Top Dressing Lawn With Sandy Loam

The process of adding a thin layer of soil on top of your lawn is a great way to improve it without disturbing existing grass.

Top dressing lawn with sandy loam.

The rule for sand or sandy loam soil is. Top dressing is a formulation of fine sand and loam or organic material which is worked into the surface of the lawn during the renovation process usually when scarification or aeration has taken place during the autumn and over seeding or a particularly even surface is required. Experts agree that sand should only be used on a lawn to level low areas cover exposed tree roots and to fix heavy thatch build up. Hose the lawn thoroughly so that the dressing is barely visible.

Top dressing soils are usually blends of finely screen top soil or loam composts such as cow manure and coarse sand. The very fine sand can fill the air pockets in the soil ruining the structure. Most problems occur for those with sandy loam soils when a much finer sand is mixed over a more coarse sandy loam lawn. According to the institute of food and agriculture at the university of florida top dressing home lawns with sand is more harmful than helpful.

Top dressing is the process of spreading additional soil over the surface of your lawn. About top dressing with sand. Even in those cases it is recommended. However top dressing year after year with only sand may cause the lawn to lose its fertility.

Once again mow the lawn the day prior to applying the top dressing. Learn this technique in five easy steps. A nice thick lawn requires healthy soil as its base but this can be difficult to do once grass is established. This would normally be a loam or a loam and sand mix depending on the condition of your current soil.

Top dressing to fix holes and uneven lawn. By far the best option for your average home greenskeeper is a top dressing soil blend. 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 drain better thus improving root development. So what you want and need is a sandy loam or a loam top soil.

The longer the grass the more sandy loam or clean river sand required to cover the area and a deeper layer of soil will make it harder for the grass to grow through it.