Natural Lawn and Turf Care
Proper soil depth
Starting
with the proper soil at a adequate depth is the key to sustainable
turf. Grass needs 3-4 inches of healthy topsoil to ensure good root
development which will help to keep the grass green in times of
drought. Many times I find that a contractor has only "skim-coated" an
inch or two of topsoil on a lot after construction. This is after
trucks and heavy construction equipment has compacted the gravel around
the yard. Nature makes the best topsoil available, but many times on a
new construction lot the topsoil is scraped up and hauled away to be
sold. After the building construction is complete the contractor will
then bring in loam to coat the gravel base and put down seed to
establish a lawn. Most of the time loam is not put down at a depth
that will sustain turfgrass naturally. Constant fertilizing and
watering must be done to keep the grass looking good.
So how do you increase your topsoil depth under an existing lawn
without tearing it up?
Top-dressing with compost
A "skim coating" or "top-dressing" of compost will:
- increase healthy soil depth,
- add organic matter to the soil,
- help break down thatch,
- provide a food source for living organisms that will in turn feed your grass
- help to retain moisture in the hot dry summer months.
Top
dressing can be somewhat laborous, first you must disperse the compost
somehwat evenly about the lawn and placed in small piles every 2-3
feet. I find it easiest to do this with with a wheelbarrel and shovel,
then the compost must be raked into the lawn to get even coverage, and
make the small piles of compost "disappear"
There are a few
companies out there that have equipment to do this uniformly, easily
and quickly. You may find it's easier to have this service done by
these professionals, than to do it yourself by hand.
Core Aeration
It
helps to core aerate just before a compost top-dressing to get some of
the compost down into the root zone immediately. This type of aeration
pulls a plug or core from your turf and is one of the most beneficial
things you can do for an established lawn. Be sure to use a "core
aerator" because a "spike aerator" can actually compact soil even
further.
Check out our rates for core aeration service
Or you can rent your own, rental
rates vary from $55 to $80 for a days rental, and having help loading
and unloading the machine is a must. It's sometimes best to have
this service done professionally because the machine is quite heavy and
difficult to manuver, and often we can provide this service for less than the cost of
rental and without the hassle of picking up and returning the machine.