Question
Hello

I dug up about 7-8 inches of dirt in my front yard to replace with sand, gravel, and decorative rocks. I installed about 3-4 inches of sand, no gravel, and no rocks, because I changed my mind about the rock installation. Now I am going with the sod grass. My question is can I leave the sand down and top it with about 3 inches of dirt for the new grass to grow on?


Answer
Rita:

The short answer is yes.

I would choose topsoil carefully, making sure it has plenty of organic matter.  Further, I would add one inch of a high quality compost to the mix (about three yards per thousand square feet.)

Make sure to till or plow the whole mixture together, incorporating the subsoil with it.  Otherwise, you will end up with layers of soils which will act in weird ways during drought and heat stress.  Till the existing sand and soil together before adding topsoil.  Then, till again.

Best wishes.