tips, Enter your address to find available services doing... In compost stronger than ever lawn is to amend the soil with so! Is a good way to incorporate new seed into an existing lawn is to first aerate. The home good quality, weed-free seed, Enter your address to available... Lawn stresses, helps keep … you should add the new grass seed that is already in. 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