New lawn - topdressing with compost vs peat moss

9 years ago

Hi,
I'm planning on planting a new lawn in 3 weeks. My question is: is it better to topdress with compost or peat moss?
I'm asking because compost is quite expensive here in Poland, and I can get peat moss for free.

Also, I'm following these instructions on WikiHow - are they any good? Or is there anything you would modify. http://www.wikihow.com/Grow-a-Lawn-Easily
(last year I followed their overseeding instructions - with big success).

And finally, do you recommend fertilizing with alfalfa pellets before seeding? That's what DCHall suggested in his "How do I level my yard?" guide.

Thanks in advance!

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Comments (3)

User
9 years ago
>>topdress with compost or peat moss?

Either. Compost holds water a touch better, which can actually be a slight disadvantage as it can encourage rot. But it usually doesn't if you restrict yourself to 1/4" absolute maximum, with 1/8" being quite enough.

Compost may have a few drifted weed seeds in it that peat won't usually get, but it's nothing significant if the compost was made correctly and stored properly.

Peat moss gets the bad rep of repelling water...and it does, but the water drops through to the soil. No harm, no foul, and the peat moss functions as a perfectly good mulch.

In your case, if the compost is expensive and the peat moss is free, use the peat moss.

>>Also, I'm following these instructions on WikiHow - are they any good?

Do. Not. Till. It destroys the natural water channels, injects oxygen into layers where it shouldn't exist, brings up weed seeds stamped 1897 (but are still perfectly viable), and burns off organic matter at a fantastic rate.

If you feel you must open the soil surface, use a slit seeder or rake the soil lightly beforehand. Seeds are very, very good at punching through soil we consider hard.

Also, do not lime at seeding time. This is an ancient holdover that keeps getting repeated. Lime works in slowly, setting up a very high pH zone around the new grass roots--which want a slightly lower than neutral pH.

Also, only lime if a soil test shows the need for it, and only if you know exactly what kind of lime to use and how much.

>>And finally, do you recommend fertilizing with alfalfa pellets before seeding? That's what DCHall suggested in his "How do I level my yard?" guide.

Sure, go for it. It'll give your new grass something to nibble on when it's young.

If you can't get alfalfa, soybean meal, cottonseed meal, corn meal (or cracked corn but I don't recommend that on a new seed bed as it attracts birds), or Milorganite (I'm not sure if you have that in Poland or what they call it--it's a processed biosolid) are all great.

Don't bother with a synthetic fertilizer. It's a flash in the pan and will be long gone before the grass grows enough to use it. That's for later if you want to go the synthetic route.
dchall_san_antonio
9 years ago
Just to reiterate, do not till.
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>>It does appear, however, that while my calculations were correct, the product I purchased was not the true volume that I based my calculations on, causing closer to an average or 1/2 as you mention. This makes me laugh and cry! Water under the bridge, and not that much water. It's not a fatal error. >>So the seed will be fine, even if dry, for the next couple of days while I keep trying to get it wet? Ill keep watering the hell out of it until it is wet enough right on the soil surface, but so far, even after 4 or 5 ten-minute runs per zone (2 zones cover the entire area), I can still pull up completely dry peat moss! I think they are wet (the seeds, not the peat moss). The water tends to fall through peat moss to the soil below, and even if it fell to the side, water diffuses quite well. Unless there's a rock, severely hydrophobic soil, or small umbrella under there, the soil is damp. A quarter inch of water simply can't disappear. You'd have noticed the tiny TARDIS fleet carrying it away. Even if the peat absorbed it, it should diffuse down over time as the peat dampens overnight. Check again tomorrow morning. Similarly, very dry soils get hydrophobic on their own, refusing water. The shampoo will help (and you may want to water that through pretty well tonight and tomorrow morning if you have time). Peat moss does take some time to get wet. But during that time, the water falls through. If you've ever used coir, it stays dry while the underlying soils get wet. I'd definitely test that and, if you have a moisture meter, plunge it into the soil. They're notoriously inaccurate, but a high reading still means there's plenty of water down there. I just use a fingertip. Clinging soil and bits of tiny peat moss flecks mean it's damp down there. And damp is all that's required. (This is getting a little long and disjointed for what I'm trying to say; sorry about that). When planting seeds, "damp" can mean as little as some time with a sprayer to darken the soil surface. Under a dome, that's more than enough water to get the process going. Heavier watering comes later, and you have time for things to adjust before you leave.
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Mike_13
Original Author
9 years ago
Thanks for your replies!

You were really helpful. Love this forum!

I will not lime, I will definitely not till, I'll use peat moss for topdressing and I'm going to use alfalfa pellets or soybean meal to fertilize. Thanks again!
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New lawn - topdressing with compost vs peat moss

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dchall_san_antonio

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New lawn - topdressing with compost vs peat moss

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dchall_san_antonio

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