Raised Bed Garden Soil Preparation

Top dressing a lawn is the term used to describe the process of dressing or adding a fine layer of good quality soil which is a mixture of loam, peat and sand (or of leaf mould, dried sludge, and rotted farmyard manure) in the spring or autumn.

In fact the grass is stimulated to produce new shoots, and this makes the turf denser, thus preventing weeds from sprouting or moss from infesting the lawn. Top dressing fills out all the hollows and makes the surface level.

A suitable general mixture for the average soil would consist of mixing together 4 parts of loam, 2 parts of river sand, and 1 part of granulated peat. This mixture is then put through a 1/4th inch sieve.

Once all these ingredients are mixed thoroughly, it is applied as evenly as possible at 2 pounds per square yard. After application, the mixture is worked into the surface of the lawn with a stiff broom or the back of a rake, called a lute.

This working of the mixture into the surface is of importance otherwise the grass will get smothered.

If your lawn is on sandy soil, the mixture should contain double the quantity of peat, and halve the quantity of the sand. This will help the sandy soil to retain moisture better, making it drought-resistant. If your lawn is on clayey soil, the composition of the mixture used should have 2 parts of loam, 4 parts of sand and 1 part of peat. This composition of the mixture would allow for better drainage and thus helping the roots of the turf to grow well.

It is well to remember that these measurements are by volume. If the soil of your lawn is particularly heavy or compacted, with particles which are 1/16 to 1/32 inches in size, then only sand needs to be spread in a thin, even layer. Not more than 3 pounds per square yard of the mixture should be used. Before putting the sand, though, the lawn should be aerated. This means that air channels have to be created in the lawn so that air can circulate freely around the roots of the grass. This can be done either by removing small cores, .5 cms wide and 5 to 10 cms deep, of the lawn (something like coring an apple) or by putting in spikes. Top dressing done annually would keep your lawn looking healthy.