Grass seed or turf

NiceGuyG

Just had the conservatory done which looks fab!!. HOWEVER, the builders did’nt bother to lay anything on the grass before they began work and now its patchy.

In certain parts there is no grass at all and only rock hard mud (I live in London so I imagine its clay) which has began to crack.

I need to re-grass the area and was wondering what would be the best way to go about it.

I was planning a 30/70 split of sharp sand/top soil scattered all over about 1cm thick. I was then going to put down plant seed and pray (yes pray).

The alternative is to buy turf however it seems expensive and I wouldn’t really know what I am doing with it.

If anyone can give me any suggestions on which method is the best (any good sites for turf), it would be much appreciative,


He Man

Nile

Hello NiceGuyG


This thread might help.

Turf or Seed for New Lawn

We have an expert contributor to this board.......'asquiths' is a professional greenkeeper/groundsman and has posted on this thread

laying a new lawn

Regards

Nile

GreenNotM

Hi NGG i read the turf or sow post - ...

Whole lawn turfing or seeding takes the same amount of preparation - seeding is easier then laying turf - just watch for birds but they both require the same amount of after care - watering and staying off and the first cuts.

It is a bit too cold for seed to germinate - turf will give intsant results but will be dormant as well, so may not take to the snows we about to get in london.. Grass will survive if the roots are okay - but turf will not have time in winter for it roots to get a hold - hence all the need to water turf after it is laid.

As for london clay -sand even gravel and spent compost will help - also try to avoid creating a pan ( hard layer of clay that holds water like a pan ) by digging deeper in places and filling with gravel to create mini soak-aways.

Anyway if it is a small portion of the garden look at seeding it later in the spring.

RedOnRed

Well I seeded our first lawn and it was never very good. To get it right it takes a hell of a lot of preparation, hard work and patience which in my book isn't worth it for the results we got.

Turf still takes a fair bit of work but at least you know the lawn is going to be spot on if you put the effort in.

George_Bray

I use seeding and it works well (almost) every time for a fraction of the cost of turf, but a bit more effort, watering the seed bed up to several times a day to keep it moist (April-May onwards).

My tip is to have high quality "soil" for at least the top 6", and preferably 9"-12". An inch of something special on top is not adequate, other than as a top dressing in future years. The roots need to have a reason to go deep; not hang around in the top inch. Dig over the top 6"-12" thoroughly with a spade/fork and make sure it's good stuff by taking out poor elements (e.g too much clay) and adding in better material like green waste compost, loam and sand. Or just add masses of this in, and accept a raised lawn, for a few years.

All this preparation SHOULD be done for both seed and turf, so there's not really much difference in the preparation effort, i.e. if you do it properly, but turf initially seems easier and better. It's not!

Regards
George

asquiths_2

Any plans for a gardening section on the forums?

asquiths_2

While on the subject of Seeding

As george said the secret is once the seedlings are moist they've got to be kept moist, if variations of moisture persists ie wet, dry, wet, dry etc the seedling will actualy die as it only has so much energy. Within the seed is an embryo (ie cortyledon, hypocotyle etc) and a plumule (shoot) and a radicle (seminal root) emerges. once water enters the seedling the seed will 'swell' and an 'endosperm' (food) will be dissolved (once moisture's present) and germination commences, if the seedling dries the available food is used initialy so none is available for further establishment. you may need to water the seedlings several times per day if moisture isn't available (seems a long way of that at the mo) during summer.

Also 'cultivar' quality is imperative! (you get what you pay for!)

Overseeding requires several things for succses.............

1) warmth (soil temps)
2) moisture
3) sowing depth - different depending on species
4) light - far red part of the spec needed for results
5) and finaly good SEED - SOIL contact

cheers