Sand and Soil: When to Top Dress Your Lawn and Why

Using quality sand and soil supplies to top dress your lawn is essential when it’s in need of a little TLC. Whether it needs a boost of nutrients, to be evened out or some holes filled, ensure you always use quality sand and soil when topdressing.

Spring aka ‘growing season' is the perfect time to top dress your lawn for holes or uneven patches. Trying to top dress during the seasons where your lawn or plants are dormant increases the risk of damaging or killing your lawn completely. However, for a boost of nutrients it is ok to top dress in all seasons as the layer being applied is a lot thinner and allows for the slow growth to still penetrate.

Top Dress to Boost Nutrients

Top dressing for nutrient boosting means applying a thin layer of soil over the area of your lawn, boosting natural nutrients and minerals to rejuvenate overall health and growth, resulting in thicker grass and hindering the growth unwanted moss and weed infestations. It also helps by improving drainage, allowing the soil to exchange gases with the atmosphere more effectively and promoting the development of the soil’s micro-flora and micro-fauna which breaks down thatch and grass clippings. Top dressing will feed the earthworms too, releasing nutrients into the soil. Top dressing also helps your lawn to retain moisture, which is perfect for those that live in drier climates and don’t experience much rain fall.

Handy Tip: Be sure to mow your lawn the day before top dressing and rake up any debris and clippings to allow the nutrients to properly penetrate into the soil.

Top Dress to Even Out or Fix Holes

Again, it is important to mow the lawn the day before applying the top dressing. The longer the grass is, the more sandy loam or river sand is required to cover the area, making it harder for the grass to grow through it. Get in touch with your local landscape supply company so they can recommend an amount of loam or sand required for the area or areas you need to fix.

Even Out the Lawn

If your lawn requires a slight even out, then you can apply a top dressing of up to 12mm. For deeper areas apply one 12mm layer, then add another layer on top of this later. Place even piles of sand around your lawn and then level accordingly.

Handy Tip: The top of the lawn plants should still be visible. Once applied and even, make sure to water in the top dressing to allow it to settle.

Fixing Holes

To repair holes deeper than 5 cm, use a shovel and raise the grass to sit on top of the hole, then place top dressing material underneath to lift it to the height of the lawn. Then apply more top dressing for any remaining areas that are uneven by following the above instructions.