Composting

[Steve]

I was fortunate in that we have four private communities that we look after and the lawns were in desperate tough shape as the previous provider told them they had chinch bug when in fact they had white grubs, the damage to the lawns was thousands. White Grubs come from June bugs and around here if you have a place on the Ocean, look out. I have seen grubs destroy beautiful lawns in as little as two weeks. How does the top dressing of a lawn with such a problem help alleviate and resolve the problem?

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[picframer]

Lawn care business tips

Originally Posted by Steve How does the top dressing of a lawn with such a problem help alleviate and resolve the problem? http://www.lawnandmower.com/top-dressing-the-lawn.aspx

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Andy
Halifax, Nova Scotia

[ritchiem]

You cannot get a better topdressing than compost. Compost is both the best soil amendment and the best fertilizer. It adds micro-organisms to the soil, giving them both shelter and nutrients, in addition to improving the soil structure, balancing the pH and supplying essential nutrients for plant growth. You should apply a layer of compost once every three or four years in spring or early fall, when the lawn is in active growth.

Compost may be harder to find than other topdressing (black earth, triple mix, screen topsoil) but it is worth it. Make sure to use mature compost (rich, loose and dark), that is finely textured and doesn’t contain any weeds. Avoid compost with large amounts of topsoil or peat moss, both of which decompose too slowly.

[Steve]

Is it ever beneficial to top dress with sand?