Correctly Laying Lawn Turf
As with any job you are considering to have an external contractor come in and do check out the companies thoroughly and get several quotations (click for advice).
Read our article on Caring for Your Lawn, for more information on how to look after your turf once you have laid it, and visit our Gardening Articles for other gardening tips
Turf Planning
The best times to lay turf are between March-June and September-November.
Prior to the selected turfing contractor doing the job have a good look at the area in which the turf will be situated.
When planning where to lay the turf try and leave a border near fences and walls as it is hard to cut the lawn there.
Is it a jungle? Weeds will need treating several weeks before the lawn is laid with a good biodegradable weed killer. One that will kill the root as well as the leaves such as Roundup or Tumbleweed. I know from experience that thistles in particular are real ****s when it comes to coming through the turf. Before the lawn is down you have an opportunity to get rid of them - take it! Or else you will be continuously standing on them with your bare feet as you admire your garden on a cool summers evening. Not the best thing. Have a look on the product label to see when it will be safe to lay the turf after the ground has been treated. If in doubt ask at your local garden centre.
Ground preparation for turf
Is it a building site? Your contractor should make sure that any rubble is raked off the surface of the ground prior to any turf being laid. Loose stones and building rubble will prevent the turves roots from making contact with the soil and could make the turf die in patches.
The top soil should then be thoroughly rotivated down to about the first 6 inches to aerate it properly. It is then raked level and gently treaded down (not whacked with a spade as I have seen on Rogue Traders!)
Turf arrives!
Your contractor will probably have ordered 5% more turf than needed, this is normal and should be included in the quote as this excess will be lost when then lawn is laid and trimmed.
Apart from exceptional circumstances the turf should arrive the same day it is to be laid. From the moment it is dug up on the 'turf farm' until 4 weeks after it is laid in your garden there is a constant battle to keep it moist enough. Failure to do means it will suffer and may die. Therefore, sitting rolled up on your drive or in the back of a truck all night is bad. If its impossible to lay the turf on the same day then it should be rolled out on your driveway (not your prepared surface) and watered to keep it moist.
Laying the turf
Start by laying the first turf down the longest straight edge. Butt and fold the neighbouring turf next to it knowing that there will be some shrinkage and if you try and stretch the turfing at this stage you will end up with some gaps when it is bedded in.
The turf should be firmly but carefully tapped down using the back of a spade to ensure that the roots and the soil are in good contact.
If there is an obvious dip in the profile add or remove soil as necessary.
Avoid using odd small sections of turf near the edges of the lawn as these will dry out faster than you can water them and probably die.
After laying the first row, place a plank on the turf and use it to carry the next row of turf to the bare areas of soil. Do not walk on the turf or soil whilst you are laying it as it can be damaged.
Stagger the joints of the turf whilst laying; as you see bricks in a wall.
Once finished the edges can be trimmed. The correct tool being a half-moon spade.
During the first four weeks the lawn should be watered constantly. The first watering should soak the cultivated layer of top soil the turf is laid on. This is very important, as until the root system binds with the soil the turf will lose moisture at an alarming rate and can die quite rapidly if abused.
Avoid excessive walking on the turf especially at the early stages and after about two weeks give the lawn its first cut. Try and cut about one quarter of the length of the grass during each trim at this stage, progressively taking more off as the lawn matures. Just think that a grass plant partly lives via photosynthesis through its blade and chopping all of that off will severely injure or kill the plant and hence your lawn. At best it will go a very unattractive yellow for a few days. A sign that you need to get the lawnmower out more often.
Regular cutting of the grass also tends to reduce the number of weeds that grow in the lawn. Also, take note that trimming a little and often, combined with a lawn fertilizer. applied twice a year is the difference between having something that looks like a park football pitch and a bowling green.
Read our article on Caring for Your Lawn, for more information on how to look after your turf once you have laid it.
Top Turf Killers
Leaving turf to long before laying
Poor soil preparation
Not enough watering of the turf
Not mowing regularly enough
Laying in too hot weather (dries out too quick)
Laying on frozen soil.
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Date Added: Monday 4th January 2010
"very useful thank you"
bob
Date Added: Sunday 27th September 2009
"Very informative article...gave me confidence to try it...."
Ann B London
Date Added: Tuesday 22nd September 2009
"Something is digging up my lawn, what would it be and how do I stop it?"
minkmonk
Date Added: Tuesday 15th September 2009
"Easy to follow instructions.......well laid out and clear. I love gardening but have never laid turf before. This will hopefully assist in a fantastic looking lawn and give me the confidence to do it!!!"
Lisa Higgin
Date Added: Thursday 3rd September 2009
"Thanks, that\'s very handy. I do however want to replace the terrible grass out on my front lawn, how do I do that please?"
Steve
Date Added: Monday 24th August 2009
"Never done this before so will follow guidelines you supply. Well presented and easy to follow, so looking forward to having a lovely, easy to keep lawn."
Campbell
Date Added: Monday 17th August 2009
"Thanks - very helpful and clearly written - will print off and follow."
JSL
Date Added: Monday 10th August 2009
"Thank you this is exactly the information I was looking for."
John Hamilton
Date Added: Wednesday 5th August 2009
"Thanks loads....excellent easily understood text....my turf is arriving tomorrow and hopefully having new knowledge i will end up with a great lawn"
wendy
Date Added: Friday 31st July 2009
"Excellent site and advice. Precise,to the point and just the information required."
J.Dodd.
Date Added: Sunday 12th July 2009
"Avery good site, with brilliant advice. made laying my lawn a pleasure. I did get some good helpers which made it easier."
James C B Mowat
Date Added: Wednesday 1st July 2009
"the exact info i needed, thank you!"
k jones
Date Added: Saturday 30th May 2009
"I have a couple of dogs. unfortunately they go on to the lawn and cock their legs etc. This causes the lawn to turn yellow and leaves patches in the lawn. what advise can you give to prevent this apart from keeping the dogs off the lawn
(Admin: It will kill the lawn in patches if not stopped. The best advice is to water it down - however the practical side of that is to catch them in the act. There are a few dog diet products on the market that say they reduce its effect but I have no first had experience of them - or my pets...)"
T.Brewin
Date Added: Monday 18th May 2009
"i found the information that i need very quickly and very easy to understand. "
g e cox
Date Added: Friday 24th April 2009
"I have read your guide and found it very useful. My wife will be doing our front garden next week so I can give her some educated tips. Cheers!"
Ray P Southampton
Date Added: Thursday 23rd April 2009
"lawn turfing Should grit sand be spread over the soil before laying the turf down? "
Stocky
Date Added: Tuesday 7th April 2009
"Excellent advice. We are laying over 450 sq m after Easter and needed some useful tips...Looks like we just got them..Thank You."
Big Muddy, Wales, U.K.
Date Added: Wednesday 1st April 2009
"thanks, i have recently laid a largish (500m2) lawn,following your instructions,and its come out lovely. just hope for some sunny summer weather to enjoy it in :-)"
curious
Date Added: Sunday 29th March 2009
"very helpful great site"
d thompson
Date Added: Sunday 22nd March 2009
"very helpful"
t roberts
Date Added: Saturday 14th March 2009
"fan daby dosey. brill advice i will give it a go.. thank you"
ben blyth
Date Added: Monday 9th March 2009
"Yep told me all I needed to know ta."
G.B
Date Added: Friday 12th September 2008
"lawn turfing sounds easy only a fool get get this wrong [ehh dhu] "
gordon f from broxburn
Date Added: Monday 1st September 2008
"A well explained and easy to follow guide, exactly what we needed. Great!"
cathy, Cornwall
Date Added: Saturday 23rd August 2008
"you make it sound simple i will find out tomorrow. "
ameture wakefield
Date Added: Friday 15th August 2008
"Thanx Top Advice"
Chris C
Date Added: Monday 4th August 2008
"Thank you very much... excellent advice!"
Lisa, Cheshire
Date Added: Friday 1st August 2008
"thank you for your help it now sounds much easy now you have explained it."
k.parker
Date Added: Sunday 27th July 2008
"thanks for your tips. was considering hiring a professional but i'll have a go at doing it myself."
godwin
Date Added: Thursday 10th July 2008
"Thank you, for the sound, simple instructions. "
Purvis
Date Added: Tuesday 24th June 2008
"Top Advice Thanks. "
Paul Deeprose
Date Added: Saturday 21st June 2008
"what a life saver this site is well done all involved "
kdallison
Date Added: Monday 16th June 2008
"Thanks for the advise on here, Ive just layed 75m of turf with the help of your advice. Looking good now, doing my 1st cut tomorrow :)"
John, Liverpool
Date Added: Saturday 24th May 2008
"great stuff thanks-very useful and your tips will help us achieve the perfect lawn!"
sarah and ed
Date Added: Thursday 15th May 2008
"Yes it was very helpful thank you"
E Quashie
Date Added: Wednesday 7th May 2008
"Some great tips - but I have a question for you......is it possible to lay fresh turf over an exsisting part of my lawn? Some of the turf is going on fully prepared soil, but some will go over exsisting lawn - will it be ok?"
Neil
Date Added: Saturday 26th April 2008
"Excellent help...Thank you x "
Helen
Date Added: Friday 18th April 2008
"thanks for some great tips. We needed help as we had never done his before"
lizkei
Date Added: Wednesday 16th April 2008
"Exellent clear undersrandable information. I am now goingto save myself a lot of money, and do it myself! Thank you."
etbridgeman
Date Added: Monday 10th March 2008
"Very helpful. I will print this off and follow it when my turf arrives for my first garden. Thank you."
Vicky
Date Added: Friday 22nd February 2008
"well ive just started my new job as a landscape gardener,and this was very helpful considering i have 40 pallets to lay in two days lol! thankyou x"
tom from cornwall
Date Added: Friday 5th October 2007
"Easy to follow straight forward instructions. Very useful and informative. Good tips and comprehensive advice."
Nicola