Advice regarding preparing the ground for a new turfed lawn

lokz

Hello all,

 Currently we are in the process of removing our old lawn (moved into the house a year ago) which is very uneven and also with a lot of over grown weeds. The size of the lawn area is 5m * 7m (35 Sqm). The job is done by a sole handyman (also a gardener) and i have been helping out as well.

we have dug down the old lawn totally ( about half a tone of soil waste is generated from it bagged and being recycled) . we have also ordered 2 bulk bags of top soil which we will be mixing with the current soil and level it and lay the turf on ( yet to be ordered )

I have been doing some reading and have some questions which i am unable to decide on. Please help me with the below questions.

 1) As we have removed weeds totally. Do we still need to weed the current soil with glyphosate before levelling with top soil?
2)Do we need to put any fertilizer (containing water crystals ) just before laying the turf?
3) I still see few roots as seen in the last pic below. what do we need to do with them?

Thanks . attaching few pics below

Image 1)  (Half lawn dug and removed - Image below)

Image 2 - (Full lawn dug and the grass patches can be seen below)

Image 3 - (Full lawn dug out and bagged as in the image below)

Image 4 - (I can still see some roots around as below. you can see them inside a red selection )

FreeBear

lokz said: 2)Do we need to put any fertilizer (containing water crystals ) just before laying the turf?

Save your money and don't bother with those water absorbing granules. They don't provide any real benefit, nor will they reduce the amount of water you have to apply to the grass. In addition, they slowly break down, releasing toxic chemicals that will eventually pollute the ground water.

Just spread some slow release fertiliser (fish & bone meal) once the grass is down and keep it well watered during dry spells. If you are on clay, it is also worth mixing some sharp sand in with your top soil to improve drainage.

Eldi_Dos

@lokz
1: I would not bother with weedkiller there before putting in the new topsoil and turfing, it is likely that seeds from weeds will be in either or both and next spring will be the time to deal with any that germinate then.

2: Once you have got your topsoil laid, rake well in a slow release fertiliser into top 50 mm of topsoil before turf goes        on.
     It is important that turf is kept watered till established.

3:  The roots you have highlighted just leave but water the shrubs that are still in bedding area, it is more than likely            some of their roots have been disturbed with the work you have carried out. At least till dormant season sets in.

   The conventional way to have dealt with your old lawn would have been to rotovate it and keep it dry and raked             regularly till it had become friable soil then cover with brought in topsoil. The soil under a lawn is normally full of             organic matter and nutrients.

Yorkie1

Glyphosate only works on actively growing plants, so no point in applying it to bare soil. 

Nobbie1967

FreeBear said:

lokz said: 2)Do we need to put any fertilizer (containing water crystals ) just before laying the turf?

Save your money and don't bother with those water absorbing granules. They don't provide any real benefit, nor will they reduce the amount of water you have to apply to the grass. In addition, they slowly break down, releasing toxic chemicals that will eventually pollute the ground water.

Just spread some slow release fertiliser (fish & bone meal) once the grass is down and keep it well watered during dry spells. If you are on clay, it is also worth mixing some sharp sand in with your top soil to improve drainage.

If you have foxes in your area, you may find that they will dig up the turf if they can smell the BFB underneath. I’d wait until the turf is established and has got it’s roots down before bothering to feed.

lokz

  @Eldi_Dos
 Did you mean fish and bone meal fertiliser as well when you meant slow release fertliser ?

Initially i considered rotovating, but thought as the weeds are over grown and as I need to hire/buy one for a 35sq m garden, didn't felt it is worth it. Also never thought once they are rotovated they can be used a bed for new lawn turf.

lokz

@Nobbie1967 There's no chance of a fox , but i see a cat coming over from some where (definitely not our immediate neighbour's one) . Do they dig them over the turf as well if fish and bone meal fertiliser is used ?

lokz

I am thinking of using either of the below as a pre lawn fertiliser. what are your thoughts on them?

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Seed-Start-Pre-Turfing-Fertiliser-Establishment/dp/B0B5NJJMQQ/ref=asc_df_B0B5NJJMQQ/

or

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Pro-Kleen-Lawn-Seed-Starter-Fertiliser/dp/B0C5NCT4P5/ref=zg_bs_g_4224763031_sccl_34

lokz

FreeBear said:

 If you are on clay, it is also worth mixing some sharp sand in with your top soil to improve drainage.

@FreeBear . Thanks for that info. That is a very useful one as we are on clay soil. I have looked around for some articles, but couldn't get help on ratio or amount of sharp sand to be used when preparing the ground. As mentioned it is 35 sq meter area and I will be using about 3/4th of a ton of top soil to the existing clay soil for levelling  . What would be the ideal amount of sharp sand to be used ?

FreeBear

lokz said:

FreeBear said:

 If you are on clay, it is also worth mixing some sharp sand in with your top soil to improve drainage.

@FreeBear . Thanks for that info. That is a very useful one as we are on clay soil. I have looked around for some articles, but couldn't get help on ratio or amount of sharp sand to be used when preparing the ground. As mentioned it is 35 sq meter area and I will be using about 3/4th of a ton of top soil to the existing clay soil for levelling  . What would be the ideal amount of sharp sand to be used ?

3/4 tonne is only going to give you a very thin layer of soil (about 12mm). For 35m², you'd about 3 tonnes for a 50mm thick layer - I'd fork 1.5 tonnes in to the soil you have there, and mix another 1.5 tonnes in with the top soil.

Eldi_Dos

lokz said:

  @Eldi_Dos
 Did you mean fish and bone meal fertiliser as well when you meant slow release fertliser ?

Initially i considered rotovating, but thought as the weeds are over grown and as I need to hire/buy one for a 35sq m garden, didn't felt it is worth it. Also never thought once they are rotovated they can be used a bed for new lawn turf.

At this time of year you want to avoid a fertiliser with to much nitrogen as this will encourage too much growth before winter sets in and it will not have time to harden off, especially if we get early frosts.
My personal preference would be just bonemeal, for slow release and to help with root growth.