So your lawn is looking a little brown, maybe in need of some serious attention because the weather has been atrocious and keeping up with maintenance over the silly season has proven to be quite the feat. Usually, you’d reach for the nearest chemical-based treatment for a quick fix, but is it really the best fix? Chemically treating your lawn is a thing of the past. Synthetic fertilisers that do more damage to the environment than necessary are taking a back seat in favour of organic lawn care.
What better way to bring your lawn back to life in all its glory than with a technique that has existed for centuries? Top dressing your lawn is a highly effective way to revive weakened, sun-damaged grass that may suffer from weeds and other diseases. Even more so when combined with core aerating.
The summer has definitely done some damage, and even the best lawns have suffered. However, with autumn around the corner, it’s the perfect time to breathe some life back into your soil with top dressing!
What is Top Dressing?
Top dressing your lawn is the process of applying a thin layer of organic matter, usually compost, sand, or a mixture of both, to the surface of the lawn. This layer of top dressing should be no more than a centimetre thick to avoid smothering your lawn. Piling compost on top of your lawn will result in layers of impediment in which your lawn cannot absorb the nutrients it needs.
The material can be worked into the thatch layer by manual raking or it can be left to settle on its own. If you’re confident in the weather man’s predictions, you can also wait for the rain to wash it in, or take matters into your own hands and set up a few sprinklers to do the job. Once your grass is green and growing, you and your lawnmower will be your favourite tool again.
Benefits of Top Dressing
Apart from being the organic and cost-effective alternative to harmful chemical fertilisers, top dressing also does a world of good beyond keeping your lawn green and healthy.
Top dressing improves the quality of your soil by organically adding nutrients and assists with the drainage. You can also use top dressing to modify your soil structure by adding sand or other composites. This helps you keep the bumps caused by worm castings to a minimum and leaves you with a lush, healthy lawn.
Top dressing is great for breaking down thatch and lessening the impact of lawn stressors that would otherwise damage the surface layer. It is also a good long term, natural fertiliser that aids in the root growth and strength of your lawn.
Although the process of top dressing your lawn can be time consuming and labour-intensive, opting to continue using inorganic methods robs you and your lawn of the many short and long-term benefits that top dressing promises.
When to Top Dress Your Lawn
There are two seasons that provide good conditions in which to top dress your lawn. Late spring to early summer is the best option for warmer season grass species, when the grass begins to ‘green up’. For cooler grass species, mid to late autumn is the right time to top dress.
While living in a warmer climate does mean you can take advantage of both seasons, you may need to take special care to ensure your lawn is reaping the benefits. Top dressing in autumn may lead to reduced germination due to the soil becoming too hard and a decrease in water movement. Many people prefer to top dress twice a year, but others have maintained their lawns well by top dressing once a year instead.
It depends on your lawn requirements and your ability to navigate these needs throughout the year.
How to Top Dress Your Lawn
One of the very few, if only, pitfalls of top dressing is the manual labour required. Smaller lawn owners typically find the work easier than those with large lawns and fields. The process of spreading the compost and shoveling or raking it into the thatch layer is time-consuming and seems quite daunting to undertake alone.
The best course of action would be to test the pH level of your soil first. This would help you determine if your soil has any nutrient deficiencies and how to correct them. It would also identify any other issues your lawn may have, that would otherwise have remained unnoticed. Thereafter, digging up bad sections of your lawn and killing lawn weeds will give you a cleaner lawn to top dress, and will yield better results.
The quality of your compost and other organic materials will play a large part in the success of top dressing. Always make sure you purchase high quality materials with no hidden pesticides that may hinder the growth of your lawn. Saving money will not save your lawn in this regard.
When you have your quality materials, it’s best to make small piles across your lawn. This minimises the work needed to carry large amounts of material with you as you top dress, and makes it easier to control the amount of compost you’re laying.
These piles will make it easier to rake the compost out and keep the layer thin and even as you work. Any rake will do, but wider rakes allow for a more even spread. It is usually best to avoid ‘green spots’ and focus more on dead spots, where the lawn has dried out more.
Watering your lawn will ensure the compost works down into the soil, however it is not an absolute necessity. There are other practices you may use as a follow-up or in conjunction with top dressing, such as aeration and overseeding, to ensure your lawn is getting the best care.
Remember to keep an eye on your lawn throughout the seasons to ensure it’s getting the nutrients it needs, when they’re needed. You might find that some years require a single top dressing, while others require the second as well.
Top dressing is one of the most beneficial organic lawn care practices available, and the long-term sustainability is undeniable. Set the synthetic fertilisers aside and go green, all the way.