If you have thin or bare areas of lawn, have scarified or just fancy adding newer grass varieties, then over seeding the lawn will be part of the operation. You should add the new grass seed after renovation and either before or after top dressing. If you have a lot of top dressing to work into the lawn perhaps seeding afterwards is best so that the seed doesn’t get moved around as you rub and level the dressing. On the other hand, if you are only top dressing lightly you could add the lawn seed first so that the dressing goes on top thereby insulating the seed somewhat from birds and rain. If anything it is more important due to the changes that your lawn is going to feel over the next few months. Understanding how to best protect your lawn will only serve you well when the warmer weather arrives, you are going for that lushest green look once again. Our Winter Lawn Care Tips Our members’ knowledge of the lawn sector is second to none, meaning they can give professional advice to help you. However, in this instance, our winter lawn care tips include: Reduce Mowing A special topdressing kit to protect the spreader’s gears from the topdressing sand’s abrasiveness. So the rule would be, cut when it needs a cut, but be aware, excessive mowing during the winter could result in damage. Rake Up The Leaves

You can also substitute other materials for compost such as topsoil or a 50/50 blend of compost and loam (which is an amazing mix – it’s what I use in my raised beds). Wheelbarrow You don't have permission to access "http://www.homedepot.com/c/ai/how-to-top-dress-your-lawn/9ba683603be9fa5395fab90237f955f" on this server.Topsoil that mimics the existing soil structure smooths out the ground and is good to use, as well. The hopper capacity is decent, at 35KG, and it’s easy to define how far you’d like to spread. This spreader will reach up to 400cm in each direction, making it very efficient for a larger lawn. However, as you’d expect from a rotary spreader, it’s not very precise, and can distribute too much over smaller lawns, depending on how you use it. Overall, this is probably a better buy, because it has an on/off switch on the handle. No need to worry about creating piles of whatever you happen to be spreading when you reach the edge of your lawn.

Once it’s all evenly distributed, switch to a stiff brush and brush the dressing into the dips of the lawn to help create a new even surface. 6. Consult a lawn care professional Most golf superintendents apply topdressing sand throughout the growing season before the golfers hit the greens. You may hear complaints about playing in a recently topdressed course, but in the long run, you’ll have healthier turfgrass. To top dress your lawn you’ll be spreading a thin layer of material – usually compost, loam, or sand – over your lawn. The layer spread is generally about ¼ of an inch in depth, and is used to amend and improve your lawn’s soil and improve moisture retention without interfering with the growth of existing grass. Portion your top dressing into a number of small batches and place them evenly around the lawn. This means you will have a pile of soil every few metres. It also improves the structure of the soil by improving its cation exchange capacity (CEC), or the soil’s ability to hold nutrients and water.

The best thing about this lawn spreader from Scotts is its flexibility. You can use it with grass seed, fertiliser, and other lawn food. Although Scotts say you’re only meant to use it with specific products from specific brands, you should be fine to spread almost anything, as long as the granules are fine enough. You might need to reapply the top dressing, and the results might take a while, but pretty soon you can get on a schedule of top-dressing and over-seeding once every few years and your lawn will stay looking great with minimal effort. What this means is drop spreaders are less efficient. They don’t spread as far as rotary lawn spreaders. Therefore, they’re best for situations where high levels of precision are required – when you’re not spreading over a very large area. Having a drop style spreader is also good for top dressing your lawn with compost, because it’s important to ensure an even spread. Handheld spreaders If you choose to top-dress your lawn manually, firstly, load your wheelbarrow with the chosen top dressing mix.

As you know, your golf course uses small quantities of topdressing sand that you apply to your golf course greens throughout the growing season. If you’re at a Southern golf course, you dust your putting greens throughout the entire year. And with a drop spreader, you can adjust how far the outlet is opened, offering a second way to control the spreading rate, in addition to your walking pace. Why should you topdress your greens throughout the growing season? Here are the benefits for regular topdressing: The idea is to improve your lawn’s current condition while providing a healthy environment to facilitate the germination of new seeds.

The main difference is a drop spreader is typically much more precise. They release fertiliser much more slowly, because they use a simple release mechanism rather than a rotating disc. Note that with a drop spreader, the size of your lawn feed pellets or salt granules aren’t such a big deal. This is because you can simply widen the opening to allow larger pellets to flow more freely while ensuring a good spread width. How to use a lawn spreader – the right way

For those of you who have not yet attempted to use a top-dressing machine on your lawn, there are some handy tips and techniques which will help you maximize the effort you put into making your lawn healthier and more attractive: As very well publicised by us and our members, just because the colder weather is here and the garden is not used as frequently, does not mean it is a time to switch off from your lawn care. It helps reduce thatch — Golfers want a smooth surface to play on, and you can only achieve that when you don’t have a lot of thatch. Plus, thatch causes problems to turfgrass by smothering the crowns at the soil line—too much thatch results in turf diseases. How you use your lawn spreader will depend in part on what type of spreader you have. Here are some general guidelines: Once the top dressing has been applied to the lawn, be sure to water the lawn daily during spells of dry weather. 8. MowingIf you are top dressing and over seeding our preferred method is to seed after applying the top dressing so the seed doesn't get moved around with the soil as you work it in. Once seeded, very lightly brush the seed into the loose top dressing, firm or roll the surface and fertilise with a seasonal fertiliser and if doing this in spring use a feed for all lawns or one for sandy soil even if you have clay soil. Lastly start watering often so the seed does not dry out, or water and cover with polythene. Now we’ll explain what you need to know when choosing which lawn spreader to buy. Why use a lawn spreader – can’t I spread by hand? A rotary spreader (also known as a broadcast spreader) are the type of lawn spreader that has wheels. However, the “rotary” in the name actually refers to the rotating disc inside the device that spreads your fertiliser around.