How to Top Dress Yard Grass Seed

Topdressing is a procedure that applies a quality soil to grass, providing a number of benefits to the lawn. By top dressing a lawn, the overall quality of the soil in which it grows can be improved, the surface of the lawn can be leveled, and the grass will be encouraged to grow new shoots. Topdressing is beneficial not only for the existing grass in your lawn, but when over-seeding a lawn, too.

Sand
Peat
Loam
Shovel
Rake

Instructions

- 1
  Prepare a good topdressing by making a mixture of 3 parts sand, 3 parts loam, and 1 part peat. Add more sand to the mixture if the soil you are seeding has a lot of clay, and reduce the amount of sand for sandy soil. You will need approximately 30-40 lb. of the topdressing mix for every 100 square feet of lawn.
- 2
  Broadcast the topdressing mix over the seeded area by fanning out small amounts at a time using a shovel.
- 3
  Rake the topdressing so that it is evenly distributed and covering the seed by no more than a quarter inch. Remove any excess topdressing as necessary.
- 4
  Water the area gently but thoroughly, both to keep the seed moist and to settle the topdressing down.
- 5
  Mix the topdressing and grass seed together and spread it to address areas that need attention after the seed germinates.

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