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Lawn Crew

Surrey lawn care services

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    • Fertilisation
    • Aeration
    • Scarification
    • Moss management
    • Weed management
    • Overseeding
    • Topdressing
    • Wildflower creation
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  • 01932 918 868

Topdressing

What is top dressing?

Top dressing is the process of adding soil or organic material to the surface of the lawn to improve its quality and to create a smooth level surface overtime. The top dressing we apply to your lawn will eventually become part of the root zone (soil where grass roots grow best) so it’s important that the right top dressing for your soil type is used.

We typically use topdressing as an aid for seed germination and soil improvement after a lawn renovation but it can also be used to help smooth a lawn. Topdressing to smooth a lawn can take some time and investment, depending on the condition of the lawn multiple applications might be required as you should only apply 1/4 inch each time.

Benefits of top dressing

  • Lusher, thicker lawn – the formation of new shoots & runners is stimulated, encouraging a healthy dense sward
  • Smooths the lawn – hollows are filled so that a truer surface is obtained
  • Encourages the breakdown of thatch
  • Improves the soil quality
  • Greatly improves overseeding results – germination and growth is stronger

We only use professional quality top dressing

In general the quality is determined by these factors:

The grade

The grade is the most important factor in our opinion. When choosing the best grade top soil for your lawn we look at pH level, Phosphorus index, Potassium index, Magnesium index and screen rate.

Weed free

It goes without saying that we only use top dressing that has been screened multiple times and treated to reduce the chances of weeds.

pH:

We only use top dressing that is close to your existing soil’s pH and preferably one that improves it.

Good top soil

Soil is a mixture of a mineral content of sand, silt and clay, organic matter and air. Good soil is know as loam, it contains all these parts in the right proportions meaning the grass plant can root, feed, drink and breathe with minimal stress and difficulty. This is what we look for when choosing the right top dressing for you lawn, if your soil is good you’ll have a healthier lawn with good growth and fewer problems.

Soil problems

If your soil is creating an environment that is detrimental to your lawn’s health top soil can improve this by:

  • Adding organics and humus to poor, very sandy or heavy clay soils
  • Adding loam soil to very sandy soils
  • Adding sandy loam soil to clay soils
  • Adding loam soil if the depth of the existing top dressing is 3.5 inches or below

Soil pH

pH is one of the more important properties of soils when it comes to grass.

Grass likes a pH between 5.5 and 7. Finer grasses types such as bents and fescues prefer a slightly acidic soil (around 5.5.) whereas the broader leaved rye and meadow grasses like a more neutral 6.5.

Nutrients for grasses are most readily available around the neutral pH level. In addition, microbes are at their most active helping to control thatch levels and breaking down organic material. On the downside however, weeds also like a more neutral pH.

As part of the initial visit we may take a sample of your soil to obtain your soil’s pH level, woodrush, sheep’s sorrel or moss with the finer leaved grasses doing particularly well is an indicator of an acidic soil. Whereas if your lawn has broader leaved grasses and a variety of broad leaved weeds your lawn will probably be neutral or possibly alkaline.

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Our services

  • Fertilisation
  • Moss control
  • Weed management
  • Overseeding
  • Wildflower meadow creation
  • Scarification
  • Aeration
  • Topdressing
  • Surrey Lawn Care Areas
  • Giving back

Our contact details

Lawn Crew Limited,
8 Rosemount Avenue, West Byfleet, Surrey, KT14 6BD

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5 week checkup after some autumn lawn care tlc for 5 week checkup after some autumn lawn care tlc for a client in Chobham. Regular cutting now as required will encourge tillering/thickening. Good  pre-winter progress!
Lewis core collecting after some hollow tine aerat Lewis core collecting after some hollow tine aeration. #surreylawncareservices
We're seeing some beautiful autumn colours this ye We're seeing some beautiful autumn colours this year at our client's lawns across Surrey.
Monday morning commute. #swanningaround Monday morning commute. #swanningaround
All in a day's work. #surreylawncare #turfing All in a day's work. #surreylawncare #turfing
Stripes and more stripes. #lawncaresurrey Stripes and more stripes. #lawncaresurrey
Starting to see some red thread, weather condition Starting to see some red thread, weather conditions are perfect at the moment. Looks worse than it is, very rarely causes long term damage.
Phew. It's getting toasty. For those who are wate Phew. It's getting toasty.

For those who are watering their lawns do it long and infrequently; give the roots a good soak! 
Apply minimum 1/2 inch water for clay lawns and 1 inch of water for sand lawns.

Use a tuna can to measure how long this means for your sprinkler(s). Some more tips on watering here:

https://lawncrew.co.uk/advice/#watering
New residents in the bug hotel. #solitarybees New residents in the bug hotel. #solitarybees
Finally it's starting to feel like spring! Finally it's starting to feel like spring!
We're very excited to have joined @1percentftp 😁

A fantastic organisation where their members commit to donate 1% of annual sales to environmental causes.
Brrrr. Winter is here but we're still keeping the Brrrr. Winter is here but we're still keeping the lawns nice and healthy with some moss control and aeration.
🍁🍂 🍁🍂
3 week progress check. Just had its first cut and 3 week progress check. Just had its first cut and a bit more seed applied. Progressing nicely.
We've been busy bees renovating before it gets too We've been busy bees renovating before it gets too cold. Looking forward to seeing the results for this lawn in a few months. #surreylawncareservices
A burnt out lawn with over 2 inches of thatch. So A burnt out lawn with over 2 inches of thatch.

Sometimes it's better to start again when scarification doesn't cut it.

Removing the old lawn using a turf cutter creates the perfect thatch free surface to create a new lawn from seed, and no need to use herbicide!

Watch this space for progress pictures.
She's an odd one, but we love her. #LCdog She's an odd one, but we love her. #LCdog
Collaborating with Jason Hunter from The Groundsma Collaborating with Jason Hunter from The Groundsman Surrey - @siphoxolo1

We were approached to create a lawn from seed suitable for the client's children to play football throughout the year. 20 tonnes of sand was applied to the inherited claggy soil. 
Results looking great with a double bay cut.
Beautiful day for topdressing yesterday in the Sur Beautiful day for topdressing yesterday in the Surrey sun.
"We are really happy & wanted to share with you & "We are really happy & wanted to share with you & your team the results of all your hard work, thank you !!" ..... We're seeing (and hearing about) great results from our spring work, it was a tricky spring but lawns are starting to kick on now.
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