Top dressing is an essential lawn care practice that involves applying a thin layer of material over grass to provide nutrients, improve soil structure, and level uneven areas But with so many top dressing options out there, where can you find the best products for your lawn? This comprehensive guide covers everything you need to know about purchasing quality top dressing for optimal lawn health
What is Lawn Top Dressing?
Lawn top dressing refers to spreading a thin layer, about 1/4 to 1/2 inch, of material over the turfgrass. It is not meant to smother or bury the existing grass.
Top dressing is done for several key reasons
- To add organic matter and nutrients to the soil
- To fill in low spots and level uneven turf areas
- To improve drainage and aeration
- To reduce compaction and thatch buildup
Routinely top dressing and aerating your lawn helps improve soil health and structure so your grass can thrive.
Top Dressing Materials for Lawns
There are a few main options when it comes to top dressing ingredients:
Compost
Compost top dressing provides organic matter and slow-release nutrients. Look for fine, sifted, mature compost with a dark color that has fully broken down into humus. High-quality compost dramatically improves overall soil health.
Sand
Sand particles fill in spaces between soil particles to improve drainage and aeration. Look for coarse builder’s sand rather than fine sand. Very fine sand can become compacted.
Soil
Bringing in high-quality topsoil gives an infusion of nutrients and beneficial microbes. It also helps level the surface.
Mixes
Many companies offer custom blends that mix compost, sand, soil, and additives like gypsum or limestone. These balanced mixes provide ideal properties for top dressing.
Key Considerations When Buying Top Dressing
There are several important factors to evaluate when purchasing top dressing:
-
Components – Compost, sand, soil, and amendments all serve different purposes. Know what you want to achieve with top dressing and choose appropriate ingredients.
-
Texture – Top dressing with fine particles tends to compact while large chunks don’t integrate well. Look for a balanced particle size distribution.
-
Quality – Top dressing should appear uniform in texture with no large pieces, sticks, rocks, plastic, etc.
-
Quantity – You’ll need about 1 cubic yard to cover 1,000 sq ft at 1/4 inch depth. Buy enough to adequately top dress your lawn.
-
Source – Look for companies that follow eco-friendly, sustainable practices in sourcing top dressing materials. This avoids contaminated or diseased products.
Where to Buy Top Dressing for Lawns
Now that you know what to look for in quality top dressing, here are some of the best places to purchase it:
Local Garden Stores
Many independent garden stores and nurseries sell bags and bulk loads of top dressing. This allows you to see and evaluate products before purchasing. They may even custom mix top dressing to your specifications.
Pros: Can inspect products in person, often source locally, custom mixing options, support small businesses
Cons: Limited selection, may need to visit multiple stores, not cost effective for large projects
Big Box Stores
Major chains like Home Depot and Lowe’s sell brand name and private label top dressing products. Look for Scotts, Vigoro, Miracle-Gro, and other major brands.
Pros: Name brand products, one-stop shopping, convenient locations
Cons: Limited bulk options, caters more to small lawns, less sustainability focus
Online Stores
Various ecommerce retailers sell top dressing that ships directly. Options range from boutique organic producers to large manufacturers.
Pros: Huge selection, order exactly how much you need, delivered to your door
Cons: Cannot see products in person, potential shipping costs, delay between order and delivery
Landscape Supply Centers
Landscape yards and soil companies sell bulk loads of diverse top dressing mixes and individual ingredients like sand, compost, and more.
Pros: Large quantities available, custom blending, delivery services
Cons: Less uniformity in products and pricing, need equipment to move purchases
Final Thoughts
Choosing the right top dressing takes some upfront research and planning. Evaluate your lawn’s specific needs, compare available products and buying options, and focus on quality. With the proper materials from a reputable source, you’ll be rewarded with a thriving, healthy, green lawn. Top dressing is an important investment into the long-term success of your landscape.
How much topdressing do you need?
Typically, topdressing is done at an average depth of ¼” or 1 ton per 1,000 square feet. The maximum recommended is an average of ½” or 2 tons per 1,000 square feet. Some low areas may still need additional filling but try not to get the topdressing too deep as the grass takes a long time come back through. It may be better to topdress a second time in a few areas if necessary. The typical lawn in a subdivision requires 5-10 tons of topdressing. Another way to look at it is that an acre is just over 40,000 square feet, so an acre lot or ½ acre lot may have about half or less of the lot in lawn (5,000 to 20,000 square feet which requires 5 to 20 tons of sand).
So, what is the purpose of topdressing?
There are a few reasons to topdress your lawn. The practice originated with golf courses. Turfgrass such as bentgrass, bermuda, or zoysia grows quickly because of ideal conditions. As the turf grows a layer of thatch develops, and this layer reduces the ability of air and water to penetrate to the rootzone. Core aerating prior to topdressing removes plugs from the turf and topdressing with sand allows for the holes to be filled. The fresh holes provide much needed aerification and infiltration into the rootzone of the turf. Therefore, topdressing helps develop a healthy rootzone and eliminates the excessive thatch layer that builds up and leads to grass diseases. Deeper roots mean a greener, healthier plant that is more drought tolerant and increases its ability to withstand/recover from traffic or heavy use. This is the one benefit of topdressing especially for golf courses and sports fields that have a sand-based rootzone with high intensity irrigation and fertilization plans for ideal turf conditions. Furthermore, topdressing alleviates compaction in the high use or traffic areas such as greens, the goalie spot in front of a goal, or the center of a football field.
The second and most common benefit many homeowners topdress their lawn is to level the lawn or grass. A level lawn creates a smooth surface for mowing that prevents scalping. Scalping is when the mower cuts lower than all the green leaves leaving only the brown stems, stolons, or dirt beneath. Scalping actually removes the leaves from the grass and not only looks bad but is detrimental to the health of your lawn. Also, when sod is installed there are usually seams in the squares of sod that create uneven bumps that remain once it grows together. Topdressing helps level your lawn and and fill in any uneven surfaces while still allowing the grass to grow right back through the material. Levelling your yard also allows for proper surface drainage of water to prevent pooling.
The third and most relative to Georgia deals with our famous Georgia red clay. It is a common practice, almost always, for a home builder or contractor to remove any topsoil from a house site, leaving only compacted red clay to build upon. Our clay is great for building a house on but not so ideal for growing a lawn. So many lawns have compacted clay with shallow root systems that leave your grass struggling in the summer heat to survive. With the sod already established it is expensive to start all over with ideal soil conditions. Topdressing is the preferred method to amend the soil beneath your lawn without having to start all over again. One myth related to our clay is that mixing sand and clay will make bricks or concrete. This simply isn’t true. Adding sand to the soil changes the soil texture, and creates more pore space for air and water to move into the soil. The beneficial soil structure with high clay soils was probably lost by grading or compaction during the construction of the house. Keep in mind, that we supply sand, soil, and compost products to clients so if you have a preference we can get you the landscaping material that you need. But if you want to do a little more research, please look at the decades of research performed by the USGA, even specifically for topdressing.
Topdressing is a critical practice for turfgrasses that are used for golf, baseball, softball, football, soccer, or an appealing lawn. There are many methods used to apply topdressing to the grass. A topdresser, such as a Turfco Mete-r-matic, Ecolawn, Earth and Turf, Tycrop, or Toro is a great option for spreading topdressing. There are different sizes to accommodate large sports fields or golf course fairways down to smaller versions for golf course greens and home lawns. You can use a tractor, and one of the most popular methods is to top dress by hand with the help of a shovel.
Topdressing warm-season turf grasses such as bermuda, centipede, and zoysia grass is done in the growing season. In areas of Georgia such as Gainesville, Athens, Alpharetta, Roswell, Cumming, Lawrenceville, Flowery Branch, Braselton, and Dawsonville the best time of the year to topdress is May-August when the grass is green but leaving it time to reestablish before is becomes dormant again in October. There are a couple of methods to topdress your lawn and you can read our recommendation in a step-by-step article that explains how to topdress your lawn. However, the basic steps involve scalping your turf (cutting it on the lowest mower setting) once it greens up in color; core aerate the lawn, apply the topdressing sand to the surface, drag the topdressing with a rake, piece of wood/fence, or preferably a drag until it smooths the surface. Subsequent irrigation and fertilization will promote rapid regrowth of the turf.
Step-By-Step Guide on Top Dressing a Lawn
FAQ
What is the best product to top dress a lawn?
A top dressing mix can consist of a combination of sand, loam and compost. If you’re not looking to level up your lawn, then simply use compost. Make sure you buy one that has been properly made and highly composted. If you’re looking to fill in low spots, then you’ll need to use sand or sandy loam.
What is the best time to top dress a lawn?
Top dressing a lawn is best done during the growing season which is when your lawn is getting mown weekly, typically this is during late spring/early summer. Top dressing a lawn should only be done when the grass is actively growing.
What should I Topdress my lawn with?
You can purchase well-composted manure or fine garden compost for top dressing your lawn. The best products have small particles that easily filter through blades of grass. If you use manure, make sure it’s herbicide-free, aged and screened. You can customize your own top dressing with a mixture of compost and topsoil.
Can I put topsoil over an existing lawn?
-
Leveling:Topsoil can help smooth out uneven terrain, creating a more uniform and aesthetically pleasing lawn.
-
Topdressing:Applying a thin layer of topsoil (topdressing) can improve soil structure, water-holding capacity, and nutrient content, benefiting grass growth.
-
Improving Drainage:Incorporating topsoil, especially if it’s sandy, can improve drainage in areas prone to waterlogging.
-
Promoting Seed Germination:A thin layer of topsoil can also protect newly sown grass seeds and promote germination.