How to Grow Grass in Sandy Soil

It takes more work, but even sandy soil can produce a lovely lawn.

As lovely as it is at the beach, sand doesn’t make an ideal base for your lawn’s roots. A lush, green lawn requires a wealth of nutrients and water, and overly sandy soil drains too quickly to hold either for very long. That’s why the key to helping your lawn thrive in a foundation that is largely sand is to improve the soil’s retention properties as much as possible while adjusting how you feed and water your lawn to account for the soil’s shortcomings.

Things You'll Need

• Fine compost
• Peat moss
• Rototiller
• Sprinkler system
• Drought-tolerant sod
• Watering timer
• Wheelbarrow
• Shovel
• Leaf rake

Instructions

Planting

1. Amend the soil with a mixture of fine compost and peat moss before planting your lawn. Spread an even layer of the amendments across the surface of the lawn area, and use a rototiller to thoroughly mix the material into the soil.

2. Install an in-ground sprinkler system, which will allow you to more closely control the timing and duration of lawn waterings.

3. Plant a drought-tolerant grass such as Bermuda grass for a hot-weather location, and fescue for colder climates. Plant sod rather than seeds or sprigs, because less mature plants are unlikely to become established in sandy soil.

Maintenance

1. Water the lawn three times per week or more, for 15 minutes or less per watering. Use a watering timer on a sprinkler hose, or set an in-ground system for regular light waterings.

2. Cut the lawn higher than normal. This will help prevent moisture loss through evaporation.

3. Top-dress the lawn every two to three months during the season, with fine compost. Use a wheelbarrow and shovel to spread the compost over the top of the lawn. Finish by using a leaf rake to work the amendment down to the roots of the lawn.

Tips & Warnings

• Determine if you’re dealing with sandy soil in your own yard by using the ball test. Moisten a scoop of soil from your yard, hold it in your hand, and squeeze it into a ball. If the ball simply falls apart when you open your fist, you have sandy soil.

• Don’t be tempted to over-fertilize your lawn to compensate for sandy soil. Because the soil already drains more quickly than normal, excess fertilizer is likely to run off with water, possibly making its way into the water table.

References

• The Organic Lawn Care Manual: A Natural, Low-Maintenance System for a Beautiful, Safe Lawn; Paul Tukey

Resources

• he Lawn Bible: How to Keep it Green, Groomed, and Growing Every Season of the Year; David R. Mellor