Guide to laying turf - lawn care

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Guide to laying turf Laying lawn turf is simple. Buying the best lawn turf and careful preparation of the area you require turf is key to ensuring your hard work develops into the perfect lawn. Our turf laying guide should ensure that the turf you buy will get a great start.
Preparing the Ground for turf:
Initial ground preparation is very important. Do not rush this part. Good preparation will save you much angst in the future, so time spent on preparation is seldom wasted. Try and work when the soil is not saturated. If the soil sticks to your footwear it is too wet. Let the soil dry out. Dig the area requiring turf over or rotovate it mechanically and while doing so remove large stones, bricks, roots of trees and any perennial weeds that you come across. If you are able possible leave the ground to settle for a week or so before laying turf. If during that time some weeds germinate they can easily be hoed out. If there is heavy weed growth apply a non-residual weed killer containing only Glysophate that will not contaminate the soil. Rake the soil until it is roughly level always removing stones and other debris that have been brought to the surface in the process. A Landscaper rake is very useful for this activity. It is at this point you need to consider whether or not to enhance the existing soil with the addition of top soil, sand or turf compost. Again rake this out to a rough level. Selecting the right top soil is important it is essential that any top soil bought is from a reputable source. Top soil must contain the trace elements & nutrients essential in making your lawn turf thrive.	Next you fall back on some old basic greenkeeping skills. Treading in is the term applied to walking up and down the pre turf area with your weight on your heels. Involve the family or ask your friends round to help. Many heels make light work. The process finds out the soft parts and generally firms the surface without causing compaction. Ground conditions are critical at this stage. If the soil is wet or sticky – keep off. Once again get the rake out but this time working in different directions across the area to obtain a smooth finish free of debris. Then apply a pre seeding/turfing fertiliser or an organic fertiliser and very lightly rake it into the top few millimetres.

Measuring for turf:	Ordering:
Work out the area for your lawn turf in square metres. For accurate measurements draw up a sketch plan showing the length and width of the area requiring turf, mark in any unusual features. It is advisable to buy at least 5% extra turf for final shaping. The last thing you want to find is that you are short of turf. All of our turf is harvested in square metre rolls.	Stewarts turf is harvested to order thus ensuring that every roll of turf is fresh. Check the 5-day weather forecast for your area and get some idea of what the weather conditions are going to be prior to, during and immediately after laying your turf. Avoid any climatic extremes if possible.
IMPORTANT TURF IS ALIVE:
Turf must be laid within 12 hours of delivery. Any delay may result in rapid deterioration and 'cooking' of the turf depending on weather conditions. If turf cannot be laid within this time scale, roll it out on a path or drive way. Keep it well watered and lay as quickly as possible. Avoid laying turf during hot dry weather or when ground is frozen or waterlogged.
Laying Turf:	Watering Turf:
Avoid any traffic over the area until your turf arrives. When your turf arrives grab a friend and commence laying, try and work off boards or planks. Footprints in the soil cause air pockets and the new roots will shrivel up before they can become established. Start laying the rolls of turf a little beyond your final shape. You can trim back the turf to the desired area on completion. Lay each turf in as straight a line as possible carefully rolling out the inner end, which sometimes curls up. Make sure the turf ends are firmly butted together. Moving your boards across lay the next row, it is important to stagger the joints (ends of each turf) like brickwork, again butting up to the previous row. If you are very keen you may wish to lay alternate rows in the opposite direction, that will instantly provide the new lawn with a nice striped appearance, albeit short lived. Avoid walking directly on the newly laid turf. Have some fine top soil or turf top dressing handy to fill in any gaps in the joints. Time spent on the detail now will greatly enhance the final result.	By now you deserve a break, but not quite yet. Unless there is heavy rain expected imminently your newly turfed lawn requires a good soaking using a lawn sprinkler. Keep moving the sprinkler around the turfed area every couple of hours until the whole area has been thoroughly soaked. This should be repeated every 2/3 days as necessary but certainly until, when you lift the corner of a turf you observe healthy new white roots developing and ultimately until the roots are established in the soil and the turf becomes difficult to lift by hand.

Final turf shaping:	Mowing your new lawn
Once your turf has been laid you can trim to the final shape you require, using a straight edge or a garden hose for curves and irregular shapes. A tip at this point is to think about subsequent mowing and how easy it will be to access and exit awkward shapes. Cut any excess turf off with an old kitchen knife, or better still, a sharp half moon edging iron. Avoid using small pieces of turf especially at the edges as they are inclined to dry out and die. Any surplus turf may be put to good use, placed green side down on a compost heap.	The grass may be fairly long at this point and it is absolutely critical that you do not remove more than 20% of the green foliage otherwise severe damage to the sward (plant) will result. So with the mower probably at its highest setting and a grass collector fitted, begin the first mow. Thereafter reduce the height a little at a time during subsequent mowing until reaching the desired height. At all costs avoid excessive defoliation or close shaving at irregular intervals. It will result in considerable damage to your lawn. The sward will become thin and open severely inhibiting the development of fine grasses and encouraging invasion by weeds, mosses and course grasses.

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