Topdress Like a Pro: The Ultimate Guide to Creating Your Dream Lawn in Just 30 Days

Learn how to topdress your lawn in late-summer or early-fall to make it more robust heading into the cold seasons, and ensure a vibrant green-up next spring!

Homeowners across the continent are feeling the heat this summer, and so are their lawns! Extreme heat and drought have been all too common in 2025. These conditions make growing thick, lush lawns difficult to say the least… You’re much more likely to have a sparse, brown, stressed lawn at this time of year, but don’t fret! Grass is an incredibly resilient plant, and even if it’s gone dormant during these droughty conditions, you’ll be able to rejuvenate it with the proper lawn care routine.

Topdressing is an integral part of every lawn care regimen, but it’s often forgotten about. Simply spreading high-quality, nutrient-rich soil across your lawn can completely transform its appearance in just 30 days! BigYellowBag originated on a sod farm in 1994, and we’ve never strayed far from our lawn-obsessed roots. We have a passion for making lawns look great, and an essential part of that process is topdressing.

What is Lawn Topdressing?

topdress verb
: to scatter or apply soil amendments over land, especially over lawns.

Topdressing started out as an essential agricultural practice that farmers utilized from the 1800s to the early 1900s to improve plant performance. These intelligent farmers would spread composted manure and nutrient-rich soil across their fields in the spring. This practice made vast improvements to their crops and pastures. In the mid-1900s, golf courses started to topdress their greens and fairways to maintain a pristine playing surface. Post World War II, suburban development boomed. Homeowners began adapting topdressing practices that had been refined through agricultural and golf course use for decades. Topdressing became a common way to improve lawn appearance from its humble beginnings in the farm fields.

When discussing topdressing, you’ll likely hear about overseeding too. Overseeding is essentially topdressing, but instead of simply spreading soil over your lawn, you mix grass seed in with the soil to fill any bare spots with new grass growth. Overseeding is a fantastic practice as well, but it won’t be the focus of this particular article. If your lawn’s in really rough shape, you may want to look into overseeding instead. Topdressing is recommended for all lawns, despite the current conditions. We advise that you incorporate topdressing into your annual lawn care regimen to complement mowing, aerating, fertilizing, and watering.

When Should You Topdress Your Lawn

We recommend that homeowners topdress their lawn annually each fall or early in the spring. Cooler temperatures and higher amounts of precipitation make fall and early spring the ideal times to topdress. You’ll want to ensure that you’re topdressing either before most weed species start popping up, or after they have quieted down. Mother Nature is really good at her job. Any time there’s bare soil in nature, she works fast to get it covered in vegetation. The exposed soil (especially nutritious BigYellowBag Black Garden Soil) makes the ideal bed for airborne weed seeds to establish. Topdress your lawn when these weed seeds are less prominent to avoid ending up with more weeds than anticipated.

The Science Behind Why Topdressing Works

First and foremost, topdressing dramatically improves your lawn’s soil structure. Proper soil structure is essential for a healthy lawn. Soil structure is synonymous with another agricultural term, tilth. Tilth is defined as “the condition of tilled soil, especially in respect to suitability for sowing seeds.” You need to have proper soil tilth in order to allow the movement of nutrients, water and air throughout your lawn. You want your lawn’s soil tilth to be in the “Goldilocks zone”. Not too much drainage, but not too little; not too much air, but not too little; and not too many nutrients, but not too few. Topdressing consistently will ensure your lawn stays in the Goldilocks zone year after year.

Topdressing creates the ideal growing conditions for lawns, especially at the root level. Kentucky bluegrass is one of the most popular cultivars for homeowner lawns. This unique grass species is highly sought after for its horizontally growing root structure. Stolons and rhizomes make up the complex root structure of Kentucky bluegrass lawns, and you can accelerate this horizontal, self-repairing growth by topdressing. Adding organic matter rich in microorganisms will enhance nutrient uptake and ensure your lawn has access to all the nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium you’re providing your lawn through soil and any fertilizer you might be using.

Over time, lawns will naturally become uneven. Whether it’s from human traffic, pet traffic or erosion, you’ll end up with bumps and holes in your lawn as time goes on. Topdressing will fill in these holes and level out your lawn to smooth over any imperfections.

BigYellowBag Black Garden Soil is The Superior Topdressing Choice

Our Black Garden Soil is not only great for gardens. We’ve engineered this soil to be the absolute best growing medium available in North America! The nutrient-rich blend of black loam, peat loam, well-composted manure and a touch of mineral soil works as a great topdressing medium. The light, fluffy texture provides the ideal soil structure for your lawn. It spreads easily with some raking, and it will ensure that your lawn has access to water, air, and nutrients.

We consistently test our Black Garden Soil for quality control, ensuring it adheres to strict standards for nutrients and pH. Another key aspect of those standards is the percentage of organic matter. We discussed the benefits of organic matter as it relates to your lawn in the previous section. Our Black Garden Soil consistently tests at up to 50% organic matter! Many other topsoil and garden soil products will have between 0-10% organic matter. This high content of “living” soil allows for ideal nutrient uptake, and it promotes the development of the ideal soil structure in your lawn. When it comes to topdressing, the higher the organic matter, the better!

Topdress Your Lawn This Week with Free BigYellowBag Delivery!

Timing is crucial for effective topdressing. You want to plan to topdress ahead of a rainy day. However, if it’s a torrential downpour, you may want to wait until after the storm has passed. It would be disappointing to go outside in the morning only to see all the Black Garden Soil you topdressed with washing away into the gutter. A light rain is great, and will slightly compact your topdressing amendment into your lawn, but a downpour can wash away any soil you use for topdressing. Erosion is a powerful force, and it can defeat the purpose of topdressing entirely. Luckily, BigYellowBag provides free, convenient delivery straight to your door, as well as a weather-proof bag for delivery! Get your BigYellowBag of Black Garden Soil delivered ASAP. It will stay neatly tied up until you’re ready to use it.

How To Topdress with BigYellowBag

1. Order Your BigYellowBag!

Step one is determining how much soil you need! Measure the area of your lawn in square feet. Maybe it’s been a while since you learned geometry… Luckily, there are plenty of tools online to help you add up areas. If you’re confident with unit conversions, you can even use satellite images from Google Maps to get an accurate estimate of your lawn area. Aim to have a depth of about 1/4 inch of soil everywhere. Topdressing at this depth, each BigYellowBag (which contains a little over 1 cubic yard) should cover about 1200 square feet. So take your total lawn area in square feet, divide it by 1200, and you’ll be left with the required number of BigYellowBags to topdress your lawn.

Our Black Garden Soil is an excellent amendment for topdressing, but some locations also provide specialty products for topdressing and overseeding. Head to BigYellowBag.com, input your postal/zip code, and order your BigYellowBag products from your local supplier. Remember, your BigYellowBags are weather-proof, so don’t be in a rush to use them. Order your BigYellowBags early so they’re ready and waiting for when the timing is perfect.

2. Pre-Topdressing Preparation

Before you go spreading your Black Garden Soil all over the lawn, there are a few essential preparation steps! Make sure you have a good idea of what your lawn looks like pre-topdressing. Take some pictures and make an accurate assessment of your lawn. If your lawn is in really rough shape, you may need to consider fertilizing, aeration, and in some extreme cases, entirely new sod. Topdressing is effective for lawns that are looking a little tired, but still have a lot of top-end growth and a strong canopy. If you have an older lawn, compaction can often be a big issue. Aerating before your topdress application is a great way to provide more room for the Black Garden Soil to work down into the root zone of your lawn, and improve the overall soil structure.

Once you’ve determined whether or not aeration will be necessary, you’ll want to remove any and all debris from your lawn. With a leaf rake, give your entire lawn a vigorous once-over. Of course, you’ll be removing any debris that you don’t want in your lawn, but raking can also disrupt the thatch layer, making your lawn ready to accept the Black Garden Soil topdressing. Then you can mow your lawn. Remember, never remove more than one-third of the grass blade at a time. Hopefully, you’ve been consistently mowing your lawn and maintaining it at the recommended 2 1/4 inch height. You’ll want to avoid mowing for about a week post-topdress, so this will ensure your lawn doesn’t get out of control during that off-week.

3. Topdress Your Lawn

Now your lawn is ready for the actual topdressing. The goal is to spread your Black Garden Soil evenly across your entire lawn at that 1/4 inch depth. There are mechanical spreaders you can use to evenly distribute your Black Garden Soil, but we recommend simply using a shovel, a wheelbarrow, and a rake. These tools are readily available to most homeowners.

Fill your wheelbarrow with Black Garden Soil, and start at a corner of your lawn. Using the shovel, distribute your Black Garden Soil in small piles evenly spaced in a small area. Then gently rake the soil into the thatch layer of your lawn. You want the majority of your grass blades to be standing up through the newly introduced soil layer. Don’t smother your lawn! Be sure to start your raking in the corner, and drag any excess soil towards you. Once the soil is evenly spread in that small area, move your wheelbarrow and repeat the process across your entire lawn, being careful to not step on the areas that you’ve already topdressed. Avoid unnecessary traffic on your newly topdressed lawn for at least the next week.

4. Post-Topdress Maintenance and Care

Now that your lawn is topdressed, there isn’t too much required in terms of additional maintenance. If necessary, water your newly topdressed lawn, but hopefully you’ve timed it with a nice, steady rain day. This will help work the Black Garden Soil down into the thatch layer of your lawn so that the nutrients and optimal soil structure can start to improve your lawn’s appearance right away. Watering is especially critical when you’re overseeding, but if you’re not introducing new seed into your lawn, resume your normal watering schedule at the wilting point.

As we mentioned previously, try to avoid any unnecessary traffic on your lawn for at least the next week. You should start to see some improvements in lawn appearance in that week, and be sure to stay on top of mowing once that week has elapsed. Hopefully, your lawn has a smoother surface post-topdress, and as regular lawn maintenance resumes, you’ll notice some big improvements after about a month.

Seasonal Timing and Regional Considerations for Topdressing

Spring topdressing can be better for more southern North American regions with warm-season grasses. Boosting your lawn with Black Garden Soil at the beginning of the year can set your lawn up for success all year long. A healthier lawn is more robust, and even if it goes into dormancy during the hottest months of the year, it will come out of that dormancy looking thicker, greener, and more lush than similar lawns that haven’t been topdressed.

In the northern regions of North America, we absolutely recommend topdressing in the fall. Cool-season grasses start to slow their top-end growth in the fall, and they will grow roots more aggressively in anticipation of the cold winter approaching. This root growth benefits greatly from topdressing. You’ll end up with a healthier lawn, and a more vibrant green-up by the time the next spring rolls around!

Common Topdressing Mistakes to Avoid

Over-Application

More soil isn’t always better! You don’t want to smother your lawn with soil. Instead, work the soil gently into your thatch layer with a leaf rake. As we mentioned previously, ensure the majority of your grass blades are standing up through your newly introduced Black Garden Soil layer.

Wrong Timing

We focused on the timing of your topdress application throughout the article, but many homeowners make the mistake of topdressing at the wrong time! Weed seeds are the main issue for mis-timed topdressing applications. Weed seeds are airborne and will take hold in any bare soil that they can sink their roots into. BigYellowBag’s Black Garden Soil is engineered to grow everything better, and unfortunately, that means the weeds too. Make sure you’re topdressing at times when weed seeds are less prolific, like early spring and fall.

Poor Soil Choice

Most soils that are available to homeowners contain a high percentage of mineral soil, also known as topsoil. Mineral soil, while it has good structural benefits in many applications, is simply too heavy for topdressing. We incorporate a small amount of it into our Black Garden Soil blend for stability, but the ratios are carefully calculated. You want high organic matter content in any soil you’re using for topdressing. The organic matter is truly the key to effective topdressing, due to its ability to improve nutrient uptake in your lawn and improve overall soil structure.

Improper Preparation

Preparation is key when it comes to topdressing! Be sure to vigorously rake and mow your lawn ahead of topdressing. You don’t want your lawn to grow out of control post-topdress. Remember, you NEVER want to take more than 1/3 of the grass blade off at a time for ideal lawn performance. If your lawn grows too long, you may mistakenly cut more than 1/3 of the grass blade, or you’ll have to maintain your lawn higher than normal before you can trim it back.

Neglecting Post-Topdress Maintenance

If you subject your newly topdressed lawn to traffic, you can further compact the soil layer and actually cause more harm to your lawn than good! Remember, you don’t want to smother your lawn with Black Garden Soil. Stepping on your lawn post-topdress will smush your grass blades down and impede photosynthesis. Do your best to keep all traffic your lawn for at least a week post-topdress to allow time for your Black Garden Soil to work down into your lawn, and work its magic!

Measuring Topdress Success: What to Expect

Topdressing is proven to make big improvements to overall lawn health and appearance. You’ll start to see some changes within the first 2-4 weeks. Your lawn should look thicker, greener, and more lush after that first month. If you topdressed in the fall, your lawn will start to slow its top-end growth, but the root system will be much happier than it was pre-topdress. This will result in a more robust lawn, and next spring you’ll see a big improvement in grass appearance coming out of winter. Regardless of timing, the next 6-12 months following topdressing will reveal the full transformation that topdressing can provide.

You should also notice that the underlying soil in your lawn will be much more level. The Black Garden Soil you used for topdressing will settle into any small holes or pits that were previously throughout your lawn. It won’t solve BIG holes or patches, however. You’ll want to utilize more dramatic repair methods for those, such as overseeding or sodding. Take some more photos of your lawn each month. Take note of the differences in grass thickness, overall colour, and drought resistance after each photo. We’re confident you’ll see massive improvements in all three of these metrics. Repeat topdressing each year, or even twice per year for heavy-traffic areas.

Topdress Your Lawn This Year with BigYellowBag

If your lawn is looking tired and stressed after the hot summer we’ve been experiencing, topdressing with Black Garden Soil will make a difference. You’ll start to see improvements in lawn performance in the first month following topdressing. Greener, thicker, healthier grass is the goal, and topdressing will help you achieve just that. Be sure to order your BigYellowBag today, and have it ready and waiting for when you have the time to topdress!