top dress

Meanings

1. 1verbtransitive

   To spread fertilizer or a layer of material on the surface of soil around growing plants without digging it in.

   Grammar: Takes an object: top dress the lawn. The object is usually the area or the plants, not the fertilizer.

   Patterns

   • top dress something
   • top dress something with something

   In early spring, top dress the lawn with a thin layer of compost.

   She top dressed the vegetable beds with well-rotted manure.

   The greenkeeper top dresses the putting greens every month.

2. 2nouncountable or uncountable

   A substance, such as fertilizer or compost, that is spread on the surface of soil.

   Grammar: Can be countable (a top dress) or uncountable (some top dress). Often written as one word: topdress.

   Patterns

   • apply a top dress
   • a top dress of something

   A light top dress of sand improves drainage on the green.

   The gardener applied a top dress to the flowerbeds.

Word forms

Common combinations

top dress a lawn

You should top dress a lawn in autumn to keep it healthy.

top dress with compost

Top dress with compost rather than chemical fertilizer.

light top dress

A light top dress is enough for young seedlings.

top dress the beds

We top dress the beds before planting.

Synonyms and how they differ

fertilize

Fertilize means to add nutrients to the soil, often by digging them in; top dress specifically means to put material on the surface.

mulch

Mulch means to cover the soil with a protective layer, which may or may not contain nutrients; top dress usually adds fertilizer or compost.

Word family

top dressing noun

The material spread on the surface, or the act of spreading it.

Commonly confused: top dress or top-drawer?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “top dress”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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