A lush, green lawn is a point of pride for many Canberra homeowners. However, growing and maintaining a lawn isn’t always easy thanks to our frosty winters and sweltering summers!
Fortunately, there are a few techniques you can use to keep your lawn looking at its best all year round.
One of those techniques is top dressing — a relatively simple solution that works by feeding the soil and helping your lawn recover from wear.
Start with a plan
What are your lawn goals?
How you approach top dressing depends on the current condition of your lawn and what you want to achieve.
For example, you may wish to:
- rejuvenate your lawn after a harsh winter
- repair thinning or patchy grass
- level out bumps or low spots across your yard
To get the best result, we need to deal with the problem first and then use top dressing to support recovery and growth.
Here are 4 common lawn complaints and the techniques you can use to address them…
1. My lawn is uneven
Perhaps you’ve dug a trench and there is now a low spot in your lawn area, or there’s damage caused by erosion or heavy rain and storms. Or maybe you’d simply like to bring the whole area to an even level.
What you need:
- Plasterers sand (for deep holes),
- grass seed (for bare patches),
- fertiliser and
- top dressing soil.
How to do it:
- Mow your lawn so there’s still some visible foliage.
- Apply sand to areas you wish to level. Fill deeper holes with plasterers sand.
- Reseed any bare patches with the appropriate grass seed for your lawn.
- Add fertiliser (such as Lawn Feed) over the area.
- Apply top dressing soil
- Use a levelling rake* to spread everything evenly.
- Water daily.
Tip: If you don’t have a levelling rake, flip a regular rake upside down or pull a timber pallet flat through the area using a rope.
2. My grass is flat due to high foot traffic
If certain areas of your lawn have constant foot or vehicle traffic, the grass can become compacted which makes it hard underfoot and difficult to grow.
What you need:
- An aerator such as a coring machine (available to hire from equipment stores), spike shoes, or any handheld tool designed to penetrate the soil so nutrients and water can get in there.
- You’ll also need fertiliser and top dressing soil.
How to do it:
- Use your selected aerator tool.
- Add fertiliser in and around the holes.
- Add 5-10mm of top dressing soil.
- Water daily.
3. My grass feels spongy when I walk on it
Spongy grass usually means a layer of dead material (called thatch) has built up between the soil and the top of the grass.
What you need:
- A thatching rake or scarifier,
- grass seeds for bare patches,
- fertiliser and
- top dressing soil.
How to do it:
- Drag the thatching rake or scarifier through the grass to lift out the dead material.
- Collect and dispose of the debris.
- In heavily thatched areas with sparse grass, sprinkle some grass seeds.
- Spread fertiliser evenly across the area.
- Add 5–10mm of top dressing soil and rake it evenly over the lawn.
- Water daily.
4. My grass is unhealthy
Grass can become unhealthy for many reasons including frost, extreme heat, or extended periods of drought.
What you need:
- Fertiliser and
- top dressing soil to support recovery.
How to do it:
- Apply a fertiliser (such as Lawn Feed) evenly across the lawn.
- Add an even 5–10mm layer of top dressing soil.
- Water daily.
Extra tips
Spring and autumn are the best seasons to rejuvenate your lawn. A good rule of thumb is to wait until there have been 3 consecutive nights above 15°C. Then you’re in the safe zone.
Once you start, mow the lawn about once a week and continue adding fertiliser and top dressing as needed until the lawn is fully rejuvenated.
Find all your lawn needs at Canberra Sand and Gravel
Canberra Sand and Gravel has everything you need to make your lawn the envy of all your neighbours. Order online or visit one of our landscape centres.
