I am goning to be topdressing the lawn with a mixture that will include peat
moss, loam soil, and sand. My question is how do people usually do this? I
am thinking of a large pull behind drop spreader say 125 or 175lb capacity
or brodcast spreader of the same size. The broadcast spreader comes to mind
because it will throw the mixture around and not leave any small piles. My
experience with small drop spreaders has not been the best.

Chris wrote:
I am goning to be topdressing the lawn with a mixture that will include peat
moss, loam soil, and sand. My question is how do people usually do this? I
am thinking of a large pull behind drop spreader say 125 or 175lb capacity
or brodcast spreader of the same size. The broadcast spreader comes to mind
because it will throw the mixture around and not leave any small piles. My
experience with small drop spreaders has not been the best.


Forget the loam soil and especially the peat moss. If you want to
topdress your lawn, use SAND! Use of organics to topdress will result
in a huge buildup of organic matter. Yes, I know organic matter is
good, but in this case you will get too much. Your lawn will end up
septic and will not drain. Use SAND!

Not every lawn is the same. My lawn is mostly clay and has very little
organic matter. The top dressing mixture is derived from a soil sample test
done by the University of Minnesota. They do testing for farmers, golf
courses, and home owners. I think there tested sample is better than
someones guess who has never seen the lawn. As for using straight sand what
good is that in a lawn low in organic matter that already drains fine? I am
looking fro reccomendations on how to spread the mixture.
lant Eye Joe" wrote in message
...
Chris wrote:
I am goning to be topdressing the lawn with a mixture that will include
peat
moss, loam soil, and sand. My question is how do people usually do this?
I
am thinking of a large pull behind drop spreader say 125 or 175lb
capacity
or brodcast spreader of the same size. The broadcast spreader comes to
mind
because it will throw the mixture around and not leave any small piles.
My
experience with small drop spreaders has not been the best.


Forget the loam soil and especially the peat moss. If you want to
topdress your lawn, use SAND! Use of organics to topdress will result
in a huge buildup of organic matter. Yes, I know organic matter is
good, but in this case you will get too much. Your lawn will end up
septic and will not drain. Use SAND!

Chris wrote:
Not every lawn is the same. My lawn is mostly clay and has very little
organic matter. The top dressing mixture is derived from a soil sample test
done by the University of Minnesota. They do testing for farmers, golf
courses, and home owners. I think there tested sample is better than
someones guess who has never seen the lawn. As for using straight sand what
good is that in a lawn low in organic matter that already drains fine? I am
looking fro reccomendations on how to spread the mixture.
lant Eye Joe" wrote in message
...


Chris:

True, not every lawn is the same. But just because you have little to
no organic matter now is irrelevant. If you fertilize properly the turf
itself will provide its own organic matter, and over time, if properly
fertilized, will even provide excess organic matter.

People seem to think that they can add organic matter to soil by adding
compost, peat moss, manure or other organic things. While this may be
true, it is akin to trying to raise sea level by ****isng in the ocean.
Yes, it will do it, but not to any significant degree.

The proper, and most efficient way, to add organic matter to soil is by
proper fertilization and proper culture of the plants, be they turf
plants, flowers or whatever.

Please, if you topdress, do yourself a favor and use SAND. It really
doesn't matter what kind or where you get it, just use SAND, not peat
moss or loam or anything like that.

Slant Eye Joe wrote:

- snip -

Please, if you topdress, do yourself a favor and use SAND. It really
doesn't matter what kind or where you get it, just use SAND, not peat
moss or loam or anything like that.

In clay soil, like the OP (and I) has, you want to encourage earthworms
to keep it aerated. Therefore, using sand as a topdressing may not be a
good idea. For example, see:

http://www.ag.ohio-state.edu/~clar/hort/febart02.htm

Here's a pertinent excerpt:

"Earthworm castings are not a big deal for homeowners, but for golf
courses they pose a huge problem. Think about putting on a bumpy green.
Golf course superintendents take this problem seriously and have more
control options. One common practice is to lightly topdress the turf
area with sand. SAND IS AN IRRITANT TO EARTHWORMS AND PREVENTS THEM FROM
COMING INTO THE AREA. I spoke with Pam Sherratt, an Ohio State
University sports turf specialist, who said that several years ago in
England they used to topdress the greens with a mixture of ground glass
and sand." [Emphasis added.]

So, unless the OP wants a super-high-maintenance putting green for a
lawn, sand sounds like a rather bad idea. I think he's wisely choosing
to do what the folks who actually analyzed his soil recommended.

I agree with Chris. He's had the soil analyzed by professionals and
should follow their recommendations. I've never seen anyone use
straight sand for topdressing. As Chris asked you, what exactly is
the purpose of using pure sand on a lawn that is low in organic
matter?

And if trying to add organic material via topdressing is akin to
****ing in the ocean, then why doesn't that apply to spreading sand?

Regarding spreading it, if the mix is very uniform, a broadcast
spreader will work. If it's not, then a drop one is better. If you
already have the eqpt, I'd start with what you have. If not, you can
take a sample of the material to a rental center and ask them what
they have avail that would work best.






Slant Eye Joe wrote in message ...
Chris wrote:
Not every lawn is the same. My lawn is mostly clay and has very little
organic matter. The top dressing mixture is derived from a soil sample test
done by the University of Minnesota. They do testing for farmers, golf
courses, and home owners. I think there tested sample is better than
someones guess who has never seen the lawn. As for using straight sand what
good is that in a lawn low in organic matter that already drains fine? I am
looking fro reccomendations on how to spread the mixture.
lant Eye Joe" wrote in message
...


Chris:

True, not every lawn is the same. But just because you have little to
no organic matter now is irrelevant. If you fertilize properly the turf
itself will provide its own organic matter, and over time, if properly
fertilized, will even provide excess organic matter.

People seem to think that they can add organic matter to soil by adding
compost, peat moss, manure or other organic things. While this may be
true, it is akin to trying to raise sea level by ****isng in the ocean.
Yes, it will do it, but not to any significant degree.

The proper, and most efficient way, to add organic matter to soil is by
proper fertilization and proper culture of the plants, be they turf
plants, flowers or whatever.

Please, if you topdress, do yourself a favor and use SAND. It really
doesn't matter what kind or where you get it, just use SAND, not peat
moss or loam or anything like that.