NJ Lawns Community

Okay I need to vent because I'm getting mixed advice from everywhere and it's driving me crazy. I live in Teaneck with a typical backyard that's mostly tall fescue mix. Stopped by the nursery on Queen Anne Road yesterday and asked them about top dressing before overseeding this fall. The guy there told me 1/2 inch of compost is totally fine and anything more than that is overkill and can actually smother the grass. Then I get online and every YouTube video is saying apply 2-3 INCHES minimum. Two inches! That's like six times what he recommended. My lawn isn't that big but even then that's like 10 yards of compost if I'm doing the whole yard. Seems insane to me but now I'm second guessing everything. Is this guy full of it or is the internet just full of drama? Looking for actual locals who've tried both approaches because I'm tired of being the confused homeowner in this equation.

The nursery guy isn't totally wrong but he's not telling you the whole story either. I've been doing organic lawn care in Ridgewood for 8 years now and here's the deal - that 1/2 inch will give you some benefit but it's really more of a light feeding than actual top dressing. What those YouTube guys are saying about 2 inches isn't wrong either BUT that's usually for compacted soil that needs major rebuilding. For maintenance on already decent lawn, you're wasting material going that thick. What I'd suggest as a middle ground - go with about 1 inch max right after your core aeration this fall. The holes open up and let the compost actually get down to the roots where it matters. Anything beyond that and you're just paying for landfill delivery fees basically.

I totally feel your pain!! I made this same mistake my first year - dumped like 2 inches of municipal compost all over my front yard thinking more is better and guess what? It basically formed a hydrophobic layer on top and NOTHING germinated properly. It was a disaster. Took me two seasons to fix. The truth is somewhere in between and honestly depends on your soil test results. If you've got decent NJ clay loam already, you don't need that much. But if you're on sandier stuff (parts of Tenafly have that), you'll want closer to the 1.5 inch range. Grab a soil test from Rutgers cooperative extension - it's like $20 and they'll tell you exactly what you're working with. Your local Extension office in Hackensack does them.

Not to go off on a tangent but honestly the compost debate drives me crazy because people forget the actually important part - your MOWER HEIGHT. I've seen neighbors in Teaneck running their Honda mowers on setting 2 trying to get that 'scenic golf course look' and then wondering why their lawns look terrible after they scalp it then pile on the compost hoping it'll fix things. Tall fescue should be at least 3.5-4 inches minimum here in Bergen County. Raise your deck FIRST, get a sharp blade, then worry about the compost. The nursery guy probably sees people scalp their lawns then complain the compost didn't work so he tells them less is more. He's not entirely wrong about the relationship honestly.

Update - went back to the nursery today and talked to a different guy (the owner actually) and he confirmed what some of you are saying. Apparently the original guy is more of a flower person not turf specialist. Got the soil test kit from the Hackensack extension like CompostQueen suggested. Results should be back in a week. Ended up ordering a yard of screened compost from Biazzo's in Paramus - they deliver cheap and it's actually good quality. Going to try about 1-ish inch after I aerate in a few weeks once the heat breaks. Will report back. Thanks everyone for not making me feel like an idiot - this is exactly why I wanted actual local perspectives vs whatever some viral video is pushing.