Turfing

TURFING

When turfing an area, preparation is crucial prior to actually laying the turf. Once the surface of the required area has been cleared as necessary, rotovating to a depth of 6” turns all the soil over and relieves compaction. It can then be levelled correctly, and firmed down to prevent future sinkage. A granular fertiliser is then applied to supply the soil base with the correct nutrients to allow quick establishment. Once this has been done its time to lay the turf itself, and we use a top quality product from County Turf Ltd. Watering is essential in the following weeks, so care should be taken with the seasonal timing of this. Once a strong root system has been established, in order to finish the procedure the new lawn is rolled, to smooth out any remaining minor surface irregularities.

SEEDING

When seeding an area, the preparation will depend on the surrounding area itself. For example if you are seeding bare patches over an existing lawn, these areas will need to be treated (if necessary) first for any weeds or moss then scarified to reduce any dead organic matter, then spiked to relieve compaction, then fertilised and seeded. A topdressing (spreadable sand / soil mix) is then applied to cover the seed, which is crucial in the germinating process of the seed. Watering is essential in the following weeks, so care should be taken with regard to the seasonal timing of this. When seeding an area in its entirety, the preparation procedure is the same as detailed above for turf.

Seeding small areas in an already established lawn rather than turfing them helps the areas blend in much more effectively. Seeding a large area is more cost effective, but any weed seeds blowing around in the winds that land in the seeded area whilst still bare will also germinate. They will need spraying with weedkiller once the new seed is strong enough to withstand this. It will take longer for a large seeded area to germinate into a weed free healthy lawn but if time is not a problem then that’s fine.  

It’s recommended that you look after your lawn after initial establishment with fertilisers, weedkillers and mosskillers in order to keep it in a good condition. This is a service we can provide, or give you free advice so that you can do it yourself.  

If you would like some advice or have any questions, please get in touch.