Question
My husband wants to lay several inches of sand before adding top soil to our lawn.  He's not planning to "work" in the sand. In some areas water stands for days after a hard rain and the soil is hard and compacted and with exposed tree roots.  Am concerned that just adding thick layers of sand will not correct our problem.

Answer
Hi Sonia,

Tie your husband down to the couch if you have to, but do NOT let him spread a layer of sand evenly on top of the lawn. If drainage is an issue, it could be alleviated by punching deep holes in the yard, then filling those holes with sand. Spreading an even layer on top though will actually make the problem worse.

The sand and topsoil layers will create a drainage nightmare. I realize that this doesn't make sense on the surface, but topsoil laid on top of sand will simply hold onto the water like a sponge instead of allowing it to drain through.

He'd be better off just using a good, thick layer of topsoil.

Good luck with this!

-C.J. Brown
www.TheLawnCoach.com