How much topsoil for grass

For weeds - I sprayed last fall and picked the majority of the remnants during the winter. I'm absolutely positive there are vestigial crabgrass root systems waiting to see the light of day. I have a lawn safe weed killer from Spectracide with crabgrass control which I was hoping to use as a preemergent. Should I not spray at all? ALthough the weedkiller is advertised as lawn safe, I do understand that grass seedlings may have different requirements and sensitivities.

That is basically what dchall and I were telling you. The best machine to do that is a tractor and box blade along with a dump truck to deliver the material. Well I will say a rototiller is a more personal tool to use where it can dig up and till in amendments that will help retain moisture.

The member that suggests her soil is rock hard The sand that was dumped in was probably beach sand--playbox sand, and that is directly responsible for what happened to her yard. This kind of sand does not aid in drainage A lawn roller should not 'compact' the soil--it should compress it sufficiently so that it can drain properly. If the soil is presently compacted, then aeration is another option.

Compaction will result in early death of grass roots and lousy drainage. Compaction can result in new home developments from truck traffic and constant walking on by construction crews. When severe, aeration is the only option to consider.

However the ground is dug, do think to get organic matter into it. Organic matter should be dug in at least 6"--the more the better. When considering the addition of sand, make sure it is coarse sand, builder's sand and make sure it is well mixed. Buy it at a quarry or soil dealer that guarantees it is what aids in drainage.

A pre-emergent, to prevent germination of weeds, will also prevent germination of grass seeds. Pre-emergent is applied either in early spring, or later in the fall. If pre-emergent is applied now, overseeding cant be done until the fall. If your yard is broken up into small areas, then nevermind the tractor.

And whatever you do, don't get tempted to bring in a Bobcat or a Skidsteer type of implement. They are not designed right for leveling soil short wheelbase and top heavy. You can do it by hand.

Let's assume first that you don't need soil to bring the grade up to the level of any concrete surrounding the yard. If you have a soil level that is at or above the surrounding concrete, then you are fine. Then all you need the additional soil for is to level the current low spots.

With that in mind I would direct your attention to this Gardenweb post by proudx where he details how he leveled his actively growing lawn. By buying sand in bags, he would be able to return any he did not need. Jeannie7: the topsoil is not rock hard, just somewhat compressed in some places from the kids and adults tromping around on it. It takes quite a bit of force to get the rake in to loosen it up. There is not too much sand in there. The big ones are easy to remove.

The small ones THAT is the subject of my next post I just did that the other day on one section just to see what the effort level is like. It actually wasn't too bad, but, I do like the idea of using a tiller to mix amendments in more evenly than if I did it by hand.

However, I don't like the idea of bringing up weed seeds and disrupting the microflora below as texas-weed mentioned, but I think the microsystem can re-establish itself I hope and I can deal with the weeds when they come.

The shovel session has brought up another issue I mentioned that our site has a lot of rocks, but there are more than I initially thought after digging.

I'm going to take a few pictures and make a new post Evaluation of the soil: I don't care whether the soil is clay or sand or anything in between. There are excellent lawns in every kind of soil across the country and around the world.

The only soil that doesn't seem to work is the Death Valley type soil with boron salts. I see no need for incorporating anything into the soil in prep for grass.

Preparation for grass involves grading it if it is not draining properly. Have you ever driven past a yard with the soil sitting inches high above the sidewalk? They added soil. Some lawns will grow out of their containers and you'll see soil, but for the most part, lawns show exposed soil because they added soil. Adding amendments whatever they are can be done perfectly uniformly by applying them to the surface with a drop or broadcast spreader. Compost can be flung with a shovel and blown around with a leaf blower or broomed around pretty evenly with a push broom.

No shovels are needed. Good lord! The amount of uniformed misinformation being posted here by subsequent replies is astounding. The people stating these opinions need to shut up and stop talking because they don't know what the hell they are talking about.

Simple as that. You will then have a better idea of what to do. If the soil is heavily compacted and mostly clay, you likely need to till the soil and add organic matter such as compost to remedy it. If your soil is to acidic you need to add lime. If your soil is to acidic you most likely need to add sulfur. If you have poor drainage you need to address this by regrading, adding under drains where applicable and tilling.

DO NOT dump topsoil or compost on top of compacted anaerobic soils without tilling it in or at least aerating. Hi Christopher. Since this thread was last active 8 years ago, your comments are not likely to reach the OP in time for him to take your advice. Clearly we disagree about how to fix this situation.

For several years in college I worked in the finish grading business. In that time I did see bobcats doing leveling work. And I saw us pull in to fix the work they never seemed to be able to complete. While Bobcat does make the implements to move dirt around, doing it with a tractor is much faster. With a tractor we were in and out in 3 days after a bobcat worked on it for 2 weeks.

When you're paying by the hour, that makes a big difference. You said, "Sand and clay makes concrete. Sand and clay makes sandy clay. It doesn't even make adobe. To make concrete you have to have cement. But looking back you didn't really offer any advice other than to not take the advice that had been given. Indem Sie weiterhin auf der Website surfen bzw. Mehr erfahren. Ultimate Lighting Sale.

Bathroom Vanity Sale. Bestselling Chandeliers and Pendants. Sign In. If you find when you dig a 'test hole' that it appears to be a large, deep hole filled with big chunks the original builders have created for you a 'perched water table". Simply, all the small pore spaces of the topsoil will have to be completely saturated before any downward drainage can make its way into the chunks of stuff. Same with rocks at the bottom of potting soil in a potted plant, a no-no.

No lawn should be perfectly flat. You don't want water sitting on top of your lawn. Because of the perched water table situation this slope will be even more important to manage drainage. You can dig dry well 'trenches' along the easiest side of your lawn to catch and allow water to slowly filter through the soil or use Perforated drain pipe to carry the water to an area that with a single dry well. You do not want water draining off your site onto your neighbors.

Big no-no for all kinds of reasons. I'd pull up all the shallow concrete and bricks for sure. Are you able to talk with the original builder don't tell him I said he was an idiot grins! He could tell you how deep, the type of debris he threw in the hole, otherwise get ready to dig a deep hole no more than 3' to get an idea of how deep this mess is.

Below feet the debris will no longer be an issue unless you've got decomposing wood. A few chunks here and there within this man made soil profile of ' below the surface is no big deal, but if it is solid, bummers. Now we know that 3" cool season grasses is as short as residential lawns should be mowed. Critical for a healthy, vibrant, weed free lawn. Bring in good topsoil already mixed with decomposed organic matter.

Square footage of area divided by 81 gives you yardage of soil for that area to make 4" deep. You should need only 2" on top of your existing " if soil Grade try to rent a grading rake which is 3' wide, much easier and better to grade soil , then roll baby roll! Go grade some more and roll again. If there are still lumps and holes, grade and roll again. My advice is to use sod once laid roll one more time, you can fix any depressions at the same time.

The next best is to hire a spray seeding company. The worst way to start a lawn is from owner seeding. Grass will compete with weeds from the beginning. If you chose this you need to use a mechanical spreader. Do not throw seed by hand! This could lead to a whole lot of new problems altogether, which could cost you money, time, and cause endless hassle. Thus, it is important to focus on doing a good, clean job adding the topsoil.

As long as you do this from the beginning, you will have your grass growing without a problem. Experts also strongly recommend that your topsoil be the same as or similar to the soil in your lawn.

This will help you achieve a more effective topdressing that looks better as well. Therefore, the preparation of the right kind of topsoil is a major factor in the process. As mentioned earlier, one of the crucial factors you need to focus on is how much topsoil you need for topdressing your lawn.

Adding too much or too little can affect the result and the quality of your new lawn. Therefore, you must make sure that you get the measurements and the proportions right. As a prerequisite, however, you will need to be sure that the lawn you are looking at can be fixed using a topdressing technique.

Thus, if your lawn is in a state where you doubt the topdressing would be sufficient or ideal, you might need to look for more practical solutions instead. Anything less, or anything more is likely to hinder the level of success and the overall outcome you get. Also, keep in mind that the soil needs to be spread evenly through the lawn for the best results. The process may take a little time since you need to give it some care as you go on dressing your entire lawn.