Topdressing

[aidenbaby]

I know that for some topdressing is a naughty word. Here is why I think it may help my situation. We have a soil base of about 80% sand. The lawn is SUPER dry, especially in the summer months, and has a few bare patches where the sod just didn't stand a chance. I am thinking about cutting the current grass super short (I don't know 1" maybe), seeding it well, and topdressing with about 1/2" (or whatever you suggest) of peat moss. What do you guys think?

 

[patandchickens]

I seriously wouldn't use peat -- the problem is that once it dries out it is real hard to re-wet. Thus it will blow away and/or create a water-repelling layer atop your lawn soil.

If you want to do something like that, I'd suggest fine-textured compost (probably commercially purchased). That will give you a bit more organic matter for the soil without messing up its moisture-accepting ability.

But honestly if your soil is that sandy, topdressing is not going to do any meaningful good and might even make the problem worse by encouraging shallow roots. Sorry, but, you know.

If you really want a more moisture-retentive drought-hardy lawn, your best bet is to grit your teeth and TILL IT ALL UP, tilling in a substantial amount of compost and also something with more long-lasting organic structure such as wood shavings or fine tree chippings (preferably composted -- if it's not composted you'll have to fertilize heavily with an N-heavy fertilizer for the first year, multiple times, using your eyeballs to determine when more is needed). Then level the seedbed and reseed with a new lawn.

But if you are in a hot climate, this will not work forever, eventually (possibly in just a few yrs, depending where you are) the organic matter will have disappeared and you'll be back to nearly where you started.

Sometimes you just have to kind of accept that the prototypical suburban/English style carpet of green lawn is not going to happen in all locations.

Good luck,

Pat

 

[aidenbaby]

I know. I'm watching my neighbors all struggle to keep their lawns pretty and green. I don't have the heart to tell them that the greenness is going to come to an end once the pig/cow/whatever manure they used when initially sodding wears off. The problem is there is a clay layer about 4-5 inches thick but it is buried down about 2-3 feet down where the original top soil was. When they built the community, the brought in "topsoil", fill dirt and contractors soil around the houses. Man, do I miss the dark brown soil of my old Dallas home.

 

[Hattie the Hen]

The problem with top dressing your light sandy soil is that if you do that you will only encourage rooting in the top layer & to have good green grass or plants you need deep roots, away from the burning hot sun. :coolsun:coolsun

I'm afraid I'm for the gritted teefh approach of patandthechickens.

Good Luck with it -- it's going to be a tough job


:rose Hattie :rose

 

[aidenbaby]

My husband is going to cry when I tell him this. Oh well, I tried to talk him out of a lawn in favor of a food forest type of environment.