How to Topdress Your Lawn

If you are a passionate lawn care enthusiast or interested in using an organic lawn care program, topdressing may be the perfect opportunity to improve your lawn.  Many people love to topdress their lawn as an alternative to other chemical methods, while others may simply see a huge benefit in fueling their soil with organic nutrients when their lawn needs assistance.  Whatever the case may be, there are many reasons to consider topdressing your lawn if you are willing to invest the time and energy into the process.

compost for topdressing lawn

What is Topdressing?

Topdressing is the process of spreading compost, topsoil, sand, or a mixture of these elements over soil in order to add rich nutrients from organic matter.  There are clear benefits to topdressing.  Using dead organic matter that has mostly decomposed in compost offers nutrients that your soil might not otherwise receive.  As a result, topdressing reduces the need for a slew of lawn fertilizers and other products.

Topdressing also helps improve the structure of your soil as well as its water retention.  Most importantly, it isn’t good to constantly douse your lawn in herbicides, insecticides, and other harsh chemicals which will destroy your lawn’s natural beauty over time.  Topdressing aims to make your existing grass healthier through a boost of nutrients and helps new seeds grow to their full potential.  If your lawn has bare patches or your soil condition is poor, topdressing will help your grass immensely.

Topdressing: A Mix of Compost, Soil and Sand

In order to topdress your lawn, you must purchase the right mixture of compost, topsoil, or sand for your soil.  The mixture you purchase will largely depend on the type of soil you have.  Using a sand mixture is helpful if your lawn struggles with drainage, whereas compost provides the most nutrients.  You can also create your own mixture by using your own compost materials, though this process may take longer and you should be sure to only include appropriate materials in your compost.

Applying Compost Mixture to Your Lawn

You can apply the compost mixture manually or by using a motorized compost spreader.  If you apply it manually, you should use a shovel to lightly toss the compost across your yard until all areas are covered. We recommend having a friend help with one person pushing the wheelbarrow full of compost and the other person shoveling it off. For larger lawns, you may want to use a cart that is pulled by a lawn tractor to speed up the process.

The key is not to apply too much; there should be no more than a ¼ to ½ inch layer of compost on your soil.  If the layer is too thick, the compost will simply clog the soil.  The goal is for your grass to grow through the compost, absorbing its nutrients.

Once you’ve spread the compost across your lawn, be sure to use a rake to disperse the material even further and create this thin layer.  A motorized spreader can also help you topdress, but keep in mind that these machines are very expensive, so renting one would be a better idea.  You should immediately water your lawn after topdressing your soil to let the nutrients absorb into the soil.

Aerate and Overseed To Make The Most of Topdressing Your Lawn

Ideally, if you are going to go through the process of topdressing your lawn, you should also core aerate and overseed your grass.  Doing all three of these steps together will make your grass as healthy as possible, though it is up to you whether or not you feel that your grass needs all three steps.  Especially if you are overseeding your lawn, topdressing the soil exponentially improves the germination of the new seeds.

Core Aeration for Lawns

The best order to complete the process is to start with aeration.  Begin by using a core aerating tool to insert small “plugs” in your grass.  These plugs allow for better air circulation and drainage in the soil.

Overseeding

The next step in the process is a personal choice.  Experts debate whether you should topdress your lawn before or after overseeding.  If you are not confident that you can administer exactly ¼ to ½ of an inch of compost in the topdressing stage, then you should topdress your lawn before overseeding.  The concern is that if you overseed your lawn and then apply a too-thick layer of compost, the seeds will suffocate and be unable to germinate.

Otherwise, if you have a high level of precision in your application, it is technically better to topdress after overseeding.  The choice is personal and won’t really have that much of an impact on the final result.  The most important takeaway is to aerate, overseed, and topdress all at once for best results.

Because of this combined process, you should topdress your lawn at the same time of year it is recommended that you overseed.  For cool-season grasses, you should topdress in early fall; for warm-season grasses, the best time to topdress is late spring or early summer.

Is Topdressing Right For Your Lawn?

Some people do not opt to topdress their lawn because of the intensive manual labor involved or the expensive prices of the compost.  Topdressing is not essential to achieve a healthy lawn; there are plenty of alternative remedies and steps you can take if your soil is unhealthy or your grass is patchy.  However, anyone who has topdressed their lawn will tell you that the additional effort is well worth it.  The improved results of topdressing after aerating and overseeding are undeniable due to the rich organic nutrients the compost will add to your lawn.  If you are interested in organic lawn care or want to take your lawn to the next level, topdressing is worth a try.