How do you lay turf?

The Spring Bank Holiday is upon us, and it’s set to look a little different this year as people take to their gardens to enjoy the promised hot weather in the wake of coronavirus lockdown.

And if you do have time to spend on your garden during the bank holiday, and want to get it summer ready, then now could be a good time to consider laying turf on the lawn.

Turf – which is basically pre-grown grass seed cut away from the ground with a slice of top soil below – is a great way to fix broken patches in your garden lawn or simply create a new one from scratch.

Here’s how you can go about it.

How do you lay turf?

Laying turf is fairly easy, as many stores sell it pre-rolled – meaning all you have to do is unroll it across your lawn and wait for it to take root.

You can lay it at any time of the year as long as the ground isn’t saturated or frozen – although spring and early autumn are recommended as the best times, making this bank holiday the perfect time to get started on turfing the lawn.

With temperatures set to be around 25 degrees celsius on Monday, it’s perfect turf-laying weather.

How much turf will you need?

To work out how much turf you’ll need for your lawn in square metres , measure the lawn then multiply the length by the width, adding 10% to the total to allow for wastage.

Preparing the lawn

You’ll need to prepare the lawn beforehand, removing any existing grass and also making sure any weeds are removed from the lawn, as well as raking it over until the surface is even – or use a roller to ensure the surface is as smooth as possible.

Also, you should sprinkle pre-fertiliser over the lawn to encourage the new turf to take root as quickly as possible.

Laying the turf

Ideally you should lay your new turf within 24 hours of it being delivered – if it rains and you are unable to, unroll it and lay it somewhere out of sight of the sun to prevent it from drying out.

Lay the turf along the edges first, making sure the strips are as close to each other as possible – make sure the ends and edges are tightly together to avoid any gaps or joins, and if you are laying it up to paving or stepping stones ensure the top of the soil is even with the edging and smooth as needed. Trim away any excess with a long garden knife.

Continue to lay the turf in rows from left to right, staggering the joints of turf in brickwork fashion from row to row – use a timber board to stand on while you work.

If you are turfing a curved lawn, outline the boundaries with pegs and line and then lay turf along the edges, both straight and curved. Then lay rows of turf from the corners of the lawn, working forwards from one of the straight sides and staggering the joints as above.

You will need to overlap the turf slightly to accommodate the curve and trim off any excess.

Fill any remaining gaps with topsoil and brush it over with a soft broom. Then cut the turf strips to size and then tamp down the edges of adjacent strips with a rake to ensure it settles into the soil below.

Finally, level out your newly laid turf with a garden roller.

Aftercare

Make sure you water the turf regularly until it’s established to prevent it from drying out – a water sprinkler is best for this, but if it’s a dry summer and there is a hosepipe ban in your area you can use a watering can instead.

Avoid mowing it until the lawn has rooted – and try to avoid walking on it for at least a couple of weeks to allow the turf time to do this.

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