benefits of spreading compost on your lawn
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- Опубліковано 28 жов 2020
- The benefits of spreading compost on your lawn any time of the year
Often overlooked, the good old humble compost is one of nature's most amazing products. It provides a good fertilizer for your lawn (as well as for your plants). Even better than that though, there are also numerous other benefits to applying compost on your lawn.
With a good compost spreader or a simple rake or brush you can top dress the lawn with compost in very little time.
In this video you can learn how to spread compost on your lawn properly for maximum effect and for very little money. You don't need to spend hundreds of pounds on expensive lawn care equipment when a few basic tools and a bit of your time you can achieve a healthier lawn that is stronger, more drought tolerant and more resistant to disease and lawn pests (assuming you also maintain regular cutting and watering at a good height).
Time stamps
00:01:55 - Tools & costs needed
00:03:46 - STEP 1: Clearing the lawn
00:06:05 - STEP 2: Compost - really is nature's wonder
00:09:00 - STEP 3: Techniques to get the compost down on to your lawn
00:14:00 - STEP 4: Applying compost to the whole lawn - using my topdresser
As usual, please do not call or message our main “treatment service” for free tips and advice - that is our main business. I am more than happy to help here through this UA-cam channel. - Навчання та стиль
I've decided to start putting Compost on my lawns as of next year! I've only put Compost down on spots where I have seeded for now so once my lawn has recovered from draught and scarification, will start adding Compost to my lawns to condition them. Will do this regularly as part of my lawn care and take it up a notch!
Thanks for the video
Not letting the heat in the summer damage my lawn again lol. Everything I do now before summer is going to help.
You can do it! :)
Great, this is a job for my lawns, thanks.
I use compost when I’m repairing patches in my lawn too keep the seed safe and give it the best chance!
I loved your video and will be doing this to my yard this weekend! Great job, thank you.
🙏😊😊
Another master class, thank you for taking the time to post.
Thanks
Alot of value give in this video mate. Nice one 👍
Cheers mate. 😊😁👍
Thank you good sir.
Very helpful. Doing this today. April 25 on Bermuda.
Enjoy the benefits in the next few weeks 😊
Great video, I like the top dressing machine 👍
Cheers mate. Yeah its a good bit of kit .. currently sporting a flat tyre. Gonna replace with solid ones
I enjoyed watching your video it was very beneficial to me. And some how satisfying to watch. Keep up the awesome work and I hope you grow your channel.
Thank you 😊🙏🙏🙏
Great video mate👍
Cheers mate.
Great advice and channel. Subscribed! :)
Thank you 😊
When your lawn looks like a bolt of beautiful green velvet 😎
❤❤❤
@@LawnRight ..
.
When I've refilled my planters, I throw my old compost in a heap and add all the years kitchen waste to it, 2 years later it's as good as new, full of worms and great as a top dressing on the lawn, I also mix it with a good grass seed mix before applying it. And your right mate about that Verve compost, it's good stuff.☺️
Thank you ❤
Just subbed because of this vid. Good job my lawn is new build clay an absolute nightmare. No worms anywhere hopefully a few years time things will change
Thanks! I also have a video on fixing heavy clay you may find useful, and there some good comments on it too
Same problem Martin, a real pain to deal with.
New build problems are likely to be worse than just heavy clay- friends of mine found an entire pallet of bricks had been buried in their new build "garden". Most developers just level whatever rubble and waste is there and roll out the turf.
@@spencerwilton5831 My front lawn is just this it's also like walking along a roller coaster. There was one bit by the side of the meter box not growing. Pulled it back and found the core from when they had cored the bathroom vent. 🤪. I've watched the road just chuck too soil on rubble and then turf. Utter madness
@@LawnRight I’m searching for this one now!
Thank you for great advice. I am certainly going to start using compost on my lawn after watching you do a great job 👍🏻
Thank you for the great videos and advice. I’m working toward a business of my own very similar to yours for turf maintenance and lawn renovations and this knowledge is priceless. Do you mow regularly as well or mainly focus on the treatments and renovations? Thanks!
Hi I used to mow and garden for customers, but phased it out bit by bit over the last 3 years
Great video just subscribed 👍
Thanks Mark much appreciated
I spread compost on my lawn couple weeks ago and it’s now the most juicy green grass on the street, no fertilizer added. I had aerated the lawn before spreading compost so it would get down in the ground some too.
😍😍😍😍
Hello i use organic compost when doing lawns . To spread the organic compost i use a lute it brilliant tool
Yes makes life so much easier!
Hi great video . I just over seeded 3 weeks ago using Westland jacks magic as using the compost as you did to top dress . £3.96 for a 60L bag from a wholesaler garden centre and put it out with a landzie . Works great for germination. Will put some back on in the autumn.
Ahh great. I really must get myself a landzie
How much was the landzie?
@@pepelepew2690 it was £200 plus delivery. This was on a promotion from garden imports
How do you rate jacks magic versus the verve product ?
@@nigelheffernan6394 I bought 100l verve last week because I ran out of Jacks magic . JM is not so compressed and feel it much better , especially if it’s dry . Much easier to put out . I have always used JM for the past 3 years
Great video mate, just wondered if it's to late now too hollow tine, overseed and top dress with the verve compost. thanks Andy 👍
Hi Andy no you're good to fo.. in fact it can even be done in summer (IF its heavily watered 4 to 5 times a day and the regular rest of year).. but yes it's fine for at least another 4 weeks
@@LawnRight that's great buddy, thank u 👍
How often do you add compost? This was rather helpful. I did exactly what was demonstrated here. I do not know when to apply a second top-dress though. Thank you.
Hi therea no hard and fast rule.. it's just like fertilizing really so maybe as much as once a month or as little as twice a year 😊👍
I think that would work for me, great vid and explanation, I'm wondering if you had cored your lawn first for the compost be integrated down into the soil, worms would have a field day with it. I'll be taking your advise and doing this also. Thx from Aus.
Hi Anthony I do usually aerate first. Definitely better. I'll he doing more topdressing videos this year. Thanks for watching really appreciate it 😊👍
@@LawnRight great, I will watch with interest.
I liked your description of the different methods and their uses, specifically the steel spreader than can help in evening the lawn. Have you considered supplementing your amendment with spent coffee grounds from local coffee shops in order to stretch your amendment as well as increasing available nitrogen.
Thanks Mitch very much appreciated. I've read about using them but never really experimented although I'm genuinely fascinated by what can be done
Coffee grounds are very acid. Be careful using them
Also grub worms love coffee roots and it might become a pest and damage your lawn. I know because I am from Costa Rica!
Really great video very informative. Ill do a bit of core aerating and top dress just like this as soon as it dries out a bit.
Great stuff.. thank you :) Wont be long now !
I use my horse's manure by breaking it up and work it back into their pasture to get better grass. Hoping to see more nutritious grass for them over time so I have to buy less hay, but we shall wait and see
Hi! Thank you for a great informative video! We have sandy soil so it does not hold any moisture. There are a lot of areas where the grass gets so thin to nonexistent. My lawn will be getting compost for the first time this year thanks to you. We treat for grubs and I’m wondering if compost will increase the grub problem. I assume treating for grubs may have an impact on earthworm population? We also have moles. Would you have any advice on this situation?
Hi connie other than traps for moles I'm not really sure. I've seen humane methods online but it's a battle for sure. If you use nematodes for grubs they only go after the grubs so the earthworms wont be affected. Compost, gypsum humic acid all good amendments to improve soil over time 😊
@@LawnRight I know it’s kind of complicated ha. I’ll take your advice and do a bit more research regarding the moles. Thank you!
Wow that lawn is lush :)- unlike mine which looks scorched and full of weed. :(
Time to fix things. Water twice a week deeply, cut no shorter than 1.5 to 2 inches, apply a feed and weed
@@LawnRight Thanks for the tips. Already started,. One day I may have a lawn resembling yours.
Great video, you have another subscriber!! Thanks for the upload buddy. P.S. what’s the name of the track you use?
Thanks for the sub! I cant remember who the music is Im so sorry. Ive spent the last 30 minutes looking :(
Great track! It’s “Up with the Sun” by Lone Wild.
The only bagged compost I find (US) has a lot of chunks or debris in it. I use a peat moss roller and end up with way too much in the cage. I end up using a Scotts lawn soil or similar.
Was that compost sifted or did the machine sift it? I think you use a Landzie now but curious back in the day if that was sifted.
Yeah most compost has some chunks in it. The more recent stuff is sifted and made by a uk company
You have a beautiful thick dark green lawn! How do you get it so dark green? Also, I've got a few high bumps on my lawn. Is the best way to slit it and take away some soil from underneath to level it out? Thanks.
Thank you 😊 with good maintenance , regular mowing not too short, treatments and any machinery work needed such as scarifying plus topdressing with compost and so on 😊 you'll see all this and more as I go through the year
@@LawnRight Thanks. Any advice on high bumps?
@@sameersheth9595 ahh sorry dodnt see that. Yes you can do that, or raise the rest to the same level
Nice explanations. Have you got any tips to improve a clay soil, I'm really struggling. Someone told me to put gypsum another one told me not to put gypsum. Headache
Hi thanks.. drill deep holes and pour some topsoil and compost down.. long term this will encourage worms. Also plenty of regular humic acid
@@LawnRight thanks a lot for that quick answer!
Any multipurpose compost will do or a very thin one?
@@clement6574 yep I just use multipurpose compost, a thin layer so that the seeds are covered
@@LawnRight Thank you!
I used compost before, it worked well! Only issue I found was I got a few more mushrooms growing up 🍄
Hiya yeah that's a possibility when using decomposing organic matter like compost.. same when old tree roots break down mushrooms thrive on it
Brilliant video Sean, thank you for sharing. If it's not too daft a question, would it be of any help to add grass seed into the compost to overseed at the same time?
Hi, yes thats not a bad idea. Thanks Mike :) Make sure its firmed and worked down to soil level and kept damp for 2 to 4 weeks
Brilliant, thank you.
Thank you for your video...
We have about 400m2 of lawn.. The soil is amazingly sandy and summer conditions are extreme (40 deg + in middle of France )...
We seeded last spring and the lawn was killed off with summer heat - I think spring planting in our area is a waste of time .. Although summer 2020 was even more hot and dry than usual.
We then seeded again in mid autumn 2020 to try to get more grass rooted down and growth before the hot weather..
I've told my partner we must add fertiliser and I'm for this top dressing.. I think it will help us with the hot dry summers and keep some more humidy in the soil..
My goal is to gradually change the soil by using this method.. We will see.. Do you think if we do this every 2 months for a few years we can get somewhere?
Oh and we have next to no earth worms.. 😭
Hi Mark, yes you're on the right path. Definitely need to improve the soil.. but also with it being sandy additional watering and wetting agents will be your friend. So aerate the ground a few times a year. Brush in topsoil. Aerate another time and brush in some compost. Repeat each year...then.. spray wetting agents as soon as temperatures get up to at least 15 or 16 degrees and no sign of rain.. water it in.. then water fairly regular.. keep the grass height decent and you should easily get through the summer. Also if your grass type is mainly fine rescue, remember these ornamental species suffer worst in heat.
@@LawnRight thanks for the kind reply... No we chose a tough grass - I warned my partner that the lawn is the most difficult plant to look after in the garden.. I had a little garden business when I was young.
I watered last year but got told off by her due to the water bill... I'll have to install a water recuperation tank I think.. It's almost always over 16 deg C from mid March until end of November.
I'll do some aeration when we do a top dressing - although I think the holes will fill in instantly as it's really sandy - ancient ice age sand apparently..
Best regards.. Doing gardens seems to be a good business for lock downs.. People have spent a lot on home and garden improvements here in France - no doubt the same back in the UK?
Oh yes plenty of work around. Definitely look into wetting agents
One dot at the end of a sentence is sufficient.
One derives quite a lot of satisfaction from working in one’s lawn! I live in Costa Rica in the midst of the tropics. We’re getting close to 2” of rainfall these days due to La Niña. I would like to apply compost to my warm weather grass called carpet grass with some parts having Saint Augustine which didn’t survive our dry seasons. The objective is also to do leveling and to replace earth that has been washed after 25 years of weather. I mow my lawn twice per week with a reel mower. My rotary lawn mower is now seldomly used due to noise restriction in during the weekend. I do not own nor have I seen in the stores a leveling rake, nor the big one that you use. Albeit, I am going to order one and wait for it to come. The composting soil that I find is mixed with coconut fiber. Can you provide any other pointers as to how deep should I cover my lawn?
Hi Robert, great to see you here! So.. I first want to clarify that you actually mean "soil" and not just "compost". Ive never seen (here in the Uk) soil that has compost mixed in with it, however I learn new things every day :) So.. soil obviously is for levelling.. compost is organic stuff thats the result of food/organic stuff breaking down such as like you say the coconut Coir (fibres).... Soil will level.. compost will add some orgnaic nutrients to the ground. If you are keeping the existing grasses then you should only use thin layers of soil.. make smal piles and work them back and forth so they spread thinly across the area being covered.. the main thing is not to smother the grass so perhaps go up halfway up the grass blade in height... after a few weeks that grass will then grow taller so you can then if need to add another thin layer and build up areas in that way
@@LawnRight Cheers and thanks for the quick response! Indeed they sell composted soil here in Costa Rica, albeit, I understand that to level ground I have to use sand.
Since our home is founded in hilly terrain there has been “earth compression” due to erosion from the heavy rains (2” yesterday alone!) or probably due to the water table going deeper during the dry season spanning from December to May. So, I wanted to achieve both (I guess my Scottish origins speak of me).
The objectives are two: to give the ground and turf a treat at the cost of a Macallan’s 18 years (US$130) for 10 20# sacks of composted soil, and to achieve some leveling with sand which is not common here!
What I’ve learned of gardening was due to dad’s fondness to gardens (being of British origin I wonder why!) and then through UA-cam.
I’m going to order the rotary compost tool as well as the leveling rake!
@@LawnRight I’m quoting the leveling lout or rake as we speak and the leveling with compost and sand will be a project of mine! Cheers from Costa Rica!
Well done. We live in Southern Ontario. This week I must toss my huge compost piles of leaves and grass clippings. It is harder now because of my age, but worth it. I have too many Norway Maples on our property. I use mulch not only on our lawn but around those trees to keep moisture closer to the tree roots. They are thirsty and have a negative effect on turf. It took me a while to figure this out.
@@waterdog226 Good luck with your endeavor! Perhaps, help is close to you! I mowed my lawn yesterday with the reel mower! It was a good 2 hours exercise including raking, picking up the clippings and throwing them in a ravine within the property. As the reel mower is not perfect it leaves grass blades uncut. So, when the rake pases to gather the clippings, the blades get up. So, I pass the reel mower again. It is as fulfilling as biking only that I cannot be run over by an enraged motor vehicle driver! So is life in the tropics!
Nice video thanks ! I never leveled my lawn (600m2), do you think compost can be a good top dressing for leveling aswell ? Can I mix seeds with compost ? My soil is sandy.
Hi. Thanks!. So, it's not ideal as its going to break down over time so it will go back to what it was before. You'll need to use soil for levelling and can do it in one big go and then reseed or just fill in the dips a cm or 2 at a time,brushing the soil down off the leaf,so it goes to ground level..repeat every few weeks as the grass grows and you'll soon be filling dips in a cm or 2 each month.. with the larger lawn though you'll want to place soil piles across the lawn and rake it all about so some goes in the dips.. all the time not smothering the grass. Feel free to rely for further explanation
@@LawnRight Thanks a lot, for big holes if I fill with soil to level and reseed, it won’t cause any problems if there is an existing layer of grass ?
@@sammbdn Hi, you mat find some existing grass grow through depending on the depth of soil.. if its a similar grass type, it wont matter too much.. but likewise the existing grass may well die due to lack of light.. one other option could be to kill off that dipped section with say roundup.. in spring.. wait 2 to 3 weeks then new seeds will be the only species growing there
@@LawnRight Thanks a lot ! Appreciate
Can you spread seed and fertiliser with the bannerman thing too?
No sorry you'll need s drop spreader or rotary spreader for the seed.. fert is done with a hand held spreader or rotary spreader
Hi. Does the compost have to be peat free? I have used multi purpose compost from miracle gro, for overseeing and now unsure whether it will work
Hi it should be fine. Mine is peat free however peat as you may know is getting banned within compost. Daniel Hibbert has used and loved jack magic compost which used peat until recently
Is compost ok to spread over grass seed or is top soil/top dressing better?
Hi both work just fine. Compost has the added benefit that it adds some organic goodness to the ground, especially handy if you've aerated
I'll use soil sometimes which also helps level things up
good video, i'm on a few facebook channels and they recommend 70/30 sand/topsoil, what would you recommend? i'm in suffolk apparently we have sandy soil here. i do have access to lots of horse manure but was told it would contain lots of weed seeds
If you're generally happy with sandy soil then put down the 70/30 mix. However if you choose regular topsoil you would be then making small improvements to what is in the ground so it's slightly less sandy near the surface and will hold water a touch longer than sandy soil so help a little more in summer. I always say to try and mirror what's already there, but if it's too sandy or too clay then regular topsoil is best.. so most of the time regular topsoil is the answer. When it comes to compost I'm talking about compost that's had time to mature and age. New compost just created is usually far too potent for lawn seeds so you need some that's generally in bags or from s reputable supplier
Good video. Please could you let me know where I can find a 'relatively cheap' lawn lute because I can't find one anywhere!?
Mine was off Ebay £90 just for the head. Had to buy broom handles though.
@@LawnRight Mind sharing what you searched for and/or the seller name please?
@@HirenDShah sure the guy I used was called designsinmetal. ebay.co.uk/usr/designsinmetal
@@HirenDShah basically looking for a lawn levelling lute
@@LawnRight Cheers. I'm doing a lawn renovation this year and this would definitely come in useful. I have already glyphosated the entire lawn so just waiting for it to die off before I can begin the work :)
Hi, I've recently started my own gardening business which is going really well. However, I am coming across some really bad lawns, one of which I scarified, then put some seed down with a thin layer of topsoil. Most parts have germinated but some parts not so well? For some reason the soil appears to be very hard/compact?
Should I rake it out or scarify it again?
Any suggestions?
Thanks
Hi when was it raked seeded and dressed and have they strictly watered 3 to 5 times a day in summer? Any less may cause the seeds to dry and fail.. if it was done spring or autumn then I'd say rake again, fork or aerate those spots then reseed etc
@@LawnRight
Hi, It was raked, seeded and dressed about 4 weeks ago but sadly it hasn't been watered as much as it should have?
I guess the bare patches i will rake again then seed and top dress?
Every time I scarify should I use a fertiliser or can I just apply the seed and topsoil immediately after?
Many thanks and great videos
@@neiljohnson1189 I'd probably just wait till the worst of summer is over then seed and dress..you'll stand a better chance of it working as there should be more rain,less heat and even twice a day watering should be enough
@@LawnRight
Brilliant. Thanks for the advice 👍
Where, did you get the speader and how much was it .
It's a bannerman mini topper they're around £1000 unfortunately. Bought it from my local machinery repair place who ordered it in
Im going to do this late September, should i skip adding fertalizer after i do this ?
You can do either.. The compost with fertilise a bit.. And an autumn fertiliser won't do any harm 😊
@@LawnRight Thanks so switch to autum fertalizer from September?
Hi Shaun, Why do you use verve B and Qs compost? is it because its cheaper or its more because is finer stuff?
Hi no real reason. Although I'm using an alternative nowadays. I had tried a few and found the verve to be nice and dry although a few twigs in it was the best at the time. I've just ordered some from field compost an online place so looking forward to using that this spring
@@LawnRight ok mate, and do you top dress a few times a year to give the soil a feed?
You can do. One of my customer regularly does it alongside treatments
@@LawnRight what did you order from fields?, liked the video!!
@@malcolmbale9566 hi their field number 4 dressing
Surely placing 40 litres of compost per 10 square metres of lawn would significantly raise the level of the lawn- especially if repeated once or more each year?
If done with aeration it's not normally too bad. The compost degrades anyway
Any problems adding compost right before winter?
While it's still growing its all good
Hi Sean, what’s your attitude to dog poop.
Do you expect the customer to have picked up or are you prepared to deal with it?
Hi, I dont tolerate it much. It can be dangerous if it gets in eyes. I usually start out just saying oh theres a few dog poops would you mind clearing them please.
Hi
Will we not get more weeds with compost add
As top soil is available weed free
Hi theres never any guarantees with soil or compost unfortunately, however said weeds do happen.. often they lay dormant in the ground.. I personally dont worry too much and knowing tHt I'll be spraying them 2 months later
What brand compose are you using?
Growmoor at the minute
This might seem a strange question but I can’t find the answer anywhere.
Do bags of compost usually contain any chemical additives or are they usually all organic? Because my lawn is lacking nutrition and on clay soil, so I want to feed it with compost. But I let my Guinea pigs out on my lawn to eat some of the grass, and I don’t want them consuming any chemicals absorbed by the grass.
I would appreciate any advice anyone can offer.
Hi it should be all organic but you never quite know what waste is being taken to the green recycling farms.. it does break down over a few weeks if youre at all unsure you could keep them off or section an area using a play pen keep them in there then move it later. Thanks
@@LawnRight thank you for your quick reply. That’s really helpful. Maybe I’ll do an area at a time and keep them away from it for as long as possible. Thanks again
What are the dimensions of your garden? Trying to work out how much I need!
Approx 50 sq metres or just under..I need to measure lol
@@LawnRight ok I think mine should be about 160. Will go for three bags when I get there. All I need now is grass....! Was going to have turf laid but after watching your channel I’m tempted to go for seed.
Great video, how often do you do this?
Hi its something you can do fairly often say every 1 to 2 months.👍
@@LawnRight thanks will it naturally decompose or does it need lots of watering?
It will break down just fine 😊👍
in our b&q its £10 for the same compost
Yeah it's gone right upon price the 125 litre bags.. used to be 6 quid
Is there weed seeds in compost??? Is compost the same thing as manure???
Hi there may well be weed seeds unless it's been stabilised.. manure is a good compost but quite potent..many store bought compost have broken down over time and made into small easy to manage pieces
Kimchi is the best thing for lawns
Works better with a fifty / fifty mix compost / manure.
Do you water the compost in?
No,.. no need to do that 😊
@@LawnRight thanks! Great video!
Forgot to ask: if I’m over-seeding, would it be better to put down the compost in advance - or do it at the same time as I put down the seeds? In other words, is it better to put the new seeds on the compost or on a thin layer of top soil?
@@Avital4414 hi.. so I typically prepare the soil first .. this could be scarifying and aerating.. then scatter seeds (seeds have to touch soil).. then a thin layer of compost on top to help protect the seeds. 😊👍
@@LawnRight thanks!!
Oi you got a licence for that box-cutter mate!?
Same as farmers spreading muck on there grass land 👍
😊😊😊👍
Should have over seeded it at the same time sonny
Aye, I agree however this was just for informational purposes, for the video
When u compost every few months would you aerate the lawn first every time ?
Hi only if its particularly poor soil, or heavy clay or very sandy, but just adding some to the surface will help 😊
@@LawnRight thanks for reply
What compost do you recommend
@@grahamstubbs6278 ho Graham I've used the verve multipurpose compost before and also one from home bargains both pretty good and dry
Ok thanks for reply again
I have a metal fence round my back lawn, dog is not allowed. She has her own spaces for dedicating
What matter is in the compost. I live in USA so I can not use the exact one you use
Hi Pat, I'm afraid I dont know exactly. Just had alook at one, it said "Coir (husks from coconuts), green waste (grass or sod clippings) and fertiliser. Typically Id categorise it as a general compost, not a specialist compost
Earthworms are bastards! Shitting all over my lawn! 🤣
Seriously though, too many Worm Casts are a pain in the ass for lawn care nerds.
Edit: I use a large Besom (Witches broom) and a blower to shift them before they get trodden flat and spawn weeds.🙂
😊👍 they sure are!
125L for £8, those we're the times, B&Q now want £12.50 for 100L :(
I know its mad right?
Composting your lawn will also help it store more carbon from the air and therefore help climate change - awesome work 👍🏼 🌏 also have you thought of making a dog poo composter? 💩
Thanks! Erm no I've never thought about that 😮. It would take a bit of thinking about to convince me to try it 😁
I am an Egg
Eggsellent! So pleased you broke your shell to say hi! 😊😁
Poop is a manure for your lawn :)
Bit too strong in its original form 😁👍
peat based compo? please tell me its peat not cheap shit full of sticks
Peats gonna be banned soon 😣
@@LawnRight yeh then we have import from russia,lol
My neighbor had compost all over his lawn in the form of a Biden sign. His lawn still looks like crap and so does the rest of America.
😂😂😂😂😂