Making a lawn by laying turf for Sale



How to Make a Lawn by Laying Turf Turfing a lawn gives you instant results - it's a bit like laying a green carpet. It is more expensive than sowing a lawn from seed but you can get a variety of different turves in a range of prices. What you choose will depend on the type of lawn you want and your budget. Beware of buying poor quality turf - always get turf from a reputable source. And check the load when it arrives. Turf can be laid at any time, but you should avoid high summer. The size of turf will vary with the grass quality. Rolawn supply turf in long rolls. Most turf is 30 cm wide, for laying in strips. It is best to lay turf as soon as possible after it arrives. If you have to store them, unroll and lay them out flat, grass side up. This ensures they will get enough light. You'll have to water them regularly.

Lawn turves; rake; watering can with rose, or hose with light sprinkler; timber plank; some sandy loam-based compost (John Innes type); a soft broom or besom; rotary mower for first few cuts. Optional: a half moon cutter or Stanley knife for edge trimming; hose or rope for curved edges.

Prepare the site of your lawn thoroughly. Dig over, remove stones and clods of earth, rake, and compact soil using your heels. Lightly scratch the surface by raking over it. It's almost ready to receive the turves. Apply a granular fertiliser at the recommended rate to the lawn area. Leave for a few days.

Lay the first row of turf along a straight edge - your path, patio or a plank of wood. Put each piece down flush with it's neighbour. Put a plank on top of the first row. Use this to kneel on as you lay the next row. Stagger the joints between turves, as you would with a brick wall. Work across the whole area, avoiding finishing edges with small pieces of turf.

Use the back of your rake to tamp or firm down each turf. This gets rid of air pockets. A light roller will do the job as well.

Trim your lawn edges to shape. Curved edges can be cut using a hose or rope - cut inside this with a sharp knife. Straight edges can be checked with a guideline - string stretched between two pegs. Put a plank down in line with this, and cut along the edge. Move the plank along until you've finished each edge.

Apply a thin layer of top-dressing - the sandy loam-based compost. Brush this in well, and fill any gaps between turves. Water your lawn using the watering can or hose with a sprinkler attached. Make sure that your new turf lawn is kept moist until the turves have rooted in the top soil. This avoids shrinkage. Water regularly if necessary.

When your new lawn is about 5 cm high, use a rotary mower to cut it to 2.5 cm. Collect the grass or rake it up carefully. Repeat this process for about 4 more times. For more information on looking after a new lawn, see our workshop How to Look After a New Lawn.

Start with turves along a straight edge

Lay out a hosepipe to make a curved line

Water thoroughly when you've finished

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