I never used one but from what I heard is the compost clogs up,the holes are too small. It does seem to work with peat......like I said I have no personal experience

I'm with hoganjr. That's what I've read and I have no personal experience. I have tried sifting compost through a 1/2-inch screen and it clogged up quickly.

Easiest way is to use a wheel barrow and shovel. That's how I did it for several years. To spread 1 yard of compost took me 1 hour.

if you're only needing to do a 1/4" layer, how much is a whole yard of compost covering?

1/4" of compost is .75 yards/1000sf.

That's what I was thinking......thats a lot of work.

OP - how many square foot are you looking to top dress?

I'm spreading two yards of compost but this is my second year and eventually I won't have to but my soil is so bad I'm just looking for an easier method than shovel and rake.

i'm considering doing 10k sqft.......i'm all ears to an easier way! I guess hiring someone is easier.

What about your soil is "so bad"? If you're deficient in OM and it's attendant benefits, dchall can suggest alternative sources that can be much easier to spread.

What is OM? my soil is bad because my builder never put topsoil down when they put down Sod so my lawn is extremely hard. It's gotten much better after top dressing with compost and using CGM but needs a few more applications.

Organic Matter

Okay J Gil might disagree but in my opinion, unless you have poisoned the soil with poisonous stuff, you don't need compost - especially if you've already used compost. You'll be better off using organic fertilizer like soybean meal, Milorganite, alfalfa pellets (rabbit chow), corn meal, corn gluten meal, or cottonseed meal. In my opinion compost is excellent for restoring the soil biology to provide all the beneficial microbes the soil needs. Once that's done (with last year's compost) you don't need to do it again. What you need to do now is feed the microbes and that's what the organic fertilizer is for.

In my neighborhood compost costs $75 per yard delivered. If I'm spreading 1 yard per 1,000 square feet that's $75 per 1,000 square feet. On the other hand the cost for organic fertilizer is more like $4 per 1,000 square feet when you buy the products I mentioned at a feed store. Fertilizer is a lot easier to spread than compost.

Here's what I would suggest. I'll use alfalfa pellets as an example because it seems to be universally available. Get a 50-pound bag at the feed store. If you have a 2-pound coffee can/container, use that as a scoop. For the first application apply at 10 pounds per 1,000 square feet. So if you have a 2-pound container, scatter that over a 200 square foot area (10 feet x 20 feet). Water it lightly. The next day you'll see the pellets have expanded into a worm shape. Rake or broom those worms down into the soil. Give that 3 weeks to work. After that you can apply again at the full 20 pounds per 1,000 (2 pounds on 100 square feet). The fertilizer will do much more for you, cost less, and is a lot less hassle to apply.

If you want to go the extra mile, check out the posts on this forum referencing soil tests. Getting your soil chemistry correct can be very helpful in improving the grass. Logan Labs $25 test is the one to get.

Topsoil is overrated. I use pure washed sand and develop it myself with organics. That's the best grass I have.

If you want to soften your soil, spray it with any clear shampoo at a rate of 3 ounces per 1,000 square feet. Again, give that 3 weeks and the soil should be considerably softer when it is moist. Test with a screwdriver before and after, wet and dry. Test how hard it is to push in and how deep it will go. You cannot make a mistake with shampoo. If you accidentally use 10x too much, that won't hurt anything.

Thanks for the tips. I get compost for $25 a yard when I pick it up so it's pretty cheap. I know I can just use CGM but I'm trying to use compost and CGM for a few years then switch to CGM only. my lawn has improved big time but want to give it that extra boost. I'm thinking just suck it up and sling it with a shovel again then rake then apply CGM. thanks everyone!

I think a soil test would be the easiest way to check the soil texture. If the test shows it is high in clay, you can certainly aerate (and I believe compost would be a good option to top dress because of the microbiology in it and because it would make the soil more porous). I've never used sand to top-dress. it is just a personal choice, but I know of landscapers that use sand instead for drainage, with good results.

As Dchall said, using alfalfa pellets is so much easier. I guess spreading compost is more labor intensive, but if you do that, I think you can fix the soil faster.

There are landscapers that can spread compost for you, using a machine called Ecolawn applicator. It almost looks like a walk behind mower, and can spread 1 yard of compost in around 10 minutes. It is very similar to what it is being used in golf courses to spread sand.

There are many ways to improve the soil, and many products to use. I guess, use whatever feels more comfortable for you to handle. Either using chemicals or organic products you should achieve the same level of results.

good luck

The CGM will help...and I think will work 10x better for you than the compost alone. I can't stop you, but that's my opinion. I'm sure it will work out unless you smother it.