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How To Apply Topsoil To Lawn

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Simple Lawn Solutions Extreme Grass Growth Lawn Booster

How to Use Scotts® Turf Builder® Lawn Soil for Seeding and Lawn Repair

If your grass needs a quick boost of nutrients, then check out this natural Best Liquid Fertilizer from Simple Lawn Solutions. The product promises to increase the vertical and lateral growth of grass within a matter of days.

This high phosphate concentrate is energized with humic acid and fulvic, making it ideal for new sod and seeding. In fact, the Growth Booster is an excellent fertilizer for both new and worn-out lawns that need a helping hand to come back to life.

We love the hose-end Liquid Fertilizer for Grass sprayer that comes with the bottle as it makes application super easy. And since the product contains natural ingredients, you wont have to worry about the safety of your pets and children.

To apply the fertilizer, simply attach the bottle to your garden hose and its ready to go. You can use it on all types of grass.

Customer reviews: users were impressed with the results that were evident within just a day or two after application and rated the product 4.1 out of 5 stars.

Pros

Topdressing With Small Equipment

For lawns that are between 50 and 500 square yards , having specific equipment will help speed things up. Lets take a look at the possible options:

  • Small hand-powered push topdressers have a hamper. Load the topdressing mix in the soil, and criss-cross across the entire lawn. Its often the same tool thats used to spread seeds when re-seeding a lawn. Gravity and spinners that turn together with the wheels spread the mix evenly.
  • New electric battery-powered topdressing dispensers have whirring blades that project topdressing mix around. Getting the hang of it is very easy. Spreading the topdressing is also very even.
  • Other DIY solutions include rollers made from medium-mesh wire which you fill up and drag or push along the grass, drilled barrels, etc.

Usually, this equipment both spreads and breaks clumps up. As a result, youll only need one pass with the device. A second and last manual pass with the rake will pull grass blades up top.

Create A Better Lawn With Top Dressing

With the season of fall upon us, many homeowners feel the heavy work of lawn care is done. But actually there is something that you can do now in the fall that will help your lawn become golf course worthy in the summer, and that is top dressing. Top dressing is simply the process of applying a layer of soil, compost or sand over the top surface of your lawn.

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Creating A Level Seedbed

Humps and hollows in the lawn make mowing tricky. So now is the time to address that. By taking time to level the seedbed, youll make your life easier in the long run.

If youve dug or rotovated the area, use a landscaping rake to break down any large lumps and create a tilth that looks a bit like the top of an apple crumble. Use your feet to firm the soil for grass seed and then rake again to loosen the surface.

If youve used the scarifier method and youve done enough passes so that you can see bare soil, you should be OK. Double-check the compaction and ensure that the surface is nice and loose. Now add a layer of topdressing to create a level surface. This is also a good time to apply a pre-seeding fertiliser.

As a greenkeeper I learned lots of tricks to help me level a lawn and Ive shared them with you in the video below.

If your lawn is reasonably level, you can sow the seed before topdressing and then just tweak. Any big hills and hollows do need to be addressed before the seed goes down. Its time consuming but well worth the effort.

Perfect soil = perfect lawn

Incorporating In A Clay Soil In Order To Improve Soil Drainage

How To Use Lawn Spreaders and Sprayers

Adding additional high quality topsoil/compost to your lawn will improve soil quality as top dressing contributes nutrients, helps to retain moisture, and promotes root nutrition. For even better lawn care results, considered installing a lawn irrigation system from Nutri-Lawn. Nutri-Lawn uses only the best irrigation products, providing customers with effective, affordable professional care.

How do I Prepare an Area and Apply Top Dressing?

The best way to prepare a piece of land for top dressing is to aerate or dethatch the area in order to remove debris, thatch, and garbage. This thick layer of “stuff” can block the absorption of water and fertilizers, preventing nutrients from fully penetrating to the roots of your turf.

In order to prevent the thatch from combining with your top dressing, aerate the lawn before you add any topsoil. Remember, in addition to providing lawn irrigation in Ottawa, Nutri-Lawn offers both aerating and top dressing options.

Spread the topsoil ½ inch to ¾ inch evenly on your lawn. When applying top dressing, spread a thin layer – not covering the grass – equally over the area and make sure that the top dressing is penetrating into the soil, not sitting on top. In addition to aerating and dethatching, proper lawn irrigation services will provide your turf with a steady supply of moisture, a necessary step in nutrient retention.

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Envii Greenkeepers Secret Liquid Lawn Food

We couldnt finish our review without recommending another natural liquid fertilizer from a family-owned UK-based company, Envii. The 7-15-19 formula promises to improve the health of both soil and grass, with results within 7-10 days.

What makes this product so unique is its bio-stimulant technology that allows stronger root growth and increased resistance to heavy rain and drought. Furthermore, it is completely safe for children and pets as well as on other plants.

And if that werent enough, those who are concerned about the environment will be pleased to know that the container is made from recycled plant-based materials, so you can compost it after use!

Perhaps the biggest downfall of this product is its price. The 1-liter bottle only covers 300 square meters. There is also the bottles short connector that makes it almost impossible to connect to a garden hose. .

Customer reviews: the product has a score of 4.3 out of 5 as users were impressed with how quickly this liquid feed transformed their lawn. They even noticed the dead patches turning into a lush, dark green color soon after application. The one complaint they had was the short integral connector on the bottle, which doesnt fit on standard garden hose attachment. Best to use a pump sprayer instead.

Pros

How To Add Topsoil To An Existing Lawn

  • You are here:
  • 4 Conclusion
  • A beautiful, thick and healthy lawn will require an equally healthy soil as its base. Although you can easily make your soil the best when planting the grass, it will not remain in the same state for long. So what do you do to improve your soil after planting the grass? The answer to this is simple, and it is by adding topsoil. But, how do you add topsoil without harming your beautiful lawn?

    Adding topsoil to existing lawn can be quite challenging, and this is more so if you do not know how to do it well and do not use the right soil and tools. And you can end up destroying the lawn and leaving the grass looking unkempt. But, the good news is that you can still do it well and with little effort provided you know what to do.

    Read Also: How To Use Bioadvanced Fungus Control For Lawns

    Add Aeration To The Soil

    After spreading the topsoil, go back over it and make sure it is evenly spread and aerated. Do not suffocate the lawn and inhibit future growth.

    Regardless of the landscape available, the materials selected, or the tools being used to spread the topsoil the steps and things to keep in mind for all approaches will be:

  • Topsoil should have air pockets. We recommend using a rolling aerator or something with spikes. It is possible to poke holes in the yard by hand, but this could be tedious and not as consistent as using a tool.
  • Topsoil should be around 1-2-inches thick. Some recommend closer to ¼or ½ of an inch, so use good judgment based on the climate and moisture in the area. Dont go beyond two inches as this is the maximum depth to be certain all exposure to airflow is not cut off. Airholes will still need to be added.
  • Confirm that the topsoil is reaching about 6-8-inches of depth into the soil. Topsoil should be seen falling into the air pockets and not thickly caked on top. If it still appears caked, add more air holes with a more extended tool to puncture deeper.
  • The air holes are offering proper drainage, which will keep moisture balanced and avoid flooding or dehydration in the landscape. Tools and aeration will be critical to balancing these two extremes.

    Its always an option to use simple tools already available at home like a shovel, rake or hands!

    Why Do You Need To Add Topsoil To An Existing Lawn

    Top Dressing and Top Soiling your Lawn

    Adding a layer of topsoil to your yard is known as topdressing, and its primary purpose is to improve the condition or health of the grass. Topdressing will help you address common lawn problems like weak spots in the yard which can be a result of erosion or rotting tree roots and human activities like cable and underground pipe installation.

    You might also need to do some topdressing after winter because the freezing and thawing can leave an uneven terrain in your lawn which you can correct by adding topsoil. Also, running water and tunneling animals can cause the same problem. If you neglect your grass for some time as a result of busy work schedules or when traveling, adding topsoil is the best way to restore it to a healthy and beautiful state.

    The emergence of bare spots due to variations in the soil nutrient composition and texture, heat, or other environmental damages will also require some topdressing. Other reasons for adding topsoil include compaction in high traffic areas in the lawn and pooling of water in the low-lying areas.

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    Scotts Liquid Turf Builder Lawn Food 29

    Scotts Liquid Turf Lawn Food is a 2 in 1 product that delivered nutrients across your lawn as a hose pipe attachment. Connect your hose pipe to the bottle and activate the trigger and basically water your lawn, whilst fertilizing it. This high nitrogen fertilizer delivers a 29-0-3 nutrient ratio and is designed to be used throughout the season. It also contains a greening agent to help give your lawn a fast lush green appearance.

    Like most of the products at the top of this short-list, the spray bottles connecting to your hose pipe are just a great time-saving approach to treating your lawn. Scotts Turf Builder is easy to work with, it has a simple on/off lever on top of the bottle that you activate with your thumb to control the water flow.

    Cover up to 2,000 sq ft of lawn per 32 fl oz. bottle, although this will depend on the pressure of your hose, as the water flow draws out the Best Liquid Fertilizer for Grass, so the faster the flow and quicker the fertilizer will be consumed.

    How to Use: screw your water hose into the back of the bottle and activate the trigger spray. Continue to water your entire lawn. When done you can release the water pressure and unscrew the bottle for use again another day. This product is designed for use throughout the growing season.

    Customer reviews: a few years back the sprayer mechanism was not the best, but Scotts appear to have overcome these issues. The results are great with a lush green lawn.

    Pros

    Why Compost Is The Best Top Dressing For A Lawn

    Compost is the perfect tool for the job because:

  • It can be finely screened .
  • Its easy to distribute over the turf .
  • It contains a perfect balance of macro- and micro-nutrients that are slowly released over time.
  • Quality compost has a pH thats neutral or close to neutral.
  • Compost is absolutely teeming with beneficial microbes that help feed your grass. These microbes digest the organic matter in the compost and release the nutrients in it into the soil. They also help break down thatch . Oh, and one last and very important job microbes perform: they digest the grass clippings that come out of your lawn mower and return them to your soil in the form of growth-fueling nitrogen.
  • Compost can be sourced relatively inexpensively by making your own, purchasing it in bags, or buying a truckload from a landscape supply yard. Where I live, many of our local municipalities give away leaf compost thats made from our local leaf collections for free.
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    The Best Reason To Top Dress Lawn With Compost

    Managing a lawn is one of the most resource-intensive practices homeowners participate in. Hard to believe, but pound for pound, here in North America we use more pesticides and herbicides per acre on our lawns than big agriculture does on food crops. Instead of turning to synthetic fertilizers that cause water-polluting nutrient runoff, harm beneficial soil life, and introduce unnecessary chemicals into your yards ecosystem, turn to compost instead. As you now know, the benefits are many and you can feel great about letting your kids and pets roll around in the lawn without worry.

    For more about compost and soil care, check out the following articles:

    Scotts Liquid Turf Builder Ready To Spray Fertilizer

    How to compost your yard waste into great soil

    Scotts liquid turf builder comes with a ready-to-spray hose-end attachment to make application super easy. This means there is no mixing required so you can use the product as soon as you receive it. On top of that, its safe for use on all types of grass.

    Since you can connect the bottle to a garden hose, you can water your lawn at the same time, but keep in mind that results take time and several applications throughout the year are required.

    This liquid fertilizer is ideal for thickening newly planted grass, making it an excellent choice for new lawns, whether planted from sod or seed. Scotts liquid turf builder works by going directly to the root and stimulating new growth. Even healthy lawns that require a boost of nutrients throughout the growing season can benefit from this product.

    When we tested the product, we found that it gave 35% faster results than granular fertilizers. However, the bottle only covers 600 square feet, which is a little disappointing. This is a product we are happy to recommend, you can check the latest price online here

    Customer reviews: users rated Scotts liquid turf builder 4.2 out of 5 for the great results it yielded. Their lawns became thicker and greener, but it didnt happen as quickly as they had hoped.

    Pros

    Recommended Reading: How To Kill Mushrooms Without Killing Grass

    Best Liquid Lawn Fertilizer Conclusion

    Liquid Lawn Fertilizers provide a simple, quick, and many times an easy application for small and large yards. While these fast-acting products yield excellent results, they often require a regular application for optimal lawn establishment.

    Whether youre looking for a specific feed for your newly sown grass, or you want to give your tired old lawn a new lease of life with a liquid iron for lawns, youre bound to find the most suitable liquid fertilizer from our shortlist of outstanding products.

    If youre really still confused and just want a recommendation I would suggest Scotts Liquid Turf Builder for new lawns, and all the products from Simple Lawn Solutions are well worth checking out for established grass.

    Keep Sharing Best Liquid Lawn Fertilizer With Your Friends And Families.

    Why You Should Top Dress A Lawn

    As mentioned above, top dressing a lawn has many benefits. So heres why you should add it to your lawn maintenance routine:

    • Topdressing helps keep the lawns surface levelled. This is done by filling all of the smaller hollows and undulations with the topdressing mix, thus levelling the lawn surface.
    • Topdressing your lawn regularly helps prevent the buildup of thatch. Topdress can dilute the thatch layer and is also known to naturally break it down.
    • Using sand based topdressing can improve your soils drainage and firm up the surface. This works particularly well after aeration as the topdressing can be worked into the soil through the holes left behind.
    • Spreading peat-based topdressing can improve the drought tolerance of your lawn.
    • Some topdressing mixtures contain nutrients so applying them can improve your lawn’s fertility.
    • Topdressing helps stimulate grass growth in lawns and betters the soil structure of the already existing root zone.
    • Improves the lawns resilience.

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    How To Top Dress An Established Lawn

    For established lawns that need top dressing, prior to doing so mow low with a rotary mower equipped with a catcher. Aerate or core your lawn, spread the mix evenly over the desired area, then rake, level lawn or broom it into the lawn profile. Never top dress more than 1cm in a single application, making sure the grass tips are still exposed.

    For more hints and tips on top dressing your lawn check out our article here.

    How Does Top Dressing Help

    Lawn Care: Topsoil Topdressing

    Top dressing helps to increase nutrient retention, improve drainage and increase disease and pest resistance. It will encourage the production of new shoots, and result in a thicker lawn with the added benefit of hindering moss and weed infestations.

    This thin layer of top dressing will also help your lawn to improve drainage and break down thatch and grass clippings easily. An added bonus is that top dressing allows the soil to retain moisture better during drier conditions as well as allowing excess moisture to drain away during heavy rainfall.

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