Lay Your Own Lawn with the All Green Lawn Treatment Guide

Are you considering a big revamp for your garden? If you are then maybe a new lawn is just what you need. Autumn is one of the best times to lay a new lawn, but it’s not a job to be taken on lightly. The experts at All Green Lawn Treatmenthave got a few tips to help make it a bit easier.

Why use turf instead if seed?

The main advantage of turf is that you see results pretty much instantly. While you’ll still need to wait until the turf Is fully rooted in before you give it heavy use, this will be quicker than waiting for seed to grow, and from a cosmetic standpoint the lawn will look good as soon as it is laid. Seeds can also be eaten by birds or washed away by heavy rain, and you are slightly more restricted in terms of when you can sow seed. 

Turf does have some disadvantages, the most obvious one being cost, but particularly for smaller or sloping lawns turf can be an excellent solution if you want a new lawn.

When to lay turf

While turf can be laid pretty much any time of year, depending on weather conditions, for best results we suggest that you make this an autumn job. Generally, conditions are perfect, with a good balance of rain and sun, and the turf has the whole of winter to root in. This gives autumn the slight edge over spring, as a hot summer can mean that your turf won’t thrive.

Can I do it myself?

Laying your own turf can help to save money. It can be hard work, but if you are moderately fit or get some help, and of course plan ahead, it is definitely doable. Read on to discover how to do it.

Preparing the ground

Well-prepared soil is crucial to ensuring a successful result. You will need to get rid of stones, along with any perennial weeds. Remove weeds either by hand or by using weedkiller. If you do use weedkiller though, you need to make sure that you don’t use one that remains in the ground.

Once weeds are removed dig the soil – or use a rotavator for larger areas – then mix in manure or other organic matter, like compost. The next step is to wait for the ground to settle. This can be a couple of days, but the longer the better,

Once the ground has rested, remove any weeds that may have appeared, then level and rake the soil. You should level the soil just by walking on it, using anything heavier, like a roller, will compact the soil too much.

Order the turf

This may seem late to order the turf, but if you are laying turf in autumn you will need to lay it within 24 hours of delivery. Therefore, it’s wise to make sure that the ground is fully prepared before you do so. Of course, there’s nothing stopping you doing a bit of research about suppliers, costs, and availability before this. 

Make sure you’ve measured the lawn area accurately and check the weather forecast. You’ll want to try and avoid having to lay the turf in very wet weather, just from a comfort perspective.

Lay the turf

It’s time for the main event. Start laying turf from a straight edge such as a border. If you don’t have a straight edge create one with a board. Lay the first roll widthways along the straight edge. You can leave a small excess at the edge to cut away later as this will give you a sharper finish. Press the turf down gently, you don’t want to compress it too much. Once the first roll is laid, you can continue along the row with the next roll. Put a board on the newly laid turf to stand on so that you don’t damage the grass.

Once you’ve finished the first row you can start the second. Stagger the short ends of the turf so that they aren’t in line. Think about brickwork, that’s the pattern you’re aiming for. Now you just have to keep going. Always using a board to stand on, pressing the turf down gently and trimming any awkward joins.

Once you’ve finished press the turf down gently with the back of your spade or a bit of board, then water the whole lawn. Start with the area you laid first and check that water is soaking all the way through. Don’t overwater though, as this can rot the roots.

Looking after your new lawn

Keep watering the grass regularly, particularly during the first week. An advantage of laying turf in autumn is the weather should take care of much of the watering for you. After a few weeks you can check the lawn is establishing itself by gently lifting a corner of the turf to see if new roots are growing.When your grass has rooted in you can mow it. This should be done on a high setting. You may find that you won’t really need to be concerned with mowing until the spring. 

Of course, the best way to ensure the future health of your lawn is to talk to All Green Lawn Treatments about our year-round lawn treatments. Once you’ve laid your new lawn, contact us to find out more.