When to Apply Topdressing to a Lawn

Time of Year

• There are two main grass types that gardeners grow, depending on their climate. Cool season grass types such as ryegrasses, fescues and bluegrasses typically grow in the northern regions of the United States. These grass types start growing at the end of summer or early fall. Warm season grass varieties like St. Augustine, centipede, Bermuda, Bahia and carpet grow in the southern regions. Gardeners see their warm season grass types start growing in the spring. Top dress your grass at the beginning of its growing season.

Time in Growing Season

• Throwing topdressing on the lawn before grass has had a time to green up will not result in a successful application. Gardeners must prepare their lawns and wait for their lawns to green up. Plan to topdress your lawn after 3 to 4 mowings, as suggested by Julie Day from Danny Lipford. Furthermore, you can topdress the lawn in batches throughout the growing season where you see areas of the lawn experience poor health.

Lawn Preparation

• Aerate your lawn before applying the topdressing. Lawn aerating improves soil drainage and air flow. Soil that has poor draining abilities or little air flow is a breeding ground for fungal diseases. To aerate you lawn, rent a core aerator. A core aerator removes plugs of soil that are 1/2 to 3/4 of an inch in diameter and up to 6 inches deep, according to Virginia Cooperative Extension. Push the core aerator back and forth across your lawn.

Application

• Mix up your topdressing. To make your own topdressing, mix up in equal parts sharp sand, peat and loam soil, according to Julie Day from Danny Lipford. If mixing up your own topdressing sounds unappealing, you can purchase high quality topdressing from your local gardening supply store. Apply topdressing by shoveling 2 to 3 shovelfuls of the mixture over 3 square feet. Rake the topdressing into the holes made by the core aerator. Avoid applying more than 1 inch of topsoil in any area.