Turf Laying Guide Ground Preparation Proper ground preparation is essential for the establishment and future well-being of your new lawn. Poorly-prepared ground will not produce a good lawn. New turf should never be laid directly over an old lawn, even with a thin layer of soil on top of the old grass. The old surface will act as a barrier and prevent the new grass roots from growing deep into the ground. Existing turf should be removed by slicing beneath the grass with a spade, or for larger areas, a purpose-designed turf cutter can be hired from a tool-hire company. The soil needs to be turned over to a depth of at least 15 cm (6 inches) using a spade or a powered cultivator. Clear the surface of stones, weeds, old turf and other debris. Raking
The ground should be raked until a smooth, level surface is produced. Move soil around to form any landscaping contours at this stage. Lightly roll or tread the surface by foot to reveal any soft patches and then re-rake the surface again. The smoother the surface, the better the new lawn will be. An uneven surface will be hard to mow and result in 'scalped' areas which will turn brown. Varied grass heights, caused by an uneven surface will also result in a variation of lawn colour. Pre-turf fertilizer Apply some granular fertilizer evenly over the area. This can be spread by hand if the ground is crossed several times to get an even distribution, or hire or buy a small fertilizer spreader. Fertilizer can be purchased from any garden centre and we recommend a compound fertilizer containing Nitrogen (N), Phosphates (P) and Potash (K) Buy one with a lower Nitrogen content (N) and a higher P and K content. For example, 5 - 24 - 24 or 11 - 25 - 11. Apply at the manufacturers recommended rate for pre-seeding or turfing. Rake the surface lightly once more to incorporate the fertilizer. Ordering Measure the proposed lawn area accurately in square metres or square yards. Please phone us if you have any difficulty in working out the areas. Turf is supplied in compact rolls for easy handling and laying. As turf is harvested to order, to ensure freshness, we recommend that you give us as much notice as possible of the required delivery date. We need to know the turf area required, your full name and delivery address with any special directions, a contact number and the delivery date. Turf must be laid as soon as possible, ideally within 24 hours of delivery. In hot weather, keep the turf rolls in the shade but do not cover with any type of sheet that will trap warmth. It is adviseable to prepare the ground before the turf is delivered in case bad weather causes a hold-up in your preparations. Laying the turf The smoother the lawn surface, the better the lawn will always be, so try not to walk directly on the prepared soil or newly-laid turf. Instead, use some planks or boards to spread your weight and work from these. (scaffold boards are ideal ) Start by unrolling one strip of turf around the perimeter of the lawn. Avoid using small pieces at the edges, these can dry out too quickly and perish. It is better to have the surface of the turf a little higher than any path or surrounding paving to avoid your mower blade hitting any hard edging. It will also be easier to tamp or roll the turf down to the ideal level than bring the surface up if it is too low. Ensure that the underside of the new turf has full contact with the soil below.
Lay the next strip in a straight line across the longest part of the area and continue to work across the lawn, strip by strip, producing a pattern similar to brickwork. Push adjoining edges and ends up to each other, but avoid stretching the turf or overlapping. Use a sharp knife or moon lawn edger to cut pieces to shape and at the ends. By standing on the planks and moving them across the lawn as you lay, you will leave a flatter surface.
Watering Between March and October, newly laid turf should be well-watered within half an hour of laying. Ensure enough water has been applied by lifting a piece of turf to check if the water has soaked right through and into the soil below. The watering should be repeated at least once a day over the entire area until the grass roots make the turf difficult to pull off the soil. It is hard to over-water the lawn at this stage and any browning will nearly always be the result of turf drying out too much. First use of lawn You will find that the surface is fairly soft for a week or two after the turf is laid due to the soil being disturbed and the heavy watering. It is better to keep off the grass at this stage to avoid surface damage. As the roots establish, the surface will harden up and will take more foot traffic without sinking, so the best rule is to increase your use of the lawn gradually. Mowing Wait until your new lawn has started to root before the first mow. This can be checked by lifting a corner of a turf to see if the roots are attached to the soil below. Set the mower to a fairly high setting at first to avoid stress to the grass. Mow once or twice per week if needed, but do not remove more than one-third of the grass height at each cut. Over a few weeks, the height of cut can be reduced to an ideal height of between 15mm and 35mm. (approx three quarters of an inch to one and a half inches ) Longer grass will be harder-wearing and usually appear greener while a shorter cut will produce a finer grass leaf.. However, if the mower blade scalps the ground or cuts too short, brown patches will appear. Maintenance
A lawn is composed of millions of small grass plants which need nutrients to maintain their health and best appearance. Like most other plants, a policy of feeding 'a little but often' will help to keep your lawn in peak condition and prevent weeds and disease from establishing a foothold. During the growing season ( March to September ) use a fertilizer containing a high level of Nitrogen (N ) This encourages a thick, lush top grass sward and a deep green colour. During Autumn, apply a fertilizer containing very little Nitrogen, but much more Phosphates (P) and Potash (K). Follow manufacturers instructions for quantities. In hot, dry weather, water as much as possible (evening is best ) and set the mower to a higher cut. This will reduce the possibility of the lawn burning and turning brown. We hope this guide will help you to produce and maintain a first-class lawn, but if you have any other problems or queries, please phone and we will try to help. |
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