Top dressing a lawn is the process where a sand or prepared soil mixture is applied to the surface of the lawn. Top dressing is the term also used for the way the material is applied. A thin layer of the material, typically ¼ inch of less, is evenly applied to the surface of the lawn.
Is Top Dressing Necessary? What are the Benefits?
• It can smooth the surface of the lawn
• It can reduce thatch buildup
• Applied after seeding, over seeding or sprigging it will protect developing plants
• Used on open, windswept turfgrass to help avoid desiccation
• Used after aeration it can filter materials into the holes to speed turfgrass recovery
What Soil is Best for Top Dressing Lawn?
When used in these situations the top dressing should closely match the soil composition already present. Multiple applications can be used to modify the profile of soil. When used for this purpose, the mixture of the top dressing will be different than the composition of the soil already present. Most times, the process of top dressing is done in conjunction with aeration and uses a coarse-textured material like sand or and organic sand material mixture. This mixture is applied to soil that already has a high content of clay in it that is fine-textured. The desired result is to reduce the compaction problems and improve air, water and nutrient movement into the soil. This is also known as infiltration and also in the turfgrass rootzone also known as percolation.
What Happens if Top Dressing is Not Done Right?
When top dressing is used for soil modification it can be detrimental if it’s not done the right way. The same material and mixture will need to be done throughout the entire process to make sure it’s consistent with the water that facilitates movement and root growth. After the top dressing material has been determined it has to stay the same throughout. If different top dressing materials are used the result will be layering with different soils stacked in layers inside the same profile of soil. The biggest problem here will be fine-textured soil forming a layer on top of coarse-textured soil. This will make it harder for water to get to the roots of the turfgrass because it’s moving through one layer before it gets to the layer below. Problems can also arise when top dressing is applied incorrectly. If it’s applied incorrectly then there may be uneven levels of material across the lawn that can interfere with water and nutrient access and can result in wet and dry areas. This will affect the growth of the turfgrass and the general appearance of the lawn will be affected. Thatch layers can be created and exacerbated if too much top dressing material is used. If proper aeration isn’t used, the roots of the turfgrass will grow into and within the thatch layer instead of getting through the soil profile, making the turfgrass more susceptible to heat, drought and other stresses.
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You can try top dressing on your own by using a shovel to throw the material all over the lawn, work it in by raking the area and then watering it with a sprinkler but this is labor intensive. Contact Mickey’s LawnScapes to have professional equipment used instead. For a greener and denser lawn, top dressing is beneficial for your lawn as it stimulates growth for a greener and denser lawn by building up the soil below.
