Putting down a new lawn myself? 25 February 2013 at 10:29PM edited 30 November -1 at 1:00AM in Greenfingered MoneySaving 9 replies 987 views

nids

Hello!

New to this particular forum and gardening in general. I have a (hopefully) quick question which you may be able to help me with

I'm looking to lay a lawn in my back garden, ~35m2, rectangular shape. the lawn-laying bit should be quite straightforward.

It's the preparation bit that I'm a bit worried about. The garden's been overgrown for a few years now, there were a good couple of inches of leaves across the entire area to be turfed. I cleared them out a month of two ago and now there are a few green shoots sprouting up from the soil - really not sure what they are though

Would I be ok in pulling them up by hand? I'm thinking to dig up the soil a few inches deep, mix it up and compact it back down before laying some new, fresh (bought) under-turf topsoil.

Is that the best and cheapest way to do it?

this will be my first lawn I put down myself - other than staggering the joints on the strips, do I need to remember anything else?

thanks

Leif

I had an area 17m by 4m that was dreadful, weeds to shoulder height, brambles, bindweed, long grasses, a badly made path. So I dug it up, removed the path and weeds, trampled it down to get it level, then sowed grass seed. A few months later and the grass is growing, a bit thin as it is Winter.

I'd hand weed, flatten the soil, then sow seed, wait till it is warmer though. You could always put down some fabric if you have something lying around, for a month or so until it is warmer, then remove the fabric and sow the seed, The fabric will keep down the weeds without you having to weed.

I used Johnson's grass seed. It grew, but I used some fungi treated seed on the front lawn, when patching, and it seemed much better. It was more expensive though. Hardly a scientific test.

Mojisola

I would spend the extra and lay turf.

Here's a good guide - http://apps.rhs.org.uk/advicesearch/profile.aspx?pid=410

wallbash

Is that the best and cheapest way to do it?

One or the other .
My view , kill everything . Rotovate , lay turf ........ green side up .

One thing I would strongly ask you to think about , mowing strips .
Transforms the work , pays for itself quickly .

nids

Thanks so far.

Leif - I'd love to sow the lawn myself and grow it but I need a quick fix, turfing will just have to make do this time!

Thanks for the link Mojisola, will give it a good read

wallbash - loving the idea of mowing strips, hadn't thought of something like that at all. Although I have a hover mower so I guess they won't make much practical use, but they do look nice. Maybe I can pick up some cheap damaged bricks or something similar for that

wallbash

Hover mower ? mowing strips are ideal . I have both a Hover and a rotary .



The old lawn was killed , rotavated and then the mowing strips were laid .Just on a couple of inches bed of mortar. The bricks are not in a straight line but as a couple of curves over a length of about 30 feet. The other side of the lawn are paths . So no lawn edges .

Leif

wallbash wrote: »

The old lawn was killed

How did you kill the old lawn? Did you hire a rotovator? I want to redo some of my old lawn, and the soil is very stony.

wallbash

Used Roundup . But I did the first application in Oct 2011, applied again in February 2012 , that made certain everything was dead . Hired rotovator , long w/e . Then raked for ages . Weather was perfect ( we were in the drought ) Lawn went down in late April .Watered like mad for three weeks , with hose. Then came the ban ..... panic . Out there with a watering can .......... stupid!
Then it started to rain .......... has it stopped?

So I was without a lawn for months , garden looked like a bombsite
But the results , wonderful.

ps bought the very best turf I could find .

Leif

Thanks, I assume you sprayed the RoundUp? I am tempted to do likewise but sow seed, as the area I seeded late last year is looking okay.

wallbash

yes . seeds would cut the cost .