Top Reasons To Top Dress Your Lawn
When you hear the word “top dressing,” you might not know what to think. Yet within the realm of landscaping top dressing is an important procedure that should not be missed! Early fall is one of the best seasons to top dress your lawn, so there’s no better time to learn about this important process than now.
What Is Top Dressing?
As the name implies, top dressing refers to adding a layer of soil, sand or compost to the top of your lawn. This added material is filled with nutrients, and the goal of top dressing is to improve the overall soil quality and composition and thus overall look and growth of your lawn. Top dressing is applied in a thin layer, about ¼ inch thick.
When it comes to top dressing, it’s important to use the correct mixture for your lawn’s specific needs. This means top dressing selection will vary lawn-to-lawn, and if the wrong dressing is applied you can actually negatively impact your lawn. At Grassworks, our experts can help determine which top dressing is right for you!
Why Use Top Dressing?
There are many different benefits to top dressing your lawn, and overall it will help contribute towards a fuller, more healthy yard. Top dressing will help enrich your lawn and improve its quality by doing the following:
Building Up Soil: As top dressing involves adding a layer of soil, it makes sense that it helps build up your lawn’s soil levels overall. Top dressing should make your soil thicker and increase overall quantity present on your lawn.
Filling In Spots: Top dressing will fill in any shallow areas of your lawn to address any holes or uneven spots in the soil. This means more uniformity across your lawn, making it look and feel better.
Stimulating Growth: Like any other plant, your lawn needs water and “food” to thrive and survive. By adding nutrients and microbes into the soil, you’re feeding your lawn. In this way, top dressing is effective in stimulating lawn growth. When your lawn grows thicker it becomes healthier and looks better and more consistent.
Helping Existing Soil: Top dressing injects nutrients and other important materials into the soil. As these added elements leech down, the new microbes and nutrients mix in with your existing soil and help improve its composition.
Top Dressing in Texas
Top dressing is even more essential in Texas than some other areas of the country due to central Texas’ dry climate and soil composition. Drier climates are often characterized by similarly dry soil, which can be compacted and formulated in large part by clay. Compacted clay soils don’t have ideal air flows, and consequently it can be difficult for water to soak down to the roots. Conversely, these soils also run into problems when they retain water for too long. Top dressing helps improve soil and combat these issues unique to the region.
Results of Top Dressing
Top dressing works best when combined with aeration, and when done right offers results you can see and feel!
- A smooth lawn, free of holes or bumpy areas
- Dense and consistent grass that’s visually appealing
- Areas safe and comfortable for walking and playing (due to the smoothness mentioned above)
- Reduced thatch
- Easy recover from damage (like that playing!)
- Improved drainage and better conserves water
Ready To Get Started?
Are you ready to enrich and improve your lawn with top dressing? Contact Grassworks today and we can help determine which top dressing solution is correct for you.
Ferris MyCue is the founder and owner of Grass Works Lawn Care, LLC located in Leander, TX. As a former firefighter who maintained yards on his days off, he saw a need for a dependable, local maintenance company that knew the hill country climate and could deliver quality landscaping services for a reasonable price. Since 2007 he has used his leadership to grow the company into one of the top landscape maintenance companies in Austin and surrounding areas offering landscape maintenance, design, and irrigation services to both residential and commercial clients. Ferris is also a member of the Seasonal Employment Alliance (SEA) and an active participant in advocacy efforts to help promote cap relief.