Turf And How To Lay It
Having a nice lawn can become a bit of an obsession, mostly because it requires consistent dedication to get right. Whether that's killing off moss or making sure you don't have any water logging.
In fact we've been obsessed with lawns since the 18th century when they were associated with wealth. If you can maintain a lawn you either have time to do so, or the money to pay someone else to. Now anyone with a garden can have one, which I suppose is still a luxury if you live in London.
Either way, you can't deny the satisfaction in lying down on a good bit of grass when the suns out.
If you’re looking to have a lush looking lawn in time for the summer, the easiest way to achieve it is by buying and laying fresh turf.
'Turf' is what we call rolls of grass that have been lifted by removing the top inch or so of soil from the ground, keeping the blades and part of the root system in tact. It is then easily transported and laid wherever you need it.
The turf that we sell is grown by Paynes, a family business who have been selling and growing turf on 140 acres across Essex and Suffolk for over 50 years. If you’ve noticed any lawn outside St Paul’s Cathedral, Westminster Abbey or in the Olympic Park, it was probably supplied by them!
It’s usually delivered to us on the same morning we deliver it to you, so it’s as fresh as possible.
Our landscaping team are experts in getting turf down, but for those thinking about doing it themselves, we’ve put together a little guide using our collective knowledge spanning over 30 years.
Preparation
This is really most of the hard work. Good preparation will lead to a good lawn, there's no shortcut.
The first step is to clear the space of all weeds and debris. This means raking out any stones or leftover hardcore and pulling up common weeds like couch grass or clover. Once you’ve one this, rotovate the soil for 20-25cm (RHS recommendation) using a fork or a rotavator if you’re lucky enough to have access to one.
You’ll find out at this stage if you need to level or raise the soil bed. This can be achieved with screened or basic grade topsoil that can be easily raked.
You may want to check the pH of existing soil as turf does the best on neutral ground.
It’s then usually a good idea to fertilise the soil using a feed or by mixing in a well-rotted compost or manure, do make sure it is well rotted to prevent any sinking later on. Then wait a week or so and removed any weeds that pop up.
Walk over the space or use a wooden board to lightly compact the soil and check for any irregularities that need a bit of extra leveling. You don’t want to tightly compact the soil using any machinery, as this will hinder growth.
We recommend not laying weed suppressant fabric under turf or using turf from suppliers that grow turf on plastic mesh/netting.
Laying The Turf
Start in a corner and work across, patching the turf rolls out like brickwork.
Try and get the edges as close to each other as possible and make sure everything is level. You may want to keep top soil in a bag or bucket close by to do some on the spot leveling or fill any gaps.
Try not to leave footprints on the fresh surface. This can be achieved by either not walking on it or using a wooden board to spread the pressure. You can also use the board to lightly press down and make sure all areas are flat.
You can brush some soil over the top to ensure that all gaps are filled.
Neatly cut any edges with a border spade.
Aftercare
One of the main reasons it’s recommended that you lay new turf in the autumn/spring is that the regular rain and mild temperatures encourage growth. Saving you money and time on watering.
If you are laying turf in drier periods, keep it well watered using a sprinkler every 2-3 days in the early morning or evening, increasing the frequency if it’s a very hot summer.
Whatever the situation, you won’t want any of the blades to dry out, so be vigilant.
Try not to walk on the turf for a week to allow for it to establish.
Regular mowing is important and you can start when the fresh lawn has grown an inch or two, but never cut more than a third of the overall height off or when wet.