How Your Lawn Benefits From Top-Dressing

Posted on January 30, 2023 by Jeremiah Sooter

Is your lawn plagued by disease, littered with weeds, dangerously uneven, or looks lifeless? Then a lawn top dress might be the solution you’ve been looking for to improve the health of your yard. The method should be a regular part of lawn care and quickly transforms a dull-looking yard into something extraordinary!

Benefits of Top-Dressing

The benefits your lawn will experience from leveling it can significantly improve drainage issues, snuff out disease-resistant strains, and improve its appearance. When done correctly, it can cut down on the amount of fertilizer needed and any excessive maintenance requirements while also improving upon the following areas in your lawn:

Breaks down thatch
Levels out the lawn
Soil aeration
Seed germination
Soil microbes
Soil quality

Levels Out the Lawn

Negative grading in the lawn can result in drainage problems, which can lead to fungal diseases and lawn erosion. Lawn top-dressing can fix many issues, including smoothing out bumps and low spots.

Breaks Down Thatch

Thatch can impede the circulation of air and water if it is too thick. Compost provides beneficial microbes that help break down the thatch, improving water absorption and supplying nutrients to plants.

Soil Aeration

Microorganisms decompose the compost, creating tiny air pockets and aerating the soil. That allows oxygen to reach the roots and water to penetrate the ground.

Soil Microbes

Balanced composting fertilizers are comprised of good ground microbes. It these soil microbes that help organic matter breakdown and encourage optimal growth.

One part of that activity is rebalancing the ground nitrogen, a required nutrient that plants ingest through the roots. Moreover, soil microbes can assist in managing illnesses and control carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorous amounts in the groundsoil.

Seed Germination

Top-dressing is an integral part of the seeding process. When overseeding is properly completed it can increase seed germination, helping your lawn appear thicker and healthier.

Soil Quality

Top-dressing introduces essential nutrition to the dirt, including nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium. Moreover, it boosts the fertility of the soil—its ability to hold minerals and moisture—resulting in healthier turf.

FAQs on Top-Dressing

Here are answers to the top three frequently asked questions about lawn top dress.

Is there a difference between basal-dress and topdress soil?

Yes, but let’s define basal first, which means the base layer. In the process of lawn leveling, it forms the bottommost layer. Often applied first, followed by a topdress to finish the lawn leveling process.

Is topsoil the same as topdress?

Not necessarily. To even out your lawn, adding topsoil may help, but it will be different from a compost mixture since it’s a nutrient-rich component of topdressing, which contains essential microbes.

Is there a difference between lawn leveling and top-dressing?

Lawn leveling is generally limited to sand. In contrast, top-dressing uses three kinds of material–compost, topsoil, and sand–but limits the amount of material used.

Where to Start?

If you need more resources to top dress your lawn by yourself, hiring a lawn care professional nearby can help. The professionals at Ground Up Services can supply a chemical-free compost and a topsoil mixture for topdressing, schedule your order today with Ground Up Sevices online today or call (417) 439-1009 to place your order for delivery!

The team at Ground Up Services can also help you with any additional yard and drainage services.