Any top tips?

Got 90 SqM turning up tomorrow, ground as level as I can expect to get it within reason....worried that it is a dry weekend forecast...any advice appreciated?

Rich.

need to fertilize the ground before laying,make sure you have a tilth on the top to encourage root takeup.Water it every day in dry weather.

Try and not walk on it when laying or for about 10 day and when you cut it only take the tops off don;t skep it.

Roll it all out the same way. If you don't it will look odd for ages. If you want stripes do one row one way and the row next to it the other.

Wow. It's a bit toasty for turf laying. Make sure you sprinkler is in good shape, you'll be giving it a work out in the next few weeks. Usual advice is do a shuffle dance on the soil to compact it a bit, then a little rake to a fine tilthe then lay the turf, don't walk on it (use scaffolding boards over the top of the turf if you absolutely have to walk over it but obviously don't leave 'em in place).

A bread knife works well for chopping the end of the rolls. You can use a spade but a bread knife is easier

Green side up!

Make sure you stagger the joins then use a roller or use boards and a pummel to compact the laid turf

make sure every last weed is removed or you will regret it.

Darren

As above, lay out 2 garden lengths of turf, put a plank or ply sheets cut in half (even better) on the ones just laid. Walk on the boards (which are now on the edge of the strips) to lay your next line. Keep dragging the boards with you over the completed strips until you reach the end of the job, always keep feet off the new lawn for a couple of weeks.

In this weather it will shrink a little, dont matter how much water you put down.

Couple of weeks later you can either
fill gaps with sand/soil and top up with seed.
Or buy a 1 off roll to chop up and graft into any gaps.

Andi

i would have rotavated the soil and levaled it then a coat of sharp sand mixed with loads of boan meal. then tamper it as you lay it ,,,soak it drown it ,,,all night it you can as it will srink in the sun very fast and die fast .try not to wet it in sun light as this can burn so they say but i have never seen it) ,tbh i do soak it for the first week ,if its wet it wont die.not damp but soaking wet.

Its landscape advice night. All the above is good advice.

As a landscaper the biggest problem is the turf cooking. This happens quicker in warm weather when the turf is rolled up for too long and mostly effects the rolls on the bottom layers of the pallet. The grass will die and never recovers. If you dont know when it was harvested and you havent finished for the day roll it out.
Watch out for turfs that are too thin and lacking soil, use the good bits of these for cutters

Dont worry too much about walking on it. I have just layed 30m2 in St Andrews Sqr gardens today and the public were all over it. No way to keep them off it

HTH

Moss

quote:

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Originally posted by LoMoss
Its landscape advice night. All the above is good advice.

As a landscaper the biggest problem is the turf cooking. This happens quicker in warm weather when the turf is rolled up for too long and mostly effects the rolls on the bottom layers of the pallet. The grass will die and never recovers. If you dont know when it was harvested and you havent finished for the day roll it out.
Watch out for turfs that are too thin and lacking soil, use the good bits of these for cutters

Dont worry too much about walking on it. I have just layed 30m2 in St Andrews Sqr gardens today and the public were all over it. No way to keep them off it

HTH

Moss

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Turf is remarkably tuff. We have rolled out surplus rolls in the yard, let them dry out and turn gold, roll them up put them in a bucket of water and 2 weeks later turf good enough for patch repairs.

It was edge repairs to paths so impossible to fence off. This could be a myth buster Just to point out they had had repairs done and turf was layed on sharp sand. Roots hadnt even grown into it This is a cowboy method and commonly used in new builds as it a very quck method of getting a level screed over subsoil.

Job done, thanks for all the advice.

Top tip's were breadknife to cut it, and laying it green side up (thanks Mel). Did give it a good soak last night, and will continue to do so. Gave it a quick going over with a roller which certainly seemed to help...

For info, used 'Turfland' online - fantastic service, delivered to the door next day. 90SqM cost just over £200. Nice turf too.

[Edited on 19/6/10 by richard thomas]