This week’s turf tip is about top dressing your lawn and how this will encourage a more healthy and vibrant lawn giving the nutrients it needs.
If you have not aerated your lawn yet, check out our handy article on it: Aerating Your Lawn
Top dressing your lawn for nutrients
Top dressing is where you fill in low dips or uneven spots in your yard with washed sand. There are many things that can cause this to happen including simple wear and tear or even just the settling of the soil.
Not only do they not look nice but they can also cause problems when you are mowing which leads to scalping causing uneven turf growth. Applying a layer of top dress will give your lawn a boost of nutrients. This encourages new shoots resulting in a thicker lawn whilst hindering weed infestations.
Top dressing your lawn will allow fresh nutrients into your lawn and will also help allow the soil to retain moisture during the drier weather ahead.
We all make sure we fill our divots in when playing golf but we don’t always think the same way with our lawns. Not addressing uneven turf not only affects the beauty of your lawn but also creates problems with mowing. By correcting uneven lawns with a Spring lawn renovation it will give you a happier and healthier lawn.
Tools you will need:
- Wheelbarrow
- Spade
- Top Soil Spreader
How to top dress your lawn
- It’s best to fertilise around 2 weeks before you top dress to prepare your lawn.
- Mow the area to be top dressed taking off 1/3 of the leaf.
- Spread the washed sand over the area using a top soil spreader to a depth of 1cm.
- Water in well and apply more fertiliser.
Important tips
Never completely cover the lawn, always have some green leaf showing. The reason is that the leaf still requires direct sunlight for photosynthesis to help encourage growth. If you don’t have a lawn leveller you can simply use the back of a rake or a broom.
Top dressing a new lawn
If you’ve just installed your lawn and it is uneven, this can be because of subsoil settling. You should not be too concerned about this, but wait several weeks for the lawn to settle. All new lawns require topdressing.
DNA Certified Sir Walter Buffalo tends to be a self-repairing lawn, but there are times when it can get uneven and you need to correct that. But if this does end up occurring, what you want to use is washed river sand that is designed just for top dressing. You can buy these various blends at places such as your local nursery.
To get more advice on top dressing or to order a new lawn call our team on (07) 3114 8281. You can also to pop in and order in person at our sales office on 1/243 Bradman Street, Acacia Ridge. The office opens Monday to Friday 7am to 5pm and Saturday 7am to 12pm.
For more great turf, tips keep an eye on our website and all our social media channels.
