Top dressing a lawn - how to do it
Top dressing your lawn is a great way to make it greener and healthier. Read on to learn how to succeed in your garden and how to complement the lawn top dressing with fertiliser.
Why should you top dress?
Top dressing consists of coarse sand, ideally with grains between 2 and 8 mm. When the sand penetrates the soil, it makes it airier, which helps the grass grow better and denser. Top dressing creates good conditions for the grass and, at the same time, reduces the risk of weeds thriving and taking root. Top dressing is also a great way to even out irregularities and get rid of moss in the lawn.
Different types of top dressing
There are various types of top dressing available, and in addition to sand there are also ready-mixed blends you can buy. These often consist of one part compost material and one part sand. The mixture ensures that it is heavy, easily sinks between the blades, and doesn't wash away during watering.
How do you top dress?
Start by mowing the grass and raking away all the clippings so that the top dressing doesn't end up on top of them – it is most effective directly on the ground. Spread piles of top dress over the entire lawn, 2–4 litres per square metre. Distribute the top dressing with the help of a rake or broom and ensure it sinks down properly between the grass blades. Nature then takes care of the rest, although it may take a couple of days – sometimes up to a week before the top dressing completely disappears into the ground.
When should you top dress?
According to some, early in the summer is the best month to top dress a lawn, while others believe earlier in the spring is the best time. How often you should do it depends on the condition and circumstances of the lawn: some top dress every year, even several times, but every three to four years is usually a suitable interval for a typical lawn.
Complement with fertiliser
If your lawn is thin and sparse and weeds are growing in it, you can add nutrients when top dressing. Sifted compost soil, dried chicken manure, or sifted, composted natural fertiliser provides a nutrient boost that the grass roots appreciate. If you're using compost soil or natural fertiliser, apply a layer of about 1 cm before you start the actual top dressing. Dried chicken manure is also fine, just be sure to follow the instructions on the package. However, you should avoid synthetic fertilisers since they reduce the number of living organisms in the soil. Moreover, the nutrients in synthetic fertilisers easily leach out, ending up in the groundwater instead of benefiting the grass.
Read more about fertilising your lawn.
Your grass will thank you
The result of top dressing will be a greener, denser, and more beautiful lawn. Moreover, it becomes more durable and resistant to stresses such as drought. To sum up, top dressing is a relatively simple effort that has a significant effect.
6 tips for top dressing your lawn:
- Rake the lawn to remove, for example, twigs and leaves
- Mow the grass before you top dress. If it's the first time for the year, use the highest cutting height
- Lay out piles over the area you want to top dress. Count on about 2–4 litres per square metre. Spread the top dress with a broom or rake
- If you use top dressing to even out major irregularities, sow extra grass seeds and keep the area moist.
- Worn and exposed parts of the lawn benefit from being top dressed several times per season
- Let the grass grow a bit before you top dress the same spot again.
