Lawn Care

Compost-Topdressing vs. Leveling-Topdressing

Written by Hillary Thompson | Jun 4, 2014 4:00:00 AM

Topdressing of turf could mean one of two techniques, either compost topdressing to add nutrition or topdressing to level to make a flatter lawn without bumps. We'll explain the difference.

Compost Topdressing for Nutrition

One meaning is compost-topdressing with a very thin layer of compost to provide nutrients. To learn about compost-topdressing, follow this link offsite to our Soil³ product page: Topdressing with Soil3. The featured picture shows a before/after of compost topdressing with Soil³.

Topdressing to Level a Lawn

The other meaning of topdressing is to level sod, that's why we're calling it leveling-topdressing. This is when a thick layer (no more than 1/2 of the blade height) of sand or topsoil is spread over turf with the intention of improving the surface texture of the land under the turf - to even out bumps and depressions. The goal of topdressing like this is to create a smooth playing surface, commonly done on sports field and golf courses, and is often necessary to smooth newly established home and commercials lawns. Topdressing for evening out turf requires a thicker layer of topdressing material (compared with compost-topdressing as a fertilizer application).

So that you can level your lawn and provide nutrition at the same time, we developed a mixture that's 70% sand and 30% Soil³ organic compost.  It's called Level Mix and sold in a 1 cubic yard BigYellowBag. Instructions on how to use Level Mix and where to purchase it can be found on our sister website, Soil3.com: How to Level Your Yard with Soil3's Level Mix.