Topdressing, not potting compost

Lawn soil and topdressing, compared

Lawn soil is not potting compost with a different label, and the distinction is the whole reason this family exists. A topdressing is a sandy, low-nutrient mixture spread thinly over an established lawn to level small hollows, work into aeration holes and improve the surface drainage; a seeding soil is finer and slightly richer, spread to give new seed something to root into. Potting compost does neither — it holds too much water, settles, and smothers the grass it is spread on. The corpus mixes all three, plus bags of plain sand sold for the same job, so the use column is the first thing to read. The volume in litres is how these are sold, 30 to 90 litres a bag, and the weight is worth reading beside it: a 40-litre bag of sandy topdressing weighs far more than a 40-litre bag of compost, which matters both for carrying it and for what it is made of. The composition is where the useful information is — proportion of sand, presence of compost or bark, and whether a starter fertiliser is already mixed in, which several of these advertise. The peat column is there because peat-free is now a claim makers publish prominently and because a peat-based mix behaves differently when it dries out: it repels water and has to be rewetted slowly. The pH is published by a minority and is the figure that connects this shelf to the soil testers next to it. We compare volume, weight, composition, use, peat and pH.

Every part here, laid out figure by figure

1. 

   kör4u K21640

   Coarse washed quartz at a published grade — the one specification that separates lawn sand from builder’s sand.

   Volume

   Not published — sold by weight

   Weight

   25 kg

   Composition

   0.4 to 1.4 mm washed quartz sand; multiply washed, screened, fire-dried, low-dust

   Use

   Lawn sand — a top dressing for drainage, not a soil · rate: Not published

   Peat

   None — washed quartz sand

   pH

   pH-neutral, stated

   Amazon reference

   B0H7BQTJ65 (one reference across 1 Amazon marketplace)

   EAN

   4255779701238

   • A published grain size, which is the only thing that makes a sand suitable for a lawn
   • Washed and screened, so it carries no silt or clay to seal the surface
   • No application rate published — one product on this shelf gives 250 g/m² and the other sands give none

   Best for: Top dressing a heavy or compacted lawn, straight after aerating or scarifying

   Check price on Amazon
2. 

   Plantop 132

   Forty-five litres of lawn substrate whose entire published description is three words and an exclamation mark.

   Volume

   45 litres

   Weight

   Not published

   Composition

   Not published

   Use

   Lawn substrate — a soil, not a sand · rate: Not published

   Peat

   Not published

   pH

   Not published

   Amazon reference

   B00UTES2N4 (one reference across 1 Amazon marketplace)

   EAN

   4027892120506

   • 45 litres in one bag, the largest single-bag volume here
   • About 0.37 € per litre — the cheapest litre of substrate on this shelf
   • One published feature line, and it is the brand name with an exclamation mark

   Best for: Somebody re-ordering a substrate they have already used and know

   Check price on Amazon
3. 

   GREEN HOME LOVE NATURE ER10045

   The only substrate here that publishes its pH, its four ingredients and its starter fertiliser analysis.

   Volume

   42 litres

   Weight

   Not published

   Composition

   White peat, perlite, Orgapor and substrate wood fibre, plus added sand

   Use

   Lawn substrate, ready to use, fine-crumbed · rate: Not published

   Peat

   Contains white peat, named as an ingredient

   pH

   6.0

   Amazon reference

   B0GK2PKN1H (one reference across 2 Amazon marketplaces)

   EAN

   4251706710236

   • The only pH and the only nutrient analysis published on this shelf
   • Names all four of its structural components, which no other substrate here does
   • Contains white peat, where one substrate on this shelf is declared peat-free

   Best for: Sowing or repairing a lawn where you want to know what the seed is going into

   Check price on Amazon
4. 

   Höfer Chemie VERDURMAX

   Fire-dried quartz at a stated 97 per cent purity — and a listing that rules out golf courses.

   Volume

   Not published — sold by weight

   Weight

   25 kg

   Composition

   0.3 to 1.5 mm, about 97 % quartz, fire-dried

   Use

   Lawn sand — a top dressing for drainage, not a soil · rate: Not published

   Peat

   None — quartz sand

   pH

   Not published

   Amazon reference

   B0GFX916GK (one reference across 5 Amazon marketplaces)

   EAN

   4250463130011

   • The only quartz purity figure on this shelf, at about 97 %
   • A published grade, which is the specification that matters on a lawn sand
   • A wider grade than the other quartz sand here, with a finer bottom end at 0.3 mm

   Best for: Top dressing a compacted clay lawn after aerating, on a domestic or sports surface

   Check price on Amazon
5. 

   Petigi RasenHerz

   Sold as lawn sand and it is not one — a crushed volcanic rock powder, and the only product here with a rate.

   Volume

   Not published — sold by weight

   Weight

   25 kg

   Composition

   Diabase, 100 % natural with no additives; form stated as powder

   Use

   Mineral soil amendment — crushed diabase rock, supplied as a powder · rate: 250 g/m² — 25 kg for 100 m². The only published rate on this shelf.

   Peat

   None — crushed diabase rock

   pH

   Not published; stated to stabilise soil pH

   Amazon reference

   B0GV762TLC (one reference across 3 Amazon marketplaces)

   EAN

   4059419188188

   • The only application rate published on this shelf — 250 g/m²
   • Names six of its mineral constituents, which no other product here does
   • Sold as "lawn sand" and supplied as a powder, which is the opposite of a drainage grade

   Best for: Adding minerals and trace elements to a tired lawn — not for drainage

   Check price on Amazon
6. 

   Plantaflor Plus 2000714

   Eighty litres in two sacks, with two published feature lines — and both of them are the brand name.

   Volume

   80 litres, as 2 × 40 L

   Weight

   Not published

   Composition

   Not published

   Use

   Lawn substrate for new lawns and repairs, from the title · rate: Not published

   Peat

   Not published

   pH

   Not published

   Amazon reference

   B08HZ48B6B (one reference across 1 Amazon marketplace)

   EAN

   4005182000714

   • 80 litres for the price, which is the second cheapest litre of substrate here
   • Two 40 litre sacks rather than one large bag, which is easier to carry
   • Two published feature lines, both of which are the brand name

   Best for: Somebody re-ordering a substrate they already know

   Check price on Amazon
7. 

   turbogrün ERDE 90 l

   The only peat-free substrate on this shelf — 90 litres in three bags, with quartz sand and a starter feed.

   Volume

   90 litres, as 3 × 30 L

   Weight

   Not published

   Composition

   100 % peat-free, from natural biological ingredients; fine quartz sand added for drainage

   Use

   Lawn substrate, peat-free, with a starter fertiliser · rate: Not published

   Peat

   100 % peat-free, stated

   pH

   Not published

   Amazon reference

   B0BWYRSSG1 (one reference across 1 Amazon marketplace)

   EAN

   4260721110549

   • The only peat-free declaration on this shelf
   • 90 litres, the largest quantity here, in three manageable 30 litre bags
   • About 0.63 € per litre — over half again the cheapest substrate here

   Best for: A large repair or overseeding job where peat-free matters and volume is needed

   Check price on Amazon