Instructions

• 1
  Top-dressing will encourage thick and lush growth.Jupiterimages/Photos.com/Getty Images
  
  Before spreading dirt, be sure the grass is in a growth phase and not dormant; you may kill the grass if it is still dormant. Don't top-dress dormant grass because you can damage it or kill it. Top-dressing a lawn improves the soil and encourages deep roots.
  
  
• 2
  Mow the grass before spreading dirt.Jupiterimages/BananaStock/Getty Images
  
  Fertilize the grass a couple of weeks prior to top-dressing so that the grass is pushing through. Mow the grass the day before top-dressing so the soil can work its way down to where it is needed.
  
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• 3
  A wheelbarrow is an essential gardening tool.Jupiterimages/Brand X Pictures/Getty Images
  
  Open the bags of triple mix and dump them into a wheelbarrow. Make sure you have your shovel ready. Deposit shovelfuls of soil in any depressions you may spy in your lawn. Any soil that remains after the holes are filled can be deposited onto the grass.
  
  
• 4). Tamp the soil down in any hollows. Then use the back of a garden rake to smooth the soil over the entire lawn. This will help get rid of lumps or clods and will allow the grass to grow through. Top-dressing encourages a thick lawn by giving it enough soil for the roots to take a firm hold.