THINKING OF LAYING DOWN TURF MYSELF -ALTHOUGH NEVER DONE ANY GARDENING DIY is it easy

fad1211

Is it possible for someone to tackle laying down turf if they have never attempted anything like that before.

I have looked on the internet, and it seem really easy, but what I dont want is to attempt to lay the turf as I know it has to be layed same day as delivery, and then think, i cant do it.

Also, there are so many different qualities, ranging from £1.50 - £3.99 sq m. Is there much of a diffrence between the two. Which one should i go for. I want a decent quality one, need to cover about 35 sq m, but i dont want to pay over the odds, if the same stuff is available cheaper. Does anybody know or recommend any good suppliers in the North West (Preston).

Any help will be appreciated.

auditbabe

Always remember green side up:beer:

sevlow

I laid a new lawn from turf a few months back. All the work is in the preperation and their is plenty of info on how to prepare the ground.Most turf specialists or garden centres will advise on the best type of grass for yoyr needs and you soon get a feel for waht you want.

I think you would be better waiting until september/october when the lawn will have a better chance of establishing - unless you can get away with using a hosepipe daily.

robowen

as suggested above, preparation is the key to getting a good job done.
Laying turf is quite easy, prepping the ground is the hard bit. Find a good book from the library and read up on how to do it.
Any bumps and hollows in the prepped ground will show up on the lawn later and will be a nuisance to correct.

rob

p4u1_2

It's easy. Remove all the weeds, dig over the soil, then using your heels firm the soil. Use a rake to get the soil flat, then firm it down again, then rake it, then firm it down, etc, etc. What you are aiming for is a nice level surface, depending on the lay of the land, with the soil firm, but not compressed. The not compressed bit is important for drainage, this is why you should not use a roller. Finally use a rake to obtain a fine pithon the top of the soil. You should aim to remove any large stones from the soil when you dig it over, and remove any stones larger than 2cm in diameter from the top of the soil when raking it. Next, order the turf. Before you lay the turf put down a general furtiliser such as Growmore. Lay the turf as you would bricks. Water well and enjoy!!! I would wait until September now, no later though as you want it to get well established before the winter.

Another thing to remember is drainage. If the drainage is poor, now is the time to improve it by digging in some organic matter. Be careful what you use though, as whatever you use should be fully decomposed / broken down, otherwise it will break down after the lawn has been layed and you'll end up with humps and bumps.

Regarding the turf, I used Rolawn many years ago. They do different grades to suit all circumstances, will deliver, and as they are the producer you know what you are getting.

The bottom line is, its hard work, not difficult, and by doing it yourself you'll get a much better result. As everyone else has said, the key is preparation.

clairehi

its surprisingly easy to grow a lawn from seed, I have recently learnt and cheaper than turf. preparation similar to for turf. we sowed in mid April, it was walkable on in 6 weeks. key thing is to water ever day until it germinates and then frequently afterwards till it is established

robowen

I would use bone meal as my fertilizer prior to laying the turf.
You need to encourage root growth before leaf growth. This will quickly establish the lawn.
Some other fertilizers will burn new roots, so be careful what you use.

rob

secretdancer

Have to agree with clairehi and growing from seed. Prep is the same as p4u1 describes above, but instead of laying turf you scatter the seed. A box of premium seed is much cheaper than turf.

I seeded my lawn in late September last year and I thought I was too late, as the temperature suddenly plumeted. Nothing much appeared to happen for a couple of months, but then tiny grass shoots suddenly appeared. It shot up and was ready for it's first ever mowing in spring this year. It's well established now and looks good. It's amazing how resilient grass is. The ony thing you have to watch out for with seeding is the invasion of weeds. They will obviously comete with the grass, so get rid as soon as you see any. Best of luck with whatever you decide.

fad1211

Thanks to everyone who has posted and offered some excellent advice. Having just been to my local Asda, I have picked up 4 boxes of evergreen seeds, and growmore as suggested earlier.

Having 3 small kids, i thought that if I turf it, they will trample all over it before it has time to settle. Seeds as suggested is quicker and cheaper. However, just two questions. Do I need to put growmore down and then the seeds together, or how do I do it. Also, by sowing seeds, will it mean i will get more weeds than if I used turf.

Look forward to your replies. Thanks in advance.

herbal

You will have less of a risk with seeds for weeds as you have started it all, just make sure you weed the area very carefully. Also no walking on it for 6 weeks or so which is why Sept/Oct is best as most people don't use their garden then. Just dont cut it untill next year around March/April time.

I've down turf and i watered it 4 hours a day via a sprinkler and it's come up good, the sprinkler cost me £1 at Tesco when they had a 75% off all garden stuff in Aug. I bought loads of garden feed (lawn/plants etc) As you need to feed it twice a year but make sure you use Autumn and Spring one as one helps the roots and the other the leaf.

Have Fun!

wobbley

Laying a new lawn can be costly. It's always best to get a Turf Accountant to handle the finances!