Can You Spread Topsoil With a Spreader?

At times, you prefer gardening just because it’s an amazing hobby for you. But at other moments, you might also get tired of looking for the best ways to garden efficiently. For instance, you have a spreader and don’t exactly know whether you can spread topsoil with it.

Can spreaders be used to spread topsoil? How do they generally work? What are the basic guidelines to follow when you want to spread topsoil? We will attempt to explore these topics in the following few sections of the article.

Is it Possible to Spread Topsoil With a Spreader?

In case you want to evenly spread topsoil along an extensive area, using a spreader might just be one of your best options. At times, the soil will be extremely rough to pass through generic spreaders, that’s why it is best to get a spreader that is fine and helps spread soil evenly.

You can attempt to spread topsoil using push or wheelbarrow spreaders. At the end of the day, the spreader won’t matter if you know how to operate it correctly.

How Does a Spreader Work?

How a spreader will work entirely depends on the type of spreader you choose. For instance, you can choose from broadcast lawn and drop lawn spreaders. Here’s everything you need to know about them.

Broadcast spreaders

These are an excellent set of spreaders if you are looking to spread on big properties. They operate simply with a rotating unit right under their main device. Also called the hopper, it helps release the fertilizer, your topsoil, or plant seeds evenly in the motion of a fan.

Drop lawn spreaders

These types of spreaders feature a bucket, where you usually want to place the seed, topsoil, and fertilizer. You will find them mounted on a set of wheels allowing you to move the spreader along with the lawn.

Thanks to the wheels, you can also drive the spreader to an exact location where you want to apply the topsoil

How Should You Spread Topsoil?

Spreading topsoil on your lawn is easier than you thought. Just follow the below guidelines and you’re all set!

Identify the areas that need attention

One of the first steps is to look for the parts that require proper attention. Usually, you would need topsoil on the sunken parts of the lawn. This sunken demeanor is often the result of extensive roots and a bunch of animals who might dig the soil.

Other factors like rain and soil might also come to play. In other instances, the soil might sink in because your lawn is dense and overgrown. That is why one of your first steps would be to locate the areas that require attention.

Next, you need to mark the areas and prepare them for proper topdressing. These are also the times when you might want to add topsoil. If you are unsure of the parks that have sunk in, consider using sticks and pegs to locate those specific areas from the remaining parts of the lawn.

Compare the soil

Once you are done prepping the area you might want to assess and compare the topsoil that you are planning to add to that spot. Because the type of soil varies depending on the location you need to add topsoil o the right location and make sure it has some semblance with your original soil.

Prepare the soil

If you are lucky enough to get a complementing lawn soil and topsoil you might want to skip this step. Else, you might want to follow this specific step to prepare home-concocted topsoil. The easiest way to do this is by adding peat moss to your original topsoil.

Pile up the mixture in a bucket and attempt to add it to your full lawn. This will help you get the lawn set for the next step.

Add the topsoil

After you have matched the topsoil and the original soil of your lawn you now need to aerate the specific area where you will eventually add the topsoil. You might need an aerator for this task.

In case some specific area exhibits thick growth, you might want to give it a good rake even before getting it aerated. Make sure the depression is filled in with ample topsoil, so it properly settles and creates a solid surface.

Add your seeds

Now that the topsoil is ready, it’s time to add all those seeds you have been collecting. Grass seeds are a common and practical option in this case. However, even before you spread the seeds make sure the topsoil is well worked with the existing lawn soil. Avoid affecting the aeration holes while doing this.

Your grass seeds tend to thrive best when the soil is loosely prepared. So do not go overboard with the tilling. When you are done planting the seeds, give them a cover, and make sure to water them for consistent performance. Remember, your seeds won’t thrive unless you water them from time to time.

How Often Should I Add Topsoil to my Lawn?

Ideally, you should only add topsoil to the lawn after witnessing active signs of grass growth over the last couple of weeks. When you add topsoil to thriving grass, it automatically sustains itself from the additional strain from excessive soil.

We recommend using around 4/10 cubic yards of the soil for every thousand sq feet of the lawn you are working with.

When Should You Put Topsoil Down?

One of the best times to add topsoil to your lawn is after you have allowed the grass to thrive for a couple of weeks. You need to make sure the grass is growing quickly and at an active pace. The thriving grass won’t be as tedious as the dormant counterparts.

Can I Put Topsoil Over an Existing Lawn?

Yes, you can add topsoil to your existing lawn. However, before you do that, you need to make sure that the soil of your lawn matches the topsoil. In case it doesn’t, you might need to add some peat moss mix to the topsoil. This will automatically make it compatible with the soil.

Because we already discussed the idea of putting topsoil on existing soil in the earlier section, we are certain, you can go ahead with it without fretting.

Can You Put Topsoil Over Grass Seed?

Yes, you can add topsoil right above the grass seeds for reseeding. However, when you do this, also bear in mind that the underlying grass right below your topsoil will try to pierce through the soil layer. That is why it is crucial to add excessive amounts of topsoil to the grass.

If you are comfortable with the idea of growing new grass over your old grass, this might be one of the easiest hacks for you.

Do I Need to Add Topsoil to my Lawn?

You might want to add topsoil to your lawn for a bunch of reasons. Here’s a quick list.

Smoothens the surface

If your lawn has parts that have sunk up it may not be the prettiest sight. Nobody loves a patio or a lawn that appears uneven and ugly. The solution? Topsoil. Once you add topsoil, the sunken parts become fuller, and your lawn has an overall smooth surface.

 Another good idea would be to pull out the grasses for rearranging them and even them to you would want to top-dress the lawn. Once you do this, the overall look and feel of your lawn changes.

Nourishes the grasses

If you have a lawn, you will probably know that nutrients exhaust after a while and until a certain point there isn’t much left for grasses. In situations like these, topsoil might be one of your great options. It will nourish the soil and improve its consistency. In case you want the soil mix to be even more well-created, you might want to add some fertilizers and organic elements.

Boosts soil structure

Whether it’s exchanging cations or retaining water, when it comes to boosting the quality of your soil, there’s probably no better organic alternative than topsoil. The biggest highlight of the product is that it helps improve the kind of soil condition in your existing lawn.

For instance, in case your lawn has spots that are open you might want to fix them by adding a bunch of grass seeds.

Improves germination

This is another major highlight of adding topsoil to your lawns. As you already know, the seeds of grass are in direct connection with the topsoil which further boosts the germination and ensures it is effective. It doesn’t matter how big the grass grows; the soil will constantly ensure that the plants thrive.

You might also want to leverage the topsoiling tactic to create your veggie garden with your favorite vegetable and other herbaceous plants. You might also want to try topsoiling to grow arugula.

Can I Put Topsoil Over the Clay?

Yes, you can certainly add topsoil over clay. However, before you do this, you need to allow the soil to dry. Make sure the clay is not wet when you add the topsoil because it will soon get muddy and do you no benefit.

Another option would be to add around six to seven inches of topsoil to your existing clay and then plant other seeds.

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About Rinkesh

A true environmentalist by heart ❤️. Founded Conserve Energy Future with the sole motto of providing helpful information related to our rapidly depleting environment. Unless you strongly believe in Elon Musk‘s idea of making Mars as another habitable planet, do remember that there really is no 'Planet B' in this whole universe.