When Should You Top Dress Your Lawn - Lawn Leveling Advice

When should you top dress your lawn is a question I've been getting lately. Top dressing your lawn is one of the best investments in lawn care you can make. It allows Bermuda grass as well as other types to really thrive in less than ideal conditions. In this video, I explain the best times to top dress your lawn based on a few factors. If your lawn is flat, then earlier in the season makes a lot of sense. If you are top dressing a sloped lawn, then you might want to consider waiting until summer so there's less chance of heavy rain washing away the top dressing mix. This simple advice will help you get great results from your top dressing project.
The first time I top dressed my entire lawn in 2017, I did it in early May. I encountered issues with the sand being washed to the bottom of my front lawn when it rained heavily. For this reason I really recommend staggering when you top dress.
The short answer is you want to top dress when there is 4 - 6 weeks of time left in the growing season for your particular grass type. For warm season grasses, this usually means between May and August. For cool season grasses, it means top dressing in the fall or early spring.
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--- Video Contents --
0:00 Intro
0:42 Quick Answer
1:15 Timing Advantages and Disadvantages
1:50 Sloped Lawn Considerations
3:30 Cool Season Tips
3:56 Conclusion
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[@RonHenry]

How to Top Dress Your Lawn: kzbin.info/www/bejne/ip2qh6qsrciojdE

[@RonHenry]

:-)

[@RonHenry]

Hi mrBDeye. Lots of studying, research and making mistakes.

[@cletiesmack1447]

WHEN was a big question I had. Thanks!! You hit it right on the head!!

[@RonHenry]

I really appreciate it Cleties. Glad it's useful!

[@blackqueen5201]

And quick too

[@robertrainey906]

Still holds true!

[@RonHenry]

It's an oldie but goodie!

[@seanguy4098]

Great job. Yard looks awesome. Thanks for taking the time to share your info. I’m still adjusting to Illinois grass to Bermuda. Used to leaving grass tall 🤣

[@RonHenry]

I appreciate you watching. You'll learn to love Bermuda. It has lot's of potential.

[@michaelnicholson2190]

Hey Ron, Absolutely love the content you provide and you are a natural.

[@RonHenry]

Thanks Michael. Appreciate you watching.

[@jeffzimmerman25]

Thanks Ron! This is my top priority next year and that was helpful information.

[@RonHenry]

Very cool Zman. Let me know if I can help with anything else.

[@reggulus100]

Thank you for all of these videos. Going to top dress for first time this year and gaining a ton of knowledge!

[@RonHenry]

Glad it's helpful Bob. I appreciate you watching!

[@robertrainey906]

We are just waiting and dreading the work ahead. Thanks as always for the good advice!

[@RonHenry]

Thanks Robert! It's a ton of work but definitely worth it.

[@5thg5]

Great Advice!!! ANOTHER GREAT INFORMATIVE VIDEO!!! 👍🏽

[@RonHenry]

Glad it was helpful Wize Guy. Thanks for watching! :-)

[@f0restwow]

Good Information as always. Thanks Ron!

[@RonHenry]

Thanks so much for watching Siddharth. Thanks for watching the content.

[@jeremywhite9316]

Great video! I have sandman coming out next week! Can’t wait!!

[@RonHenry]

That's awesome Jeremy. You'll like the results. Once they're done with the work, be sure to do the things in this video to get the best result on your newly top dressed lawn. kzbin.info/www/bejne/d5WlY3t7irR4gMk Thanks for watching sir.

[@theoneandonly4577]

Thanks for the video it’s well put together. I’m a subscriber!!

[@RonHenry]

Thanks so much TheOne AndOnly. I'm glad you found it useful. Thank you for watching.

[@halofernandez1974]

Hi Ron, I live in Central Florida and I just top dressed my St. Augustine front lawn Sept 7 (Labor Day). I used a mixture of 1 bag of sand to one bag of Top Soil and a couple of shovel full of Black Cow per wheel barrow . I used a small leveler I bought on Amazon and the job turned out nice. It’s rained practically every day since and I only had to water in once . I’m back to mowing and it’s only been three weeks so I would say in Central Florida you can safely top dress into September. Thank you for your helpful videos!

[@RonHenry]

Thanks so much for sharing your experience Halo. Glad to hear your top dressing project turned out well. It sounds like you followed a pretty good process and was also fortunate to not get crazy amounts of rain to wash the mix away. Keep me posted on how things develop. Being in Central FL with consistent heat definitely helped out I'm sure.

[@WhyarewehereNow]

Damn look at that lawn

[@RonHenry]

Thanks!

[@SunnyBermuda]

🌞I should have top dressed this year, but it is my main event next year. Played with my Allett too much this year. 😀👍 Great video!

[@RonHenry]

Well now that you have your Allett all sorted Sunny, you're good to go as far as top dressing next year. From what I can tell, you have the tools needed to do it and get a good result.

[@wescoast4100]

Thank you!

[@RonHenry]

You're welcome!

[@redtwin1968]

Great video, Ron! Liked and Sub'd.

[@RonHenry]

Thanks so much for watching the content redtwin1968. Not sure what kind of content you're interested in, but if you might like the Fix My Ugly Lawn Series: kzbin.info/www/bejne/amqyiaSOfLOYaJo Let me know if I can help answer anything. I do a live stream on Friday evenings at 7PM EST where I take questions from viewers. Thanks again for subscribing! 🙏😎

[@throatoysters]

Apropos. I just topdressed. Just a little in the back. I'm experimenting. Trying out a 1/3 sand + 2/3 compost mix. I know I'm late, but I'm banking on having at least 6 weeks until dormancy in NC.

[@RonHenry]

Very cool Eric. Let me know how it works out for you. Should be fine.

[@diegoarredondo0304]

Ones again awesome video, I just did my entire from lawn reno 8500 sq. With tall fescue,I live in the south east of connecticut. I will never have a golf course like yours, but I really enjoy your content. Sorry for the late subscription 👍

[@RonHenry]

Tall fescue can look really awesome man. You can make any grass look amazing with the right kind of care. 😎 thanks for watching the content. Better late than never on the subscription Diego. I appreciate the support.

[@diegoarredondo0304]

@@RonHenry hey Ron sorry to bother, but I wonder if you can help me with some problems with my tall fescue. I did my reno 3 weeks ago my error was dad I put not enough seeds so I have lots of empty space in between the new grass so I have weeds starting coming out and some fungus.😢 The new grass is about 3in tall. I know you are a very busy man,Thanks for any advice you can give me. Good night. Diego.

[@sarge8133]

Thanks for all your info. Sounds like I need to wait till spring. I am having a hard time finding 70/30 mix here in the Charlotte area

[@RonHenry]

I think you’ll get better results by waiting till the spring. Let me know if I can help with anything else. 👍😎

[@sarge8133]

Ron Henry Thanks

[@RonHenry]

@@sarge8133 No problem man.

[@a-veteranlandscapesitework2413]

I'm in the south and I tend to top dress going into March or end of February. I have also considered top dressing at the end of fall being that the grass tends to stay green through out most of the winter when we top-dress here in the south.

[@RonHenry]

Where in the south are you? I would hav thought March to be a bit early to top dress but I guess it depends on what temperatures are like in your area.

[@a-veteranlandscapesitework2413]

@@RonHenry San Antonio Texas, There really isn't a thing called winter here lol.

[@RonHenry]

Ahh I gotcha. I wish we had that in Georgia. 👍😂

[@JoseSalazar-gc8fx]

@@a-veteranlandscapesitework2413 i live in SA too I sent you a message complimenting your work and you never replied lol thanks

[@a-veteranlandscapesitework2413]

@@JoseSalazar-gc8fx I apologize for missing your message. What part of town do you service? We should meet up sometime. My website has my contact info. You can text or call, just mention where you found me. Thanks for commenting.

[@mikeennis8820]

Nice video, I was considering re seeding and top dressing here in ny with compost or peat moss, (or should I go simply soil top dressing) using a compost roller spreader. It's now mid March,

[@RonHenry]

Hi M ETECH. If you're going to top dress I would do a sand / soil blend. That'll allow you to introduce a bit of organic material while also leveling. Sand will maintain the leveling job much better than pure top soil will. A compost and masonry sand blend is the way to go. Let me know if I can help with anything else. Appreciate you watching.

[@mikeennis8820]

@@RonHenry thank you.

[@RonHenry]

Anytime. Let me know if I can help with anything else.

[@WhyarewehereNow]

Great vid! Im in Southern CA and it's been kinda cold lately in the 50s to low 60s during the day. I have homemade compost they are ready to use to be too dressed just wondering if it's better to wait until later after March and do it in April when it's warmer or if it's ok now around 60s degree in the day. Thank you!

[@RonHenry]

While you could do it now, I would wait until it’s a bit warmer. It won’t hurt your lawn if you just have to get out and do it now though. I’ve always done that kind of work in April / May. My climate in northeast GA is likely a bit cooler than yours though. Hope this helps.

[@leoncomar2038]

lovely house Beautiful lawn, wish we had the same in the the UK.

[@RonHenry]

Thanks so much Leon. Much appreciated. What kind of grass do you have in the UK?

[@leoncomar2038]

@@RonHenry God only knows what i've got Ron it's green. But i do love watching your videos and your dedication, it's absolutely inspirining. Thank you.

[@RonHenry]

Thanks so much sir. I appreciate the kind words.

[@GotoHere]

Doing my first leveling in San Antonio Texas, on my fairly new house. The soil here looks to be clay and poor soil. (Coming from the Midwest with black soil that’s pure black gold.) Going with a 50/50 sand/top soil mix. Also mixing in 3 in one grass seed, grub killer and manure. Just doing my back yard first, to test out how the mix turns out. It’s Mid April here. Temperatures have been in mid 70 to low 80s for over a month.

[@RonHenry]

Sounds like a plan rolback

[@tommybikes717]

Great Video thanks again Tommy180 from Westchester NY

[@RonHenry]

Thanks so much for watching Thomas. Glad you found it useful. Let me know if I can help with anything else. Feel free to subscribe so you don't miss out on my other content. Appreciate the support. 👍😎

[@tommybikes717]

Thanks for your reply! and time You’re lawn looks Great.

[@dcousar2352]

Hey Ron, do you think a Landzie Lawn and Garden Peat Moss spreader would be a good tool to use to topdress my lawn with a 70/30 mixture of masonry sand and organic material?? No one in my area rents topdressing equipment and I'm trying to get more even coverage than I would get if I tried casting it out with a shovel or dropping piles and dragging it or raking it in? Just curious what you'd think of the spreader idea?

[@RonHenry]

Heya D Cousar. I'm not sure how well it would work with top dressing mix. It would have to be screened really well to work well in a compost spreader. I think that using the compost spreader would add a lot of time to your top dressing process vs. simply casting it on the lawn with a shovel and working in with a leveling rake. Appreciate you watching.

[@Ckoenig72]

Super helpful, Ron! I am in Atlanta and plan to top dress this coming May. Any suggestions on a service in Atlanta that you recommend or is this something worth tackling ourselves?

[@RonHenry]

Reach out to Sandman Top Dressing

[@pearlintheoyster]

Hi beautiful turf. Ques i just overseeded my front n back lawn (turf type tall fescue, starter fertlizer n top dress - not sand.) Im so so new on garden but pandemic got me the gutts to do fertilizing etc etc etc. ques should i again fertilize my turfgrass again soon n if i try to put sand whats its purpose benefits n when to do it?? I live in hot las vegas. Im not really sure my existing grass is which i hear diff possibilities as zoysia, bermuda. Who really knows. But if i try sand in the dry heat 115-118 degree summer heat will i benefit? Should i just use compost top dress from the local nursery. I would appreciate ur guidance suggestion. I bought a manual push reel mower from home depot n its coll but i finally couldnt take it n just cut my front lawn. Its beautiful but ur lawn is exceptionally a wow. No other words to say but damnnn lol 😊. Hope 2 gear from u soon

[@RonHenry]

Hi Pearlintheoyster. The benefits of top dressing your lawn include better drainage and a smoother lawn. For turf type tall fescue there might not be as much advantage as warm season grass like Bermuda or Zoysia since mow TTF much taller. Which type of fertilizer did you apply and when did you apply it? Thanks for watching the content. Appreciate the support.

[@pearlintheoyster]

@@RonHenry I used star nursery starter fertilizer from theyre in-house brand. Dr Q sod & seed starter. Should i fertilize again in May since my overseed in the beginning of April?? N when can i top seed again for benefits like in the heat of summer? I truly appreciate ur input Again ur lawn looks top notch golf n luxury boutique hotel turf. Bless u n infinty more 😊

[@har11old]

Hey Ron I have a question for you. I just placed new sod for my back yard 3 weeks ago and wanted to know when would you topdress the new turf?

[@RonHenry]

You can do it now if you want har11old. Hold off on aerating, but a light top dressing is fine.

[@NateMoller]

We live in Utah and I’m wondering if leveling now would work? It’s been really dry and snow will be coming soon (hopefully). Wondering if I can do a combination of topsoil or sand and seed now and still be ok or if I should wait until spring. Thanks for the response.

[@RonHenry]

It would work Nate. If you look at pest lawn Ginja’s channel he shows leveling a few times and lives in Utah. You can do it this time of year. Spring works too but most people with cool season grass tend to do it in the fall. Thanks for watching.

[@NateMoller]

@@RonHenry Thanks. I'll check out Pest Lawn Ginja's channel as well. I appreciate your help.

[@kenyadaknott4971]

Hey Ron I have bermuda grass and stay in Mississippi and it gets pretty hot here....but I want to top dress my lawn....do you recommend sand, dirt, or a mixture of both?

[@RonHenry]

Mixture of both Kenyada. Use a 70/30 blend of sand and soil.

[@Hondasonatta]

Hey brother i guess I'm late to the party I have warm season grass in Texas I just top dressed last week

[@RonHenry]

Reef as long as you have 4 - 6 weeks of active growth left, you should be ok. The most important point I was trying to make in this video is earlier in the growing season is better since it affords you more time to fix any issues that come up. You also tend to get a faster recovery.

[@TheDjhoysebebe]

I have palisades zoysia, it has no seeds. Should I aerate first before top dressing?

[@RonHenry]

I would Zag. Especially if it's your first time top dressing, you'll get a better result if you aerate first.

[@waltvancourt5052]

I just got 15 free hurricane sand bags and wanted to use then for leveling. Been using play sand and garden soil. Lots of small/ some medium rocks in the 15 sandbags. Im afraid they might screw up a reel mower. What do you think. NO !

[@RonHenry]

Hi Walt. I'd like to see you use a fairly coarse sand for leveling work. If you decide to use the sand bags, you'll obviously have to get rid of all the rocks and pebbles as they can potentially damage the mower. I'd have to the sand to be able to say for sure, but as long as you remove large foreign matter it should be ok.

[@waltvancourt5052]

@@RonHenry im hearing mason or play, sand you can get at Loews.

[@RonHenry]

Yessir. That will work. 👍😎

[@ragnarkisten]

Hey, Tiger Woods giving advice for good golf lawns!

[@RonHenry]

Golf and lawn advice. Can't beat it!

[@carlanfoltz8536]

Oh boy… I need someone to do this for me🤦🏼‍♀️

[@RonHenry]

There are services that will do it.

[@Kiddro22]

I’m up here outside of Chicago and I’m about to tackle this top dressing job. My front is unleveled like hell.

[@RonHenry]

Very cool Kiddro22. It's a lot of work but the result is so worth it. If you'd like to see how the process works, check out this series ron-henry.com/gcl I believe it's video 9 that shows the top dressing process. Let me know if I can help with anything else.

[@Kiddro22]

@@RonHenry Preciate it. I’ll check it out now before the game gets under way.👍

[@RonHenry]

@@Kiddro22 Thanks sir. Let me know if you have any questions.

[@Kiddro22]

@@RonHenry Where does putting down Pre-emergent fall when doing a top dressing?

[@RonHenry]

Hi Kiddro22. If you’re top dressing still apply pre-emergent in the spring as usual. Really the only time you wouldn’t want to apply pre-emergent is if you have a seeding/overseeding project planned. Let me know if that helps.

[@santribe.2367]

You have a great channel but I notice only a few lawn channels give advice on more than on state and how to treat Bermuda. LCN does but he doesn't have Bermuda.

[@RonHenry]

Thanks 3sec7Platoon. My grass is Bermuda so I figure it’s easiest to talk about That particular grass type. Thanks for watching the content. Let me know if I can help answer anything.

[@santribe.2367]

@@RonHenry I understand I watch your videos I have over an acre of Bermuda I'm in Fl and it would be nice to see you give advice on other zones and how to treat. Appreciate your channel a lot

[@RonHenry]

@@santribe.2367 sure things sir. Really the advice I give for Bermuda in GA would apply very well to what you're doing in FL. Really you have an advantage because depending where you are in FL, you'll have heat much longer than I will. That gives you more flexibility when it comes to things like top dressing and fertilizer application. You'll have a longer growing season.

[@a-veteranlandscapesitework2413]

Great video, do you mind if I share this video on my facebook page?? I want to educate my clients.

[@RonHenry]

I don't mind at all man. Feel free to share any of my content. Glad it's useful.

[@a-veteranlandscapesitework2413]

@@RonHenry thank you

[@matheweikmeier4952]

Any advice on how much leveling sand to get per 1k/sq. Ft?

[@RonHenry]

Hi Matthew. 1 cubic yard per 1k is a safe number. That will ensure you have enough material for good coverage. Great question. Thanks for watching. Let me know if I can help with anything else. 👍😎

[@matheweikmeier4952]

@@RonHenry thanks! Originally from up north with bluegrass and fescue and this is year 2 with Bermuda in central texas. Bit of a change but looking forward to making it golf course quality and your videos have been helpful!

[@RonHenry]

Glad to hear Matthew. The 1 yard per 1k is a safe bet. That usually produces a good top dress without going to heavy. Bermuda can look amazing after being top dressed.

[@FrankieKennethL]

Looks like you’re entering that significant slowing of growth. Mine here in SC is crawling. I’m no longer regulating, and my yellowing is increasing by each cut. I give myself maybe 3-4 weeks before the leopard effects starts kicking in and green becomes absent.

[@RonHenry]

It's beginning to pain my heart Frankie. It's touch seeing the grass not quite as vibrant. We're getting cooler weather which definitely isn't helping the situation.

[@FrankieKennethL]

Ron Henry yezzir. Shorter days, rising temps...it’s an ominous combo. Unlike many others however, I look forward to the break. It gives me a chance to have time do some of my other hobbies for a few months.

[@RonHenry]

@@FrankieKennethL other hobbies you say? Tell me more... :-)

[@FrankieKennethL]

Ron Henry nothing sexy. Bori g stuff. Most notably landscape photography

[@RonHenry]

Very cool Frankie. What kind of setup do you use for you landscape photos?

[@vincentstivali1561]

Hey Ron, is sand the only thing u use to level or do u use soil ever ? another great right to the point video, no nonsense, just good information 👍

[@mikemeiser5084]

I'm by no means an expert, but from what i've gathered from several videos is some guys use 80% sand and 20% soil. Reasoning is soil has organics in it so it will decompose over time leaving your lawn with "bumps" in it again. But that has been my concern too as i have a mixture of Rye and Fescue and i'm guessing they don't grow in sand as well as Bermuda so figured they need some soil with nutrients.

[@RonHenry]

Hi Vincent. There are a few schools of thought on this. I've done both 100% sand and a sand/soil blend this year and from a leveling standpoint, the 100% sand produced a smoother result with less weeds being introduced. Before I started using CarbonPro G, I'd say there was a lot of reason to ensure you use a blend of some sort. If I were top dressing a lawn today, I would do a heavy application of CarbonPro G to introduce organic material and biochar into the lawn then top dress with 100% river sand on top of that. To Mike's point, the organic material (top soil) will break down faster than sand will. Thanks for watching the content. Let me know if I can help with anything else.

[@RonHenry]

Great response Mike.

[@vincentstivali1561]

@@RonHenry THX ron, ur a book of knowledge on lawns...great info

[@vincentstivali1561]

@@mikemeiser5084 thank u...wat u said makes a lot of sense

[@scottalvey1787]

Is it too late to top dress my tahoma 31? Installed in April.

[@RonHenry]

It's a bit late in the season Scott. Depending on where you are in the country, there's only another couple of months of growing season left. If you decide to go for it, you'll have to go REALLLLY light.

[@scottalvey1787]

@@RonHenry okay, I figured it wouldn’t hurt to wait until April or May next year. Live in southeast VA. Thank you!

[@charlenemackason6395]

👌🏽

[@RonHenry]

Thanks Charlene!

[@Harleychromeman74]

Know anyone who rents equipment to spread sand/soil in ATL (south ATL) area?

[@RonHenry]

South ATL? Not really. Keystone Rental does but they're in Duluth.

[@TheCureThatKillz]

What about the rest of the country who uses cool season grass??

[@RonHenry]

Your time to top dress is now. Late august through September.

[@willg74]

Do you plan on overseeding your lawn with rye grass for the winter?

[@RonHenry]

No I don't Will. I don't want to be out mowing in super cold weather. 😂

[@willg74]

@@RonHenry haha good point

[@bamabladez]

Hello KZbin! 🤣🤣😂🤣😂

[@RonHenry]

Helllllo KZbin

[@bamabladez]

@Ron Henry 👋 helllo Ron! I had to point it out. Video presentation Ron makes me laugh at times. Your still the best tho. Big fan 😉👍

[@v8soarer1991]

Damn 7mins late

[@RonHenry]

Better late than never! You're still here. :-)

[@v8soarer1991]

@@RonHenry Watched the lot

[@RonHenry]

@@v8soarer1991 thank you! I really appreciate it.