Did you know that there are many benefits to using compost on your lawn? It can improve the quality of new and established lawns and help ensure long-term health.
From your lawn to your garden beds, there are several ways to use compost to benefit your lawn.
How Can I Use Compost for My Lawn?
Are you looking for a simple but effective way to improve the health of your lawn? Try incorporating compost.
Compost is a nutrient-rich organic material made from decomposed kitchen and yard waste.
There are several ways to use compost to improve both new and established lawns and gardens. The benefits of compost include enhancing water retention and soil quality, adding nutrients and helping prevent soil erosion. Compost can also encourage beneficial microbiomes and earthworms.
Compost as Topdressing on Established Lawns
One of the most common ways to use compost for your lawn is as topdressing, which is when you sprinkle a thin layer of compost directly onto your grass. This option provides extra nutrients to established lawns, enhances root development and increases drought resistance.
To use compost as a topdressing, start by mowing your lawn. Cut it to a shorter length than usual so the compost can properly absorb into the soil. However, never cut off more than a third of the grass’s height. After mowing, rake or aerate your lawn. This will also improve absorption.
Spread a thin, even layer of compost over your lawn by hand, using a shovel or with a broadcast spreader. You only need a one-fourth to one-half inch layer of compost for it to be effective. After applying the compost, lightly water your lawn to help it settle.
Applying compost to your lawn once in the spring and once in the fall can help keep your lawn healthy all year round.
Incorporate Compost Into Your New Lawn
Applying compost to a brand-new lawn is a great way to start your grass seedlings off on the right foot. This can help your grass establish roots more quickly and grow evenly.
Along with supplying your new lawn with a rich nutrient base, compost also helps your soil retain moisture during germination and encourages deep root growth.
Start by removing weeds and debris from the lawn area. Then, mix around two inches of compost into the top four to six inches of soil. Level the soil before laying grass or sod as usual. Water the new grass regularly until it’s established.
Incorporate Compost Into Established Soil
Renovating part of your lawn or garden? Consider working compost into your established soil before replanting. Compost can revitalize compacted soil, improve drainage, aerate the soil and provide more nutrients to your plants.
This approach is ideal for damaged lawns with patchy areas of grass. The compost can give your soil new life and a fresh start.
To get started, remove any existing turf or plants and loosen the soil with a shovel. Next, incorporate compost into the top six to eight inches of soil. Aim for one part compost to three parts soil. Finally, replant or seed as necessary.
Using Compost in Gardens and Raised Beds
Compost isn’t only for your lawn. It can also benefit your gardens and raised beds by providing your vegetation with vital nutrients.
For example, compost can boost your garden’s productivity and help it produce healthier plants.
Using compost in your garden couldn’t be simpler. All you have to do is mix it into your soil before planting flowers, vegetables or shrubs. You can also use compost as soil around your garden and add it to your raised beds once per season to improve soil quality.
Get the Most From Your Compost With Professional Help
Want to learn more about how to best use compost in your lawn or gardens? A local lawn care specialist can apply the compost and maintain the health of your lawn for you. For a gorgeous, thriving lawn, contact a lawn care company.
Can Too Much Compost Hurt Grass?
While compost has several benefits for your lawn, it’s important to know that applying too much can harm your grass.
For example, overapplying compost can smother your grass. You only need to apply a thin layer of compost to reap its benefits. If you apply too much, the compost can block the grass blades from sunlight and air. Eventually, your grass will start to thin and die.
Another issue with too much compost is that it can cause a nutrient imbalance. Compost is typically high in phosphorus. When applied in the right amounts, phosphorus benefits your lawn.
However, too much phosphorus can block your grass from absorbing other important nutrients, such as iron, which can lead to yellowing.
Another issue is soil compaction, which happens when a heavy layer of compost isn’t appropriately incorporated into the rest of the soil. The right amount of compost can improve your soil’s drainage, but too much has the opposite effect. Compacted soil restricts water flow and root growth, making it hard for your lawn to access enough oxygen.
Not sure how much compost you need? The best way to ensure that your lawn gets the right amount of compost is to work with a lawn care pro. A specialist can ensure that your lawn reaps all the rewards of compost.
Is Compost Better Than Fertilizer For My Grass?
Is compost better than fertilizer? The answer is not straightforward. While they both feed grass with nutrients, compost and fertilizer serve separate purposes and offer different benefits for your grass. They also work on different timelines.
Compost is an investment in the long-term health of your lawn, while fertilizer gives your grass a quick boost of nutrients. The purpose of compost is to improve your soil’s health over time, whereas fertilizer delivers nutrients that can offer faster aesthetic results.
An easy way to remember the difference between compost and fertilizer is to remember that compost feeds your soil while fertilizer feeds your grass.
It’s not a question of which one you should use. A healthy lawn maintenance plan incorporates both compost and fertilizer. The better question is how to use them together to benefit your lawn. Working with a lawn care professional is the best way to establish a lawn care schedule that effectively uses compost and fertilizer.
How Often Should I Apply Compost to My Lawn?
How often you should apply compost to your lawn depends on a few factors, such as your grass type. Generally, it’s best to apply compost once or twice a year in the spring and fall.
During the spring and fall seasons, your grass is either coming out of dormancy or preparing for it. The health of your lawn, specifically how well it establishes roots, is crucial during this time.
Think of springtime as when your lawn wakes up after a long winter nap. Compost can provide the nutrients it needs for a strong growing season. As your grass prepares for winter, it stores energy in its root system in the fall. Applying another layer of compost can help it healthfully reemerge in the spring.
It’s important to note that the type of grass you have can change your compost schedule. The above schedule is perfect for cool-season grasses, such as Kentucky bluegrass, fescue and ryegrass.
Warm-season grasses, on the other hand, thrive in the summer. You can get away with applying compost in the late spring or early summer months before they begin their most active growth period. Examples of warm-season grasses include bermuda, zoysia and St. Augustine grass.
How to Apply Compost to a Lawn
There are a few different ways to get your hands on compost. You can purchase it at a lawn care store or make your own compost. Either way, you want to make sure the compost is a dark color and is free from contaminants.
Once you have your compost, make sure you apply it correctly. Start by raking and mowing your lawn to prepare it for compost. You can also aerate your lawn for even better absorption, but this step is optional.
Spread a thin layer of compost, about one-fourth to half an inch thick, evenly over your lawn. You can use a spreader, shovel, wheelbarrow or your hands to spread compost.
Gently rake your lawn again to help settle the compost into the grass. Finally, lightly water your lawn so the compost integrates with the soil.
Contact a lawn care specialist if you want assistance with applying compost to your lawn.
Maximize the Benefits of Compost With Professional Health
Want to guarantee the long-term health of your lawn? Working with a professional lawn care specialist who can add compost to your soil is key. Reach out to a local service to bring the lawn of your dreams to life.
ABC Can Set Up a Schedule To Keep Your Lawn Healthy
It can be difficult to keep track of what your lawn needs. Instead of trying to handle lawn care yourself, count on the professionals at ABC Home & Commercial Services. Our team is highly skilled and will create a lawn care schedule that keeps your lawn healthy and strong. They can also help with lawn fertilization.
