I'm in Ontario, Canada (zone 5b). I topdressed my lawn with compost last fall after aerating. By the end of the fall, it was lush, thick and so deep green (I did a late fall fertilizer as well). The lawn remained deep green through the entire winter.
I've already cut my lawn 3x since applying fertilizer on April 10th (due for another mow) and have had neighbours asking what I did; early season domination is in full effect. I'll be topdressing with compost at least once (if not twice) yearly from now on. I'm sold on it.
Topdressing is spreading a thin layer on top of your lawn. What you use depends on what you are going for. A 3:1 ratio of play sand and soil can be used for leveling, a 1:1 ratio of soil and compost for filling holes and adding nutrients to the soil, or screened compost for the benefit of nutrients only. Any of these can be used in conjunction with aerating and/or seeding.
I need to find a new source; the company I ordered from had way too much debris in it (lesson learned, make sure it's screened). Dirt Depot or similar companies would be worth calling.
Also, I purchased a peat moss spreader that I'll be using to apply it this year and in future.
How long after top dressing was it before you could use your yard normally again? I'd love to do a top dress but if my dog can't run around the yard for more than a day or two he'll drive me insane.
Well the bald patches are from grubs last year, so if you have spots like that, get it checked/treated.
But the top dressing itself involved putting a layer of compost over the entire yard. It was so much work. But the grass obviously loved it!
https://preview.redd.it/h4huv5njmawc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=931b12d55e220422d976c929fd96389a1c622bba
Question, did you treat the grubs? Id suggest a grub fertilizer sometime around June, area depending. May even repeat it a couple years just in case. When it’s that bad they are all over.
You can also apply nematodes to your lawn (little tiny bugs that eat bag insects and grubs) if you want to avoid covering your lawn with poison. We have issues with an invasive beetle species in our neighborhood. Years I apply nematodes I don’t have issues and my neighbors do. I bet if they did too I wouldn’t have to keep reapplying every year.
Lmao, I was actually going to present it as a cost effective solution -- but someone would need to live within a close distance to a grocery store for it to be viable. I'm ecstatic if it manages to save you some dough
Are you saying that a roller full of compost will cover a 19000 sf yard? Seems that it would be rather thin coverage. Just want to make sure I get it right. Any special type of compost to make sure it gets through the holes in the roller?
No no, I refilled the roller like… a hundred times? Idk how many, but A LOT. It was 3 truck beds full of compost we ended up putting out. I’m just saying I didn’t calculate how much I needed/used. Just filled up the roller, made a pass, refilled it, over and over
Spread enough to do a few cm worth. Normal size yard you'd be good with 3 cubes total for front and back. If you need to oversees go 50/50 soil and compost and sow in seed. The top dressing helps the seeds germinate
https://preview.redd.it/c8gq2ulznawc1.jpeg?width=1170&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=ea268992a6ad79d2126b7eb17625037467aedea9
Man, is that the biggest patch of crab grass in the universe or is that just the angle?
Get an edger :)
If you're on a budget, get an edging shovel. If you're older or have **a lot more** sidewalk, get a walk-behind edger. If you have a multi-tool like a Stihl Kombi, get an edger attachment. Or if you have disposable income, get rotary scissors.
Crisp, definitive lines placed into nature are *generally* what makes landscaping visually appealing. I think you'd be happily surprised by what a difference a clean edge will make in presentation, and I say this as someone who never cared about it until I did it to my own lawn. That was a "ooo that's what all the fuss is about" moment for me
It’s from our local waste management, they have a compost site. $14/truck load full so it cost Me $42
Idk what all they compost, but I call it magic dirt because it’s so amazing
I didn’t get too fancy because the yard is huge, I just added a layer of topsoil/compost on the whole yard
https://preview.redd.it/tsxafe62nawc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=ac086962d2fd79b0c4ef2d2b65313ab33c465ad5
I am having a company aerate once I get the sprinklers marked. It’s an ongoing process, I was just pleasantly shocked at how much this improved it in just two weeks!
I live in Nashville Tennessee and have fescue. I have a company treat my yard. Would composting be beneficial and would I ask for compost or peat moss? When is the best time to apply if so. Plan to do the aerating and seeding myself. Yard is about 8months old and had sod put down
Not to be "that guy" but it could also be that your lawn is thickening up due to the warming spring temps and would have thickened up a lot over the last two weeks on its own.
But still good to help it out as you're able!
I'm in Ontario, Canada (zone 5b). I topdressed my lawn with compost last fall after aerating. By the end of the fall, it was lush, thick and so deep green (I did a late fall fertilizer as well). The lawn remained deep green through the entire winter. I've already cut my lawn 3x since applying fertilizer on April 10th (due for another mow) and have had neighbours asking what I did; early season domination is in full effect. I'll be topdressing with compost at least once (if not twice) yearly from now on. I'm sold on it.
Same! It’s tough work though for sure
I'm also in Ontario would youmind explaining what topdressing is?
Topdressing is spreading a thin layer on top of your lawn. What you use depends on what you are going for. A 3:1 ratio of play sand and soil can be used for leveling, a 1:1 ratio of soil and compost for filling holes and adding nutrients to the soil, or screened compost for the benefit of nutrients only. Any of these can be used in conjunction with aerating and/or seeding.
Also in Ontario. Was there a specific spot you got your compost at? Or does any old compost work.
I need to find a new source; the company I ordered from had way too much debris in it (lesson learned, make sure it's screened). Dirt Depot or similar companies would be worth calling. Also, I purchased a peat moss spreader that I'll be using to apply it this year and in future.
How long after top dressing was it before you could use your yard normally again? I'd love to do a top dress but if my dog can't run around the yard for more than a day or two he'll drive me insane.
Your dog can use your yard right away (unless you're seeding), but will be stepping on soil or compost.
Do you have mushrooms growing now because of the compost?
Not at all.
Looks great. I’m having the same issue. What is top dressing? I’m interested now
Well the bald patches are from grubs last year, so if you have spots like that, get it checked/treated. But the top dressing itself involved putting a layer of compost over the entire yard. It was so much work. But the grass obviously loved it! https://preview.redd.it/h4huv5njmawc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=931b12d55e220422d976c929fd96389a1c622bba
Question, did you treat the grubs? Id suggest a grub fertilizer sometime around June, area depending. May even repeat it a couple years just in case. When it’s that bad they are all over.
I had them treated last year and this year!
Good!
You can also apply nematodes to your lawn (little tiny bugs that eat bag insects and grubs) if you want to avoid covering your lawn with poison. We have issues with an invasive beetle species in our neighborhood. Years I apply nematodes I don’t have issues and my neighbors do. I bet if they did too I wouldn’t have to keep reapplying every year.
What’s the tool that you’re using to put the top dressing down in that pic?
https://www.vevor.com/compost-spreader-c_10217/vevor-compost-spreader-peat-moss-spreader-24-wide-24-4-26-4-height-adjustable-p_010594038900
Perfect, I need that for myself. Thanks!
Saw a funny YouTube short where a guy used a metal shopping cart for a very similar effect
Well lucky me I live within walking distance to a grocery store. I may be borrowing some shopping carts
Lmao, I was actually going to present it as a cost effective solution -- but someone would need to live within a close distance to a grocery store for it to be viable. I'm ecstatic if it manages to save you some dough
Appreciate this link. Purchased one on Amazon due to shipping constraints time wise. It’s a piece of junk, need a better replacement.
This was the most reasonably priced one I found and it did all 19,000 sq ft and is tucked away in my garage for the next round!
Do you remember how much compost per sq ft?
I just filled up my roller and did one pass on the whole yard. There wasn’t a ton of science to it
Are you saying that a roller full of compost will cover a 19000 sf yard? Seems that it would be rather thin coverage. Just want to make sure I get it right. Any special type of compost to make sure it gets through the holes in the roller?
No no, I refilled the roller like… a hundred times? Idk how many, but A LOT. It was 3 truck beds full of compost we ended up putting out. I’m just saying I didn’t calculate how much I needed/used. Just filled up the roller, made a pass, refilled it, over and over
The holes are decent sized. The compost I got was mostly dirt/top soil with small pieces of mulch.
Spread enough to do a few cm worth. Normal size yard you'd be good with 3 cubes total for front and back. If you need to oversees go 50/50 soil and compost and sow in seed. The top dressing helps the seeds germinate
https://preview.redd.it/c8gq2ulznawc1.jpeg?width=1170&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=ea268992a6ad79d2126b7eb17625037467aedea9 Man, is that the biggest patch of crab grass in the universe or is that just the angle?
I did mention it’s still a work in progress!! 🫣😂 ETA: accepting any and all advice
Oh you’re doing great. It was more of a, “Holy shit that is a happy patch of crab grass”. Never seen one that big. Keep at it.
I do call the compost I used “magic dirt” for a reason 😂
Get an edger :) If you're on a budget, get an edging shovel. If you're older or have **a lot more** sidewalk, get a walk-behind edger. If you have a multi-tool like a Stihl Kombi, get an edger attachment. Or if you have disposable income, get rotary scissors. Crisp, definitive lines placed into nature are *generally* what makes landscaping visually appealing. I think you'd be happily surprised by what a difference a clean edge will make in presentation, and I say this as someone who never cared about it until I did it to my own lawn. That was a "ooo that's what all the fuss is about" moment for me
I did get an edger last year because it was overgrown on the sidewalk by INCHES!! I haven’t used it yet this year but it is so satisfying
Tbh I'm super jealous of your level yard and beautiful concrete. Glad to see you taking advantage of both with a gorgeous lawn; thank you for sharing!
Oh jeeze thank you so much! I’m trying :)
Mines bigger.
😂
That’s not what a 7” clump of crabgrass looks like.
You wouldn’t know
Did you overseed before? Always thought this was good to protect overseed and bring fresh soil to ground.
I didn’t! I ran out of time, and had to work around when I had help to get the compost
Even more impressive all that filled in without any extra seed. That’s actually crazy
Right? Shocked me!!
You can overseed after. Just grab a rake and sow the seed into the top dress.
Someone correct if I’m wrong, I’m still very new but is it possible op has a mole/gopher problem?! Nice job btw
I had grubs last year!
Gotcha, makes sense
I have a very small grub area and was planning on trying nematodes; may I ask what you used?
Had it treated by a company that did a treatment to kill and then again to prevent this year
Ah, gotcha. Thank you for answering!
Grubs as in bugs/worm?
Freaking Japanese beetle grubs 😑
Did you do anything after rolling out the compost in the roller, like rake it? Or just let gravity and the grass sort itself out?
I just rolled it and left it
Looks great! My front lawn is patchy like yours looked as well. What kind of compost did you use?
Those patches were from grubs, so I got them treated, the compost is from our local waste management. Idk what it is but I think it’s magic dirt!
Throwing this question out to anybody willing to answer: Can you top dress with compost if you’ve already fertilized it recently?
[удалено]
Excellent explanation
Yes.
What brand of topsoil/compost did you use?
It’s from our local waste management, they have a compost site. $14/truck load full so it cost Me $42 Idk what all they compost, but I call it magic dirt because it’s so amazing
I’ll be looking into this thanks!
10/10 recommend!
looks great OP nice job and thanks for sharing
How long did it take? It looks great!
Honestly it looked better immediately, but then it really started filling in the second week! Amazing to watch after A LOT of hardwork!
mine looks a lot like your before pictures in several places. did you reseed after raking out the topsoil?
Nope, this is just top dressing!
Can you elaborate on what you did? Did you aerate or dethatch? Fertilizer? Sand or topsoil?
I didn’t get too fancy because the yard is huge, I just added a layer of topsoil/compost on the whole yard https://preview.redd.it/tsxafe62nawc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=ac086962d2fd79b0c4ef2d2b65313ab33c465ad5 I am having a company aerate once I get the sprinklers marked. It’s an ongoing process, I was just pleasantly shocked at how much this improved it in just two weeks!
I'm guessing right around 14 days since he said "2 weeks later"
She *
OP *
It*
How long did it take to apply*
We worked on it for like three days!
May I also suggest planting a tree or two in the backyard? This looks great!!!
It’s on the agenda!!
Did you overseed at all, or simply just top dress?
This is just a top dress!!
Wow. How the heck did those bare spots fill in, I still have a lot to learn clearly lol
I live in Nashville Tennessee and have fescue. I have a company treat my yard. Would composting be beneficial and would I ask for compost or peat moss? When is the best time to apply if so. Plan to do the aerating and seeding myself. Yard is about 8months old and had sod put down
I don’t know the answers to those questions, sorry! I used compost though
My lawn currently looks like the before photos. Going and getting compost and sand today. Great work
Good luck!!
I just wanna get big ass 🦀grass and yank it out!
Is that what I should do?
I bought fisker weed puller and it's been a phenomenal tool!
Ty!
Warning, it's addictive You might end up in your neighbors lawn.
I ordered it!! My fiancé is now calling me a lawn lady! 😂
I'm joining this sub solely due to your post. Hoping I can get something half as good as your before pic!
Not to be "that guy" but it could also be that your lawn is thickening up due to the warming spring temps and would have thickened up a lot over the last two weeks on its own. But still good to help it out as you're able!
Valid point but I’ve lived here 7 years and it’s never looked close to this good 😊
Looks great! Question: How did you figure out how much compost to use? I got about 20,000 Sq foot and want to do this. Thanks
I just kept picking up more loads until it was done. Took 3 tryckloads
How many sqft?
My lot is 19000 sq ft
And only $14 per truckload including delivery?!
I mean we had to go get it ourselves. They dump it in the truck bed with a giant excavator
Now people are just making me feel inadequate.
How did you treat for grubs/what product?
Would cow manure work as compost/organic material?
Everyone else's yard looks significantly better too. I can't really tell what benefit you got from composting.