Recycle dead rolls of turf?

frog_bounce

hello!

I have a pallett load of spare turves....the rolls of turf are almost all dead/dying as they are a few weeks old.

is there any way i can re use them in anyway?
was thinking of shredding them and using them as top soil or something??

any ideas?

Yorkie1

Stack them in a pile (for some reason it's always suggested to put them face down or turf sides together), and they will eventually rot down into glorious loam which you can reuse on your garden etc.

valk_scot

I'd cover the pallet with something to stop it getting too wet then just leave it till spring. No need to restack it if you don't want to. The grass will die and all you'll be left with is the soil base enriched with a layer of decayed plant material...self composted topsoil, really. Then spread it around as a mulch or use it in a raised bed.

Yorkie1

I hadn't spotted they were already on a pallet so you could get away without re-stacking them as Valk says. Although it's less likely that composting worms will speed up the process, and you'll probably find that compost eventually falls between the slats of the pallet!

frog_bounce

hello.

Thanks for your replys.

I have unrolled, folded them in half, put them in a wheel barrow and covered with tarpaulin.

do i need to do anything else to them?
how long do you think it will be till i can do anything with them?
what would you recommend i do with them?

frog_bounce

should i keep the turf in darkness ?

valk_scot

It will be dark enough under the tarp. Just put it in a corner and ignore it till next spring. By then the grass will be dead, you can fork it through to break it up and then use it as you would topsoil or bin compost.

gardenroute

The turf that you buy is not particulary organic. The grass is heavily fed and so they need to use fungicides to keep it healthy. This means the turves will take longer to break down compared to turf that someone would lift from their own garden.
Once the turf has gone brown it won't grow back so I wouldn't worry too much about covering it - you don't want it too dry. Its probably better for it to be in contact with the ground.