Apply the topsoil, spreading evenly a few feet at a time. You can also try covering your lawn with 7 to 10 layers of overlapping newspaper, wetting it down, then covering that … Make Sure the Seeds get Enough Sun . This may include a mixture of fertilizing and amending the soil as well as adding seed to help recover the grass that is already there. How to Use our Topsoil Calculator. I recommend this if you have the patience. Next, you want to loosen the soil up prior to reseeding. Calculate topsoil below to find the ideal quantity for your needs. Overseeding does not require a total restart. Seeding your lawn. This is a beginners guide to understanding top dressing, using sand, soil and other materials and how to apply it safely to your lawn and grass. For ornamental lawns, top dressing should be part of your lawn care program. Advertisement. Top soil; Hose; Lawn rake; Plenty of lawns suffer from bald patches each year, often due to children and pets enjoying the garden in sunny months. Apply granular fertiliser at 140g/m2, and fork into the soil prior to sowing lawn seed.‘ Lawn Care Our lawn care range is designed to make Lawn UK a one stop shop for all your lawn care needs. 1. Unfortunately, for most of us the expense of tearing up the existing lawn, amending the soil and reseeding is out of the question. Step 5: Make sure the seed is covered . Now you are ready for the next stage: seeding your lawn. New seed requires a lot of water to help it grow in the initial months. The first step is to figure out what’s causing your lawn to look sluggish. Turn the broom rake upside down and drag it side-to-side over the furrows until only 10 to 15 percent of the seed remains uncovered. The Tools You’ll Need For Overseeding a Lawn. If there’s no grass at all, then you’re in a good position to dig over the earth and introduce some good quality top soil and fertiliser. I know every yard isn’t the same, but this is my primary yard additive, and my grass is also looking much better than when I bought the house. Consider adding a sprinkler system 2 at a … Once you find out what is causing the patchy grass, you can see here how to reseed lawn if you need new grass in patches. Part 2 of 3: Prepping the Soil. If you have an existing lawn, you may find that repairing or renovating it is much less expensive than completely reseeding the entire lawn. To learn more about adding topsoil to your lawn, read my Guide to Top Dressing a Lawn. You’ll need to rip out the old lawn with a sod cutter, kill any remaining weeds and fertilize the soil, he says. 2. If the soil is not too bad, leave the cores on the grass to break down naturally. rejunvenate your lawn. Sprinkle some crumbly top soil or compost over the base of the removed square. 3. Not much, for small holes you can roll your existing sod back and fill in the hole, then replant your sod, if it is in good shape. How to choose the best seed . Read my Guide to Lawn Fertiliser. You can apply grass seed to your lawn either before or after you top dress it. Mow the lawn. One of the first things you need to be sure of before overseeding lawns is that the soil temperature is around 52 degrees Fahrenheit. 5mm in topsoil equates to 4-5kg per square meter of lawn. The top soil is hand applied like brown sugar over an apple tart. Here’s how to reseed your lawn in 10 easy to follow steps. 4. Some people recommend using straw to cover the seed, however straw is unsightly, doesn’t decompose quickly, or retain as much moisture, and is known to introduce weeds. This picture shows the new sod, old lawn, and the soil over top of the old lawn. Given that labor takes up a substantial amount of the total lawn seeding price, you could save hundreds of dollars in the process. Apply 1/4″-1/2″ of soil mixture on top of the low areas. If you're using grass seed to overseed your lawn instead of an overseeding product like Scotts® Turf Builder® Thick’R Lawn™ Sun & Shade, it's a good idea to rake in a thin layer of enriched soil over your lawn to help the seed settle in.Don't put so much down that you kill your existing grass; less than a quarter of an inch is plenty. repair bare patches. If you are doing your whole yard, probably better to reseed, depending on the age of your lawn you may be getting a more modern water-wise variety anyway. On a seeded lawn: After sowing lawn grass seeds, apply a thin layer — about 1/4-inch — of compost as top-dressing to help maintain consistent soil moisture while seeds germinate and tender grass seedlings get established. Consider removing the cores from the lawn surface. Overseed in Autumn . To work out how much topsoil you need, simply multiply your lawns square meterage by the weight in soil per square meter. Lightly brush the grass with the backside of a rake. We would recommend that you seed your lawn after you apply your top dressing. Prep Your Lawn. Spread top dressing over lawn to a depth of ¼ to ½ inch. Lawn Seeding Topsoil is a very fine topsoil and sand blend, which is easy to work with and easy to spread. Seed also needs exposure to sunlight. When to reseed over dead sod . 50 (square meterage of your lawn) x 5 (kilos per square meter) = 250kg. Cover the seed with a light sprinkling of top soil or compost to hide it from the birds. 1. Sod was used in places where 2 inches or more of soil needed to be added. Seeding Cost Factors. A newly seeded lawn develops stronger roots than older grasses and a lawn that's been oversown will also be less prone to weeds as denser lawns have less area for weeds to take hold. So, if you are planning to aerate or scarify your lawn do so prior to top dressing. Breaking the soil open hurts the root structure of the existing grass and gives new weeds a chance to invade. reduce the risk of overtaking weeds. So let’s say your lawn is 50 square meters. Soil & Lawn Top Dressing; Top Dressing Procedure. The heat and moisture will destroy existing grass and weeds in about 6 to 8 weeks, leaving the soil ready for reseeding. You can then sow your preferred grass seed or lay a new lawn using turf to quickly cover the area with a healthy and attractive lawn. In areas where we put down less than 2 inches, the old grass will grow through and blend with the sod (under 2 to 3 inches). The only costs are materials. The ideal time to reseed is in the early fall/autumn. 3. Reseeding a bare area. Be sure to check the seed package for the rate of seeding and apply as directed. The object is to get as much top dressing touching the soil as possible. Laying topsoil directly on top of the subsoil creates a drainage problem. Water the lawn. On the other hand, if you DIY, seeding a lawn will be less. Test Your Soil . Ornamental Lawns . To ensure a greater chance of success in replacing the dead grass in your lawn with healthy new grass, choosing the right time of year to perform the task is crucial. It’s available in many different sized packs. Note: Learn how to use a spreader to fertilizer and reseed your lawn… Aerate the soil using a broadfork, being careful not to break the underlying structure of the soil too much. Before laying the topsoil, till the top 2 to 3 inches of the subsoil to loosen it, and grade the lawn surface. The goal of overseeding a lawn is to get the grass seed in contact with the soil. At the very least you should make sure the soil has all the nutrients it needs. Apply scoops of soil mix to low areas of the lawn using a shovel; Rake the topdressing to spread it out evenly. How to Overseed a Lawn STEP 1: Mow and rake the lawn. Since it’ comprised of organic material it also adds nutrients to your lawn’s soil. Top dressing in conjunction with other lawn care maintenance procedures is not only highly beneficial but can often save time. When the temperatures start to cool off and your lawn looks like it could use a boost, overseeding, otherwise known as reseeding your lawn, can lend a big hand in helping revive your lawn. Besides this, you need good seed-to-soil contact so that the seed can germinate quickly. Thankfully there's no need to worry because we can help you select the right seed mix for your needs and make successful repairs to your lawn. Available in formulas for sun & shade or tall fescue lawns, Lawn Booster combines three essentials: seed, fertilizer and soil enhancer. Rake and smooth any uneven areas. Scatter the grass seed over the base at a rate of 15-25g per sq m (½ – ¾ oz per sq yard) if no sowing rate is given on the packet or by the supplier. You'll need to aerate it, using a mattock or pick-axe spike, a claw tool or a garden fork. Preparing the ground is key when establishing a lawn from seed. Step 4: Apply seed. This is a good solution for widespread unevenness that does not run too deep. Amend the soil. Top-dressing is especially helpful in arid climates or during dry or breezy spells, where the soil and seeds easily dry out within hours. In the least extreme cases, you can solve the problem by topdressing with a thin layer of leveling mix (soil, compost, and sand). Here are some recommended topsoil depths for general garden projects: Lawns . In which case, you should apply a fertiliser. It is okay to fill in holes, especially if you have poor soil. Areas of a lawn can become uneven over time, due to settling, drainage issues, and various natural and unnatural causes. If you have a large area to aerate, consider renting a gas-powered aerator. Once established, these water-conserving grasses require up to 30 percent less water than ordinary grasses. Blending lawn requires patience. Get the most out of your overseeding through thoroughness not just in spreading of the seed, but also in the prep and after-care of your lawn. Here’s how to do it. To do that, the first step is to mow the lawn. Lime-enhanced, pure-bred Pennington Smart Seed, backed by years of breeding and research, adds beauty and sustainability. A single application (1-2 bags) will have no negative impact on the yard and I don’t rake–it just drops between the grass. Reply. Only 1/2” of material can be applied at a time so that you don’t smother the grass; With a push-broom (or leveling rake), work the soil mixture into the grass as thoroughly as possible. Reseeding is a great way to help the grass recover and get thicker. To prep soil, you can also put down a pre-fertilizer, or a light layer of soil or peat moss, to promote germination. strengthen and increase the health of your lawn. Multiply the square footage of the lawn by the depth of topsoil to arrive at the amount of topsoil in square feet. Reseeding often requires you to dig up the grass and soil in problem areas (or the whole lawn) and replace it with new turf, effectively starting over when grass can’t be salvaged. Planning & Preparation for Top Dressing. Cost of reseeding your lawn If you have more dead grass, dirt patches and weeds than healthy grass, reseeding is better than overseeding, Harbert says. The average price to reseed a lawn is about $0.05/sf. Cover over any hole and flatten out the soil. The more practical alternative is to add top dressing to the existing lawn a bit at a time for several years until your lawn has enough good topsoil to take off and crowd out weeds by its vigorous growth. Reseeding a lawn is a much more straightforward and less messy process than laying new turf. After a mow and some raking to open up the soil for seeding, your lawn should be ready for you to overseed without needing to get your hands too dirty. Here’s a list of everything you’ll need for overseeding; Lawnmower. 5. To get good seed-to-soil contact, compact the soil with a rented sod roller filled halfway with water. As always timing is critical so only do this when growth conditions are good. It also helps rejuvenate bare or brown spots. Seed can also be used to help with the blend. All seed was not created equal. You’ll also want to deal with any weed issues, if you have them, before reseeding a lawn. Don’t want to use all that plastic? Topsoil is most often sold by the metric tonne (1000kg), but the easiest way to calculate the quantity of topsoil required is by volume (cubic metres or litres). 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