How to Top Dress Your Lawn

How to Top Dress Step by Step

Follow these steps to get a smooth, even result without smothering your grass.

• Time it right Only top dress during the active growing season, when you are mowing weekly. Here in Northern NSW that generally means from late spring into early summer. The earlier in the season you can do it, the better, as the lawn has more time to grow through the dressing.
• Mow low first Before you start, mow the lawn on a low setting using a rotary mower with a catcher attached. This clears away excess thatch and clippings so the top dressing material can reach the soil surface more easily.
• Aerate or core the lawn Aerating opens up the soil so your top dressing mix can work its way down into the profile rather than sitting on top. A core aerator is ideal, but a garden fork will do the job on smaller areas.
• Choose the right mix For general soil improvement, use a sand, loam and compost blend. If you are purely levelling, go with washed or screened river sand rather than brickies sand. Screened sand has less clay and silt, which means it levels more easily and is far less likely to crust over or become water repellent. On sandier soils, bump up the organic material in your mix to help with water and nutrient retention.
• Spread evenly and work it in Spread the mix over the area and use a rake, levelling bar or stiff broom to work it into the lawn profile. Keep the layer to no more than 1 cm in a single application. The tips of the grass must still be poking through. If you bury the lawn completely, you risk killing it.
• Water in well Give the lawn a good drink after top dressing to help the mix settle into the aeration holes and around the grass roots. Keep moisture up over the following week or two while the lawn grows through.