# Top Soil or Peat Moss for Topdressing St Augustine



## BakerGreenLawnMaker

Not sure if this is the correct page to start this conversation, but nonetheless if one of the admins need to move it elsewhere, do your thing.

I'm talking to all you lawn leveling experts, all you experts on topdressing, and anyone who is interested in this as I am.

I have roughly 7,000 sq/ft of St. Augustine in my front yard, I'm not putting this out here for the sole purpose of leveling my lawn, but to also prevent "take all patch" in my SA, as well as adding nutrients to the soil.

Topsoil is expensive and by the looks of it, a pain to spread by hand, and I hear you can get quite a few weeds seeds from it. Peat Moss on the other hand comes in nice cubed bags that looks very easy to spread by hand using a standard garden rake, and retains moisture better from what am told. My question is, which of the two would be more beneficial for leveling, as well as adding nutrients to the soil?


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## Spammage

@BakerGreenLawnMaker neither will be a good choice for leveling. The application of peat moss is a solid choice for take all patch in St Augustine though. The application has to be heavy though (think 1/2"+ thick) and can be pricey because of it.


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## Suburban Jungle Life

If you want to level, use sand. Any products which break down over time leave you where you started. Using sand is a lot of work but it doesn't go anywhere and firms up the surface. Putting down organic material can give you a more spongy and soft surface but eventually all breaks down and disappears. As for adding nutrients, feed the grass a proper diet and through root cycling, your OM will increase.

If you are looking for both a top dressing of organic material and leveling, perhaps level first with sand and work to make it smooth. Then, once it has settled in a couple of weeks, spread your organic matter, be it compost, peat moss, or whatever you want but don't work too hard at it being level since it'll all break down and disappear soon.


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## SCGrassMan

Peat moss for lowering pH and treating fungus. Masonry sand for leveling.


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## jonthepain

We have had excellent results treating take all with peat moss.


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## craigdt

I top dressed an area fall of last year with Peat Moss, and it was so windy, it all blew away.

We kept it damp, but Lord, that wind.


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## seebryango

I also have about 5k of St Aug that I'd like to level *AND* had Take-All root rot last year. Is now (Spring) the time to do this for St augustine or another time?


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## BakerGreenLawnMaker

@seebryango , I'm doing it first of April to my St Augustine. I want to be proactive in preventing the take all, before it happens. Now, whether being proactive will come back to bite me, That's for another day.


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