Two to four inches are numbers often mentioned.

But the quality and size of material are important.

It sounds like erosion is your main concern.

1/2 inch of compost at any one time is all that is needed, especially in a lawn. You want about 6 to 8 percent organic matter in your soil and that 1/2 inch will be adequate to get there. 2 to 3 inches would be too much and if applied all at once could smother any grass growing where it is applied.

Kimmsr,

My goals with the compost are to protect the bare soil and to nourish it.

If 1/2 inch will do that, it would be easier on me, but I would think after a rain or two the soil will be exposed again to the elements.

Ginny

A rain or two, unless torrential, should not clear 1/2 inch of compost from your lawn. If that does happen you have an erosion problem. How quickly compost will be worked into the soil depends on how active a Soil Food Web you have. Hoever, you will want to put 2 to 3 inches of compost down over the year but not all at once. Not more then 1/2 inch at any one time so you do not smother the plants growing in that soil now.

You could certainly put more than 1/2" on the bare areas to protect from erosion. However, it does seem 2-4" would be too much for the live lawn, so if you want to use the same amount everywhere, you have to strike a balance. I would think 1" won't kill the live grass, especially if it is going into dormancy for fall.

You might also think about something more durable to layer over the compost to keep it in place in the bare areas, like fine wood chips. The grass will hold it in place where it's alive.

An aside, completely off topic: these little marks " and ' have confused me all my life, i.e. for decades. From context it is apparent that 2" means 2 inches. But why are two little marks " used for the smaller inches and one little mark ' used for the larger feet?

I will be re-doing the entire lawn next fall. Although there is a little grass growing along the perimeter, it will be removed next fall in favor of a better grass for the site.

My goal here is to cover the area so as to nourish and protect it until next year. I would love it if the weeds were smothered to death! I would love to improve the "soil food web" below.

I cannot plant a cover crop because I don't have the time to do that now; prepare the soil etc.

Thanks for your ideas on this.

Ginny

This sounds like a complete restoration. If so, are you going to till next year or just lay sod on top of existing?

I'm no expert on lawn restorations or your climate so I'm not sure I could give advice appropriate to your circumstances. Around here, if a complete restoration is being done, adding lots of SOM (compost/manure etc.) and tilling it in is a big part of it. People like to make sure they have a good base before seeding or sodding as it is easier to do before grass is installed.

If you are going to be restoring the lawn next year, I wouldn't bother doing much right now and concentrate on tilling in some preemo compost just prior to the seeding/sodding. IMO no use taking a chance on loosing any top cover you put on now.

Lloyd

I will be installing sod next fall. I will do the recommended prep steps of tilling in good compost. I actually installed my own seed lawn, tilled the soil, leveled etc., 10 years ago.

I'm just trying to figure out how deep a layer of compost would be good. I don't mind covering the entire 700 square feet even though there is a little bit of nice grass around the perimeter.

Ginny

First do you know why your grass died?
That is the problem to solve, then worry about soil & compost, but I agree with Llody.

If you are going to till it in next year put as many inches down as you wish, but depending on your climate how much will wash or blow away?

Best to put it on and till it in now, it will be better incorporated for next year.

Are you going to cut-off the old sod next year?

The reason the grass has died is because I cut back trees which had been casting afternoon summer shade on it. Now the grass gets sun all day. The seed mix had a lot of shade grass in it.

When I prep the soil next fall I will remove any weeds and grass still growing. It was a seed lawn so no thick sod to remove.

'Redoing the lawn' and putting compost on bare spots to protect it - as in your original post - is a little different from tilling the entire lawn and laying sod.

Tilling it in instead of just laying it on top means you can use about as much compost as you want.

albert -- this is what I found re using " and ' ---

We also use (') for minutes (both temporal and geographical) and (") for seconds. It appears that (') refers to the first common division--of a yard, a degree, or an hour--and (") refers to the second common division of same.