What is Lawn Top Dressing?

There are many secrets to maintaining a lush, healthy lawn. And lawn top dressing is one of the quickest, easiest and simplest ways to keep your lawn in great health, all year long.

If you’re completely new to the idea of dressing your lawn, don’t worry – below, the Buckley Turf team have shared their simple guide to lawn top dressing at home.

What is lawn top dressing?

Lawn top dressing involves applying a precise mixture of topsoil, fine sand and compost onto your lawn. This is applied directly onto the surface of the lawn, to help the lawn grow evenly and keep it as healthy as possible.

Why are their benefits of lawn top dressing?

It might sound strange, but actually lawn top dressing is hugely beneficial to soil.

Firstly, lawn top dressing makes lawns look healthier and neater. They help to prevent lawns from growing in patches or thatch layers, allowing you to maintain an even growth, without imperfections.

In addition to the visual benefits, lawn top dressing improves the actual health of the lawn, too.

The sand will tackle any issues of water logging in the lawn, ensuring the lawn is well-drained. Alternatively, if drought is a more common problem for your lawn, you can swap the sand for a peat top, which will help your lawn to better retain moisture.

What’s more, the nutrients within the topsoil give your lawn a range of all-round benefits, helping to keep it fertile and growing well. Plus, by keeping your lawn healthy, you will also help to bolster its resistance to diseases or pests.

What are the best ingredients of lawn top dressing?

Lawn top dressing contains a mixture of topsoil, fine sand and compost. You can either prepare your own lawn top dressing, or buy it pre-blended.

If preparing your own, make sure that you choose sand that does not contain lime, and be sure to mix all the ingredients well, and sift out any lumps. This will ensure an even spread.

How do you top dress a lawn?

5 steps for dressing your lawn:

• 1. Clear your turf – rake up any debris on your lawn, to ensure that nothing is blocking the path of the dressing.
• 2. Mow your lawn – this will help the dressing to reach right to the roots of the lawn.
• 3. Apply the dressing – spread the material evenly, across your lawn’s surface. For a medium-sized lawn, we would recommend using around 0.2-0.4 cubic metres of topsoil, for one session of lawn dressing.
• 4. Rake the lawn – this will help to keep the coverage of the dressing as even as possible.
• 5. Finally, water your lawn well.

Top tips for successful lawn dressing:

• The best time of year for dressing your lawn is Autumn. This will allow the dressing to seep into the soil and fill it with nutrients during the winter.
• If time allows, aerating your lawn before applying the dressing will help you to achieve the best end result.
• When distributing the dressing, work across the lawn, a few feet at a time. This will help you to monitor how you’re spreading it, and to keep consistent.
• If there are any areas of your lawn that you know are badly damaged, you can repeat this process a few more times on the affected areas, using a lighter application.

At Buckley Turf, we have established a fantastic reputation for the exceptional quality of our turf. We have worked with property owners across the country, to deliver flawless, healthy lawns that remain in perfect condition for many years to come.

So, to find out more about any of our lawn management services, or to enlist our team to supply your new lawn, don’t hesitate to get in touch.