Creating a lawn: how much topsoil to fill up?

When laying out a new lawn, the lawn seed should be placed on sufficiently fertile soil. In this way you can ensure optimal lawn growth in the long term after the new planting. In addition, the topsoil must be filled up to a certain level.

Topsoil – definition

The topsoil is a type of soil that is also known in agriculture as topsoil. These are the top layers of earth, which are considered to be the most fertile.

Top up topsoil – altitude

In order to create optimal conditions for creating lawns, experts recommend creating a layer of topsoil between 15 and 20 centimeters. Because this has to be leveled afterwards, it consequently loses height. For this reason one should lift/dig up topsoil from a depth that is two inches more. That means: if a height of 15 centimeters is to be reached, 20 centimeters of topsoil are required.

Tip: An additional ten liters of special lawn soil can be added per square meter. This ensures an improved structure and optimizes the nutrient content for healthy, dense growth.

Filling in heavy/light soil

If the topsoil contains too much clay, it is heavy and consequently less permeable to water and poor in nutrients. If there is a relatively large amount of sand in the soil, it is too light and moisture sinks into the lawn more slowly. As a result, the newly laid lawn will not thrive and could even die in the worst case. It is therefore important that the topsoil is mixed with suitable additives. The following information should be considered:

  • Use of quartz sand on clay soils – two cubic meters per 100 square meters
  • Use of bark humus in sandy soils – ten liters per square meter
  • Leave the loosened soil to rest for about two to three weeks
Note: The topsoil must be freed from plant parts, stones and the like during or after loosening and before laying the lawn, so that perfect leveling is possible and nothing disturbs the dense growth of the lawn.

Mengenberechnung

If you don’t have any or not enough topsoil in your garden, you can buy it in well-stocked garden centers. At a height of 15 centimetres, the required amount of topsoil is 0.15 cubic meters per square meter – at 20 centimetres, it is therefore 0.2 cubic metres.

Mother Earth Prize

The prices for topsoil sometimes vary greatly. Above all, the quality plays a role, which refers to the nutrient content and “cleanliness”. If the earth is sold directly from an excavation, the cubic meter is usually available for between seven and ten euros. Sieved earth, which has already been freed from stones and the like, costs between twelve and 15 euros per cubic meter on average. For topsoil that has been enriched with nutrients using compost or fertilizers, a price of between 20 and 40 euros can be expected.

frequently asked Questions

The recommended height applies to any type of surface. The lawn is supplied with at least 15 centimeters of topsoil, regardless of whether there is concrete or other layers of earth underneath. In addition, the grass roots do not grow beyond that, so no problems are to be expected.

In this case, you should fill in another layer of topsoil so that the root ends do not grow out and penetrate into nutrient-poor areas. The supply takes place via the root ends, so that the minimum height of 15 centimeters should be observed.

Kira Bellingham

I'm a homes writer and editor with more than 20 years' experience in publishing. I have worked across many titles, including Ideal Home and, of course, Homes & Gardens. My day job is as Chief Group Sub Editor across the homes and interiors titles in the group. This has given me broad experience in interiors advice on just about every subject. I'm obsessed with interiors and delighted to be part of the Homes & Gardens team.

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