Sanding lawns is an important job that can be done in the garden. If you're wondering when to sand your lawn, why it's necessary, and how exactly to do it, here are answers to those questions and tips on how to go about it to get it right.
Why sand lawns?
Sand has the ability to prevent soil erosion and provide the soil with important nutrients. Therefore, gardeners should bring it into the garden this season. Find out what you need to know.
Here are some reasons whyyour lawnshould sand:
1. Create healthier soils
Sand can promote healthier soil and slow erosion. Adding sand to the lawn helps improve the structure of the topsoil. Most gardeners know that the perfect soil structure, known as loam, is made up of a combination of sand, clay and silt particles.
2. Use sand to monitor irrigation
Properly watering your lawn is very important if you want to achieve healthy growth. By adding sand, you can control waterlogging and maintain a healthier surface all year round.
3. Providing nutrients
Sand is a natural way to enrich your lawn. If you use sand as a top dressing, it promotes the penetration of important onesnutrients into the soiland thus supports healthy growth.
4. Sand fills unwanted gaps
You can also use sand to fill in bare spots that might otherwise leave an unsightly scar on the surface. However, experts warn that this won't work if there has been a lot of rain. It is important not to use too much sand or the lawn will suffocate.
When should the lawn be sanded?
It is best to sand short-mowed lawns. This is best done in conjunction with scarifying or aerating and is usually done in the spring.
Tipp:
Small amounts of sand can also be distributed without prior scarifying or aerating. However, the sand can work better into a scarified or aerated lawn.
Which sand is best?
For your home garden, it is best to use washed, pure quartz sand with a grain size of 0.06 to 2 mm. Play sand shouldn'tused for lawnsbecause it cannot be distributed well.
How much sand do you need for your lawn?
If the sand is used annually to level the lawn, use 0.5 - 1 liter of sand per m². If sanding is carried out after scarifying, use 2 – 3 liters of sand per m². After scarifying with slot blades, use 3 – 5 liters of sand per m². After scarifying with hollow cones: 4 – 6 liters of sand per m².
The recommended amount of sand you should use also depends on the soil type of your lawn. Sanding is generally not necessary for soils that are already sandy. The more compacted or clayey a soil is, the more sand you should use to improve the lawn's drainage.
Sanding a lawn is not difficult. How to proceed:
- Simply spread an appropriate amount of sand over your lawn using a sand spreader or wheelbarrow. Sand piles are acceptable at this stage.
- Spread the sand with the back of a rake and then more finely with the tines.
- Sweep up the sand with a coarse broom.
- If the lawnneeds to be leveled, pull a lawn leveling drag mat over the area several times. If the mat is too small, you may need to do this by hand. There are also lawn brushes that distribute sand evenly, but these are intended for larger towing equipment and are not suitable for small private lawns.
