Changing out top 4 inches of soil, but not tilling

vivona – posted 27 October 2010 12:05

I am replacing the entire lawn and have a section of the front yard that has been a problem in the past. We are changing out the top 4 inches of the soil in that section with a topsoil mix. Because the irrigation pipes are only 4 or 5 inches below the surface we are opting to not roto-till the new topsoil into the soil beneath to keep from hitting the pipes.

Have you had experience changing topsoil and not tilling it into the existing soil? How did it turn out?

What about the seam where the section with the new topsoil meets the area that does not get new topsoil. Will I see a difference in the grass (Empire Zoysia in Central Florida)? Should I intermix the soils at the seam to make a smoother transition?

Any other comments are appreciated.