Water it well and keep watering every few days so it establishes well. Laying new sod over old grass cuts off sunlight and air to that layer. End result is it looks amazing. The decision of when to lay new turf can have an effect on how easy it is to care for your new lawn in its first weeks – especially in the event of a drought, heat wave or hose pipe ban. Water will never move through the profile with efficiency.” Linda Bradley of Turf Mountain Sod in Hendersonville, N.C., was very specific on addressing necessary precautions. Lay each piece hard up against the last to avoid air pockets and any drying out. No digger access so everything has been done with a spade! The first part of the answer is that, yes, it is possible to lay synthetic turf directly over your existing lawn. Real turf isn’t suitable for use over concrete, as the base can’t provide good depth and drainage to the grass. Topdressing the lawn with topsoil, however, is a good way to smooth bumpy areas and level low spots that collect water. Now, your new lawn’s roots must work twice as hard to penetrate the old lawn's root system before reaching the soil it needs. Follow our advice to help you lay turf and cultivate a pristine lawn. Water the completed lawn surface thoroughly and repeat watering at regular intervals to keep the turf moist at all times, until rooted. So, our kids really don't run around on it. Ensure that an application of Yates Dynamic Lifter Organic Lawn Food has been worked into the top soil to improve the soil quality. Turf laid in spring often needs watering in dry spells over summer. However, this does not mean that it is a good idea or that you … Eliminate drainage problems for your instant turf in … A pre-planting lawn starter fertiliser should then be applied above the soil and below the turf when you lay it. Having turf laid is expensive, and it's worth having it done right. Lawn Turf. Place your rolls or slabs of turf around the perimeter of the area and lay between the perimeter. The time between preparing the ground and laying new turf can be several weeks. For best results, use a lawn rotary hoe or dig the area evenly to a depth of 100mm to 150mm. The simple answer to this question is yes, you can lay turf onto your old worn out lawn. Once you know the type of lawn you want based on how you’ll use it and the soil type, you can choose your turf. The recent floods or past drought, maybe it has worn out, has humps and hollows, is weedy or just plain awful. Do we have to dig up old lawn before rotivating to lay new seed or can we just rotivate in ? Turf is pre-grown grass seed that's been cut from the ground with a slice of top soil. In most cases, a lawn can withstand the addition of a … Sow grass seed thickly over bare patches in an old lawn. This can cause large areas of dead, dried turf. On cooler days, the entire area can be laid before watering. Lay your turf rolls This is the fun bit! In spring and autumn little mowing is needed so newly-laid turf can be left relatively undisturbed for several weeks. The surface of the old lawn has a lot of organic matter, and likely will not match the soil profile of the sod being installed. This is extremely important to ensure the roots of your turf have great soil so they can establish themselves properly. One of the main reasons is that if you put new sod on top of old vegetation, the new sod’s root system will never actually make contact with the soil. If the weather is hot on the day, lay the turf in sections and water each section as you go. Turf is best laid in mid-autumn, but can be laid any time between mid-autumn and late winter whenever the soil is not too wet or frosty. How to lay turf. The old grass was a bit uneven too. What you need to know about laying artificial grass on slabs. Laying new turf on old grass is only a quick fix, stop gap, band aid solution. This can be frustrating, especially if you enjoy a luscious backyard. Trying to avoid £65 plus bulk bags of soil and have a very cheap source of quality fine compost. This will be an … When planning how to lay instant turf on your property, proper soil preparation is essential. I have a large lawn to lay and with all the wet weather finding good value graded soil has become rather hard. Laying a new lawn with turf. Again, when you lay sod over old turf, you’re just covering the problem temporarily. Turf is typically around 25mm thick, and should sit a … Grass roots only grow to four or five inches deep and with the method you want to use they will not grow into the old lawn, creating a table top situation with one lawn sitting on the other and a situation where it could flood. The warmer the weather, the quicker your lawn’s new roots will establish BUT, make sure you have plenty of water. 5. It is possible to lay artificial turf over concrete. If you already have a lawn though! Artificial turf is a good choice for all hard surfaces, as it requires little maintenance. The best time to lay turf is during spring or autumn, when rain will help the new grass establish roots in time for summer sun or winter frosts. Choose a seed suitable for the site, then sow half the bag from north to south and the other half from east to west. Thankfully, you can lay artificial grass on slabs. Unfortunately, the answer is exactly the one you were probably hoping it wouldn’t be. To start, ready the soil by removing weeds and evening out the ground. Laying a new lawn is hard work and more expensive than sowing seed, but it gives an instant, lush looking lawn as soon as you've finished. 6. Don’t make the mistake of ordering it first. Stagger the joints in a brickwork fashion to avoid erosion and butt the turf closely together to avoid gaps – this is where your turf can dry out and cause a patchy lawn. Be sure to take care that the water is saturating the soil beneath the turf. Prepare the ground by removing weeds and raking it level, then lay the turf so it overlaps slightly. When to lay turf. Luckily, relaying your lawn is an option. However, we strongly recommend you don’t do it as there are many better ways to prepare and lay turf. Don’t be put off laying a new lawn in the hot summer months. Should I lay lawn in summer? The ground has already had some grade b soil I would say added to it so need to get something of good quality on top of it. If you are thinking of re-turfing your lawn, there must be a pretty good reason behind it. It is a good time to put down a lawn although my side lawn was put down in December and is now nearly eight years old, so apart from a very hard winter it can work. How Should I Prepare Soil For Turfing? good maintenance may well do just a good a job as new turf, which will only be as good as the the old one next year if you dont look after it? If it's poor drainage, an uneven surface or the lawn has become compacted, it's best to sort these problems out first. Plus, while seed-sown lawns need very light use for several months after sowing, lawns made by laying turf can be used after just a few weeks, making them … Lay grass to create an instant lawn or revive a tired one. Almost like an outdoor, grassy carpet, it can be laid to fix patchy areas in an existing lawn or to create a new lawn completely from scratch. Your present lawn and clay soil will have become compacted over the years and drainage will not be at it's best. Because you need to lay turf as quickly as possible, it should be the very last thing you order. There's a reason you are laying a new lawn. Before your turf goes down, site and soil preparation needs to be complete. I would say laying turf over an existing live lawn, with less than 6" of topsoil on top, is a bad idea. Your turf supplier will probably have a starter fertiliser recommendation. If you are laying your turf on a slope, start at the bottom. I live in Arizona, Phoenix area, & we did it. Lay your first piece of turf, making sure you butt it up nice and firm against the corners – it’s important not to kneel on the turf or stretch it. As the saying goes “If a job is worth doing it’s worth doing well!”. First off, it's a purely cosmetic area in our front. Turf can dry out quickly after it has been cut at the farm, particularly in hot weather. During summer, a new lawn can establish in two to three weeks, which is half the average establishment time of six weeks. The only way that fresh turf will stay as green and healthy as when it’s delivered is if you lay it almost immediately onto a smooth, flat, firm surface where drainage is good. You can dig up your turf and put the upside down turfs in some other area of the garden then prepare the soil on the old lawn area before laying new turf. You do need to take out the old turf before you put in new sod. Step 2: Soil Preparation. The old grass can be lifted stacked in a corner for a couple of years and you will have a wonderful potting media. They were laid on soil and clinker of course, which all came out, and had shifted all over the place and was a right mess. You can buy lawn turf by the roll, already growing and rooted into a thin layer of soil, and laying turf is easier than you’d think. Preparation. Without sunlight and air, that layer can turn slimy. Neat edges are crucial for an attractive lawn. The results will most likely be … On hot days, lay the turf in sections and water well to prevent drying. The process of laying artificial grass on slabs is much simpler and more straightforward than doing so in an area of your garden where there was once a lawn. The finished grade (after amendments and new grass) should end up matching the level of existing the fixtures (walkways, patios, and the established lawn). Deep roots mean they can soak up more nutrients so the lawn can thrive. Do Not Lay Sod Over Old Turf. So as not to have lines, lay your turf … It will be trying to root down while the old lawn is trying to push through. Sometimes, conditions like drought can cause the grass in your lawn to stop growing. With a little elbow grease, you can make your lawn look brand new. Well if you are going to keep your lawn to the same standard as most people do, i would chuk down the turf on top make sure its been feed with a good slow release feed tho, you could topdress with a little soil just to level it, if you do that every 2-3 years you will build up the loam and you might get away without feeding ever! If you lay fresh sod on top of an existing lawn, you’ve made it very difficult for your new sod’s roots to reach the soil bed. The perfect time to lay a new lawn from scratch is early autumn, when the grass can root easily. 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