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A SPECIAL SECTION DEVOTED TO
LIVING ON LAKE LANIER
The Dirt on
Gardening
Top dressing gives
lawn a ‘new lease on life’
By Pamela A. Keene
About this time of year, even when we’ve had our
normal amount of rainfall, your lawn may be looking a bit piqued.
Maybe you’ve got sections with little or no grass, brown spots or
dips in the contour that look rough.
Now’s the time to consider top dressing, especially
if you’ve got warm-season grasses, such as Bermuda, Zoysia or
Centipede. For cool-season Fescue, top dress in the spring or fall.
 “The
best time to top-dress is in the active growing season,” said
Charlie King, owner of King Green and member of the Metro Atlanta
Lawn and Turf Association/Northeast Georgia. “It’s an excellent way
to improve the look and health of your lawn.”
Top dressing adds a layer of sand or organic
materials to the lawn, helping improve the soil and the growing
conditions. The process is straightforward. First, the lawn is
aerated to create holes in the turf so that thatch and the hard soil
are broken up. Then a thin layer of sand is applied to fill the
holes and cover the rest of the lawn. Be cautious about putting too
much sand over the lawn and don’t leave any patches of sand that
bury the existing grass.
“Putting a thin layer of sand on thatch helps it
decompose better,” King said. “Thatch can certainly affect the
health of your lawn and this is a good way to help reduce thatching,
which can build up over repeated mowings if clippings aren’t
bagged.”
Professionals recommend immediate fertilization as
well to stimulate growth.
Typically, for a well-maintained lawn, top dressing
is necessary only every two or three years. Top dressing is a very
effective way to rehabilitate lawns that may be spotty or have bald
patches. If the turf gets scalped in places during mowing, top
dressing can also help bring up the level of low spots. In these
cases, once a year for a couple of years will bring good results,
King said.
There are many kinds of materials that can be used to
top dress. Most turf professionals choose a US Golf
Association-grade sand, the same that’s used on golf courses. “Sand
is graded according to shape and size of the particles,” King said.
“It’s not as effective with lower-grade sand or silt.”
One ton per 1,000 square feet is the optimum rate of
application. Professionals use specialized machinery to top dress;
however, homeowners can do so by hand, using shovels, flat rakes and
other garden tools. Just be careful not to over dress.
For more information about turf and landscape care,
visit
www.kinggreen.com.
Pamela A. Keene, our senior
writer, has been an avid gardener since she was a youngster in
Florida, and she has mastered the tough Georgia soils at her Flowery
Branch home. She’s also the regular gardening columnist for Athens
Magazine. Through her monthly column in Lakeside, she shares her
gardening knowledge. Pam encourages questions via e-mail at
pam@lakesidenews.com.
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