Cost of Laying Turf

Have your turf unloaded as near to where you’re laying it. It should be stacked on flat level ground in a shaded area, particularly if it is not to be laid the same day.

Step 3 - Preparing the Ground

Careful preparation will give your new turf the best chance to settle and give you the lawn of your dreams.

If you're doing the lawn yourself, don’t be tempted to simply lay the new turf on top of your existing lawn to save time and money. You are likely to end up with brown, dying turf and the cost of relaying. New turf needs to be laid onto properly-prepared soil if it is to establish and thrive.

Mark out the area you wish to turf and then make sure you thoroughly dig out any existing weeds. This will make life much easier and will prevent unwanted weeds growing through the new turf.

Step 4 - Fertiliser

Once your turfing area is ready, you will need to spread pre-turfing fertiliser. This is an important factor in cultivating healthy lawn. One 5kg bag will cost around £15 and will treat up to 100-150 square metres. We recommend an organic blend, like chicken manure fertiliser, which is both environmentally friendly and easy to spread.

Step 5 - Topsoil

Now you’re ready to lay your topsoil. Spread evenly, lightly cultivate and rake using a fine-tooth rake to a depth of at least 15cm ready to receive the turf roots. If the existing soil is poor quality or not deep enough, you’ll have to add more quality topsoil. To stop compaction don’t use wet soil.

Remove all extraneous material, including stones larger than 35mm . Smaller stones can remain as they will help with consistency and irrigation. When you’re finished raking, the area you wish to turf should have a fine, even consistency.

Step 6 - Laying Your Turf

Begin laying the turf against a straight side of your marked-out area, joining each end as closely together as possible.

On each subsequent row, stagger the joints like brickwork, taking good care that there are no breaks. If you need to alter the position of the turf, always push it rather than pulling it to avoid stretching.

It’s always best to use wooden planks to avoid walking on newly-laid turf and potentially causing damage or leaving footprints. Remember, your turf is still very sensitive at this early stage in its life.

When laying, make sure the underside of each piece of turf is completely bonded with the topsoil. If necessary, press down on the turf through your planks to remove any air pocks that will prevent your turf receiving the moisture it needs. Check when you’ve finished. If there are any gaps, plug these with topsoil and lightly compact.

Step 7 - Watering

You should water immediately after laying each row of turf. The first watering should confirm the soil is wet to a depth of 10cm. Keep the turf and the soil beneath it damp – you can inspect this by softly turning up a corner of the turf.

Use natural rainwater from a water butt if you have one. If not, tap water from the kitchen or bathroom is fine. Check the weather forecast – if it rains, you may not need to water at all depending on how much falls.

Water your turf in the early morning and early evening. However, avoid over-watering, and if your turf feels waterlogged, leave time to let the water seep through. Over-watering can lead to shallow root establishment, which will weaken the grass and can also create boggy conditions and promote diseases.

For the first month after laying your turf, it should never be allowed to dry out. After a month of regular watering, you can start to reduce the amount of watering, but always taking care that your turf remains moist.

Step 8 - The First Cut

When you mow your lawn for the first time ensure the mower blades are sharp and don’t cut it too short, as this strains the grass. Cut the grass as soon as the lawn has grown to about 5cm. Then mow as required until you can see the grass has stopped growing.

Once your new lawn is founded, don’t panic if it looks brown and dry. Going brown is its survival procedure. When water is in short supply, grass retorts by closing down. The brown colour simply shows it has stopped growing. Grass is remarkably resilient and most lawns will recover completely when the rain finally arrives.

Step 9 - Using Your New Lawn

It’s always a temptation to start walking or playing on your new lawn as soon as it’s been laid. However, it needs time to settle and bond with the undersoil. A period of 2 to 3 weeks should be long enough in the summer, perhaps a bit longer in the winter. The rule of thumb is that if you leave an impression when walking it's too soon.

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Garden Turf Diseases

Did you know newly-cut turf is susceptible to disease?

To prevent garden turf diseases, you need to monitor your grass closely and look out for the tell-tale signs.

Common turf diseases include:

Rust Disease

This is a common turf disease caused by fungi. Rust disease may produce vast numbers of air-borne spores.

Typical symptoms of rust disease include:

• Patches of yellow grass.
• Large numbers of tiny, spore-producing pustules, usually orange, but often black in autumn.

How do you prevent rust disease?

To avoid rust diseases you should consider the following tips:

• Feed your lawn frequently throughout the growing season to preserve vitality.
• Keep away from high nitrogen fertilisers in autumn, as the subsequent growth may be more vulnerable to attack from rust disease and others.
• Mow regularly to decrease the number of infected grass stalks and improve air circulation by pruning of overhanging trees and shrubs.

Fusarium Patch (Snow Mould)

This disease is triggered by the fungus microdochium nivale. It’s one of the most destructive diseases of turf and can be problematic to control.

It mostly occurs in autumn, winter and the beginning of spring, but bouts can strike at any time of the year. It is sometimes very noticeable after thaws of snow, hence its name.

Fusarium Patch symptoms include:

• Small patches of yellowish, dying grass that later turn brown.
• Patches will increase in size and can even reach 30cm (or larger) in diameter, frequently joining together so that great areas can be disturbed.
• During wet weather a white or pink cottony fungal growth might be spotted, mainly around the edges of the patch.

How do you treat snow mould?

The best way to treat snow mould is by enhancing overall airflow over the lawn by clipping back hanging trees or bushes. You should also get rid of heavy dews in the morning using a switch or bamboo cane.

Try to avoid high doses of nitrogen fertiliser in summer or autumn. Instead use an autumn lawn feed in its place.

The only recommended chemical treatment for this disease is trifloxystrobin (Provanto Lawn Disease Control). It can be utilised all year-round excluding droughts or when the lawn is icy. It shouldn’t be put on more than twice a year and is best used in conjunction with control methods mentioned above.

Red Threat

Red threat occurs in during wet summers and autumn on dead grass. It’s caused by Laetisaria fuciformis, a fungus.

Read Threat symptoms include:

• Patches of infected grass with a reddish tint, afterwards turning light brown or bleached. They normally differ in size from 7.5cm to 25cm in diameter, but can be a lot bigger.
• Two types of fungal growth may be seen on the patches, particularly under wet or humid conditions. The first takes the form of small, pink, cottony flocks, the second are pinkish-red, thread-like structures, 1-2mm (less than ¼in) in length.

What's the best treatment for Red Threat?

The best treatment is nitrogen in the form of sulphate of ammonia applied 15g per square metre.

Make sure you don't use after August to evade the soft growth which can also cause snow mould. Using a lawn rake to eliminate thatch and increase ventilation.

Getting rid of grass waste will also decrease the quantity of fungus existing in the lawn.

Toadstools/Mushrooms

Toadstools and mushroom are common in recently laid turf. They will not damage your lawn and can be removed by simply mowing daily until no more mushrooms are coming through.

Alternatively, you can break the stems of the mushrooms by brushing which will dry them out and they will disappear.

Turf Maintenance by Season

Below is a seasonal guide for maintaining your lawn at all times of the year.

Spring

• Don’t get caught out with early growth! Keep an eye out for when you need to mow.
• Make sure the blades on your mower are sharp.
• Why not give your turf some spring fertiliser.
• You might need to scarify to get rid of moss and thatch.
• If your lawn has yellow or bare patches you can apply a fertiliser to aid growth.

Summer

• Keep on top of lawn mowing.
• Compost your grass clipping.
• Mature lawns don’t need watering.
• Fertilising is important, certainly if your grass needs it.

Autumn

• Clear leaves to avoid a patchy lawn.
• Watch out for brown patches - this could be an indication of a fungal disease.
• Don’t mow if your lawn is waterlogged.
• Apply fertiliser to ensure your lawn has enough nutrients.

Winter

• Winter is time to take a break.
• You could revisit and detail your turf edges.
• To prevent damage to your lawn, let snow clear naturally.

Alternatives to Turf

Looking for a low-maintenance alternative to turf?

Turf requires a significant amount of maintenance, so if you do not have the time, you may prefer other options such as:

Artificial Grass

It’s becoming more common that people are selecting artificial turf over real grass because they involve minimum maintenance.

They also look great in a smaller area and for people who find garden upkeep tough or costly.

It is also ideal if you have young children or animals, as it’s difficult to destroy or mess up.

If the artificial lawn is laid and maintained correctly, it can have a lifespan of 7-10 years.

What's the cost of artificial grass?

There are various types of artificial grass offered, which differ in cost.

Generally, the cost of installing artificial grass is around £600 to £4500. This price is based on a 10 square metre lawn, which is slightly smaller than the average UK lawn.

To give you a better idea of artificial grass costs, take a look at the below table:

Grass Seed

Using grass seed is the more traditional method for laying a lawn.

So should I choose seed or turf?

Below are some of the key advantages and disadvantages of seed:

Advantages

• ✔ Seed is much cheaper than turf.
• ✔ Seed takes up little space so it can be stored away till the weather is better and the ground is ready.
• ✔ It’s not heavy – you don’t have to be burly, active or agile to spread grass seed.
• ✔ Not messy.
• ✔ Any leftover seed can be stored and used for lawn repairs at a later date.

Disadvantages

• ✖ Seed will take longer than turf. It can take six to twelve months to create a fully-grown lawn from seed.
• ✖ Choosing the right seed mix without any knowledge can be confusing.
• ✖ Growth is typically not level, and in cold temperatures it can be slower.
• ✖ Grass seed has to be protected against birds and cats.
• ✖ You’ll notice that all types of weeds will sprout next to your grass – be ready to remove them.

Turf Removal Cost

Why would you need to remove turf?

You may want to remove turf for flower beds, to be replaced with fake grass, or you need to replace your turf with healthier turf.

If you hire a gardener to complete this, expect to pay £300-£400 in labour cost on average.

For waste disposal, you may want to considering hiring a skip. The average skip hire costs range from £140 to £300.

To DIY, you’ll need a spade to cut the turf into squares and remove it. It’s better to do this with damp soil rather than dry, hard soil.

To remove turf, you don’t have to dig very far down; grass tends to stay in the top layer of the soil.

FAQs

Sources

https://www.turfonline.co.uk/
https://hoa.org.uk/advice/guides-for-homeowners/real-vs-artificial-grass/
https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?pid=268
https://www.southernturfco.com/turf-vs-grass/