When is it Time to Top Dress Your Lawn?

If you want a healthy lawn this summer, maintaining a healthy layer of topsoil is one of the first and most important steps you'll need to tackle. Why? Well, nutrient-rich topsoil improves drainage, provides nutrients to the soil, and promotes moisture retention. Lawn irrigation in Ottawa is vital to maintaining a green lawn, and Nutri-Lawn’s professional lawn irrigation services can support the watering schedule best suited to your turf and soil type.

What is Topsoil/Top Dressing?

Topsoil refers to the top 2" of your lawn. This is where the majority of beneficial nutrients, insects and bacteria can be found. Top dressing is when you add good topsoil/compost to the top layer of your lawn. It is available in different consistencies of sand, compost, and peat depending on the issue and desired results. The two most common situations are:

Adding nutrients to the lawn by applying a very light, sandy blend.

Incorporating in a clay soil in order to improve soil drainage.

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.

When is it Best to Spread Topsoil?

To receive the most benefits from your topsoil application, schedule it after an aeration treatment in the fall. While you can top dress in the spring, it could cause a bare growth situation, making it easier for weed seeds to establish.

Lawns that don't abide by a proper watering schedule are more likely to suffer from poor soil conditions. With that being said, these properties are also the properties most likely o benefit from a top dressing soil treatment. Those lawns that have been taking advantage of Nutri-Lawn’s lawn irrigation in Ottawa services are better equipped to support and maintain high quality soil; however, a once yearly top dressing treatment is still recommended.

For any information on your Ottawa lawn care, including overseeding, irrigation, aeration and more, call Nutri-Lawn at 613-699-0768 or send us a message using our contact page.