Before you lay down your sod, you need to apply suitable soil underneath to act as a foundation for its growth. If you use the wrong kind of soil, the sod won’t root properly.
In this article, we’ll discuss the best soil for lawn (sod), as well as some pointers on when to add topsoil, soil amendment options, how to level your yard, and more.
Why Do You Need Good Soil for Lawn Health?
The quality of your soil determines the overall health of your lawn.
Naturally healthy soil contains beneficial micro- and macro-organisms that turn dead matter into minerals and vital plant nutrients.
These organisms—which include mites, protozoa, fungi, bacteria, and microarthropods, to name a few—protect your lawn against diseases and pests. They detoxify harmful chemicals, suppress diseased organisms, and produce nitrogen to aid in plant growth.
Additionally, good soil can effectively absorb and store water to combat drought. An increase of as little as 1% in organic matter can result in as much as 25,000 gallons of extra water retained.
Organic matter also aids in the production of soil aggregates. Soil aggregates improve the soil’s ability to resist erosion, infiltrate water, and improve plant growth.
How To Make a Good Top Soil for Your Lawn
Balancing the topsoil’s components is crucial to its health.
Your topsoil should possess a combination of grittiness, smoothness, and stickiness. One element shouldn’t dominate the other. Ideally, topsoil should contain 1/3 silt, 1/3 clay, and 1/3 sand.
Once you’ve managed a good combination of all three, you’ll need to add basic plant nutrients to the soil. You can either use something organic, like sifted compost heap or animal manure, or natural/chemical fertilizers. Mix them well into the soil to distribute the nutrients equally and prevent plant burn.
Afterward, add in the essential minerals. This includes potassium, copper, iron, phosphorus, and zinc. You may also need to improve the level of the soil’s chlorine and sulfur, but it’s not always necessary. You’ll be able to determine what’s required with the help of a soil test.
Lastly, test the soil’s acidity with a pH meter. Good topsoil needs to have a pH level of between 6.0 and 6.8, depending on the plant you’re planning to grow. Organic matter can help with soil acidity, as well as lime and sulfur.
When To Add Topsoil to Your Lawn
Topsoil should be added in spring or early fall to give your lawn adequate time to grow or recover before severe heat or lawn. You can add it in stages or all at once.
Why Is My Lawn Not Growing?
Several reasons affect the growth of grass on your lawn. This includes:
- Lack or inadequate amount of water
- Out-of-balance soil pH
- Improper or infrequent use of fertilizer
- Lawn diseases such as brown patch disease, dollar spot disease, leaf spot disease, rust lawn disease, and others
- Compacted soil
- Lawn fungus infection
- Lack of sunlight
5 Types of Soil You Can Choose for Sodding
There are several types of soil you can choose for sodding, depending on where you live, your tolerance towards challenging conditions, and how you’re planning to use your lawn. This includes:
- Topsoil: Most affordable type of soil. It’s formed by decaying organic matter.
- Triple Mix Soil: A balanced mix of compost, sandy soil, and black loam.
- Black Garden Mix Soil: Consists of 55% pure black loam, 30% composted manure, and 15% peat moss. It’s suitable for growing trees, shrubs, and veggie gardens.
- Organic mulch: Made of organic matter such as wood chips, manure, leaves, compost, wool, and others. It protects sod from weeds, retains its moisture, and maintains soil temperature
- Pure Black Loam: Offers better drainage than clay-rich soil, which helps in seed germination
How To Level Your Lawn
The best way to level a lawn is by topdressing it. Moisten the soil before proceeding with these steps:
- Cut the grass with a lawn mower on a low setting to easily identify the low spot.
- With a dethatching machine or rake, clear out excess thatch and moss. Your lawn should have no more than half an inch of thatch to keep it healthy.
- Fill in the sunken areas with a mix of topsoil, compost, and sand. Opt for two parts topsoil, two parts sand, and one part compost to add a welcome nutrient boost to your grass. The soil mix should be fully blended before it’s applied to your lawn.
- Spread the topdressing with a push broom or leveling rake to equally distribute the mixture to your lawn.
- Water your lawn to incorporate the top dressing into the soil.
Other soil guides
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Soil Amendments for Lawn
If your grass struggles to grow, you might have to add soil amendments to change the condition of the soil.
By adding amendments to your lawn, you can improve the soil’s nutrient-holding capacity as well as its ability to retain water. They also add beneficial materials to the soil. Here are the most common types of soil amendments:
- Organic matter (peat moss, worm castings, wood ash, shredded leaves, composted or aged animal manure, etc.)
- Lime
- Aluminum sulfate
- Elemental sulfur
- Perlite
- Gypsum
- Vermiculite
FAQs
How to do a soil test for lawn
To test the soil of your lawn, you can either purchase an at-home soil test kit or send a sample to a lab. An at-home test kit usually costs no more than $15 while a lab test can cost upwards of $20.
A home kit is cheaper and faster but provides less precise results which you must decipher on your own. A lab test provides all the results in an easy-to-read manner, as well as recommendations to improve your soil.
How to improve soil quality for Sod
The easiest way to improve the quality of your sod is by leveling out the soil, adding amendments and fertilizers, removing existing vegetation, and loosening the soil base to break up hard dirt. A soil test will help you determine which nutrients your soil needs to improve its growth.
How much topsoil for lawn?
Sod, plugs, and seeds require at least three to six inches of topsoil.
How to compact soil for lawn
You can compact your soil by using a lawn roller or a hand tamper. If you don’t have either, walking on top of it also works.