Turfing
Laying a lawn that lasts: it is the ground, not the turf
Turf is a living thing with about a centimetre of soil attached. It has three weeks to root into whatever is underneath, or it dies.
New turf is the most satisfying job in gardening and the one that most often disappoints a year later. The rolls are the quick, visible, cheap part. Everything that decides whether the lawn is still there in three years happens before the first one is unrolled.
Preparation, which is most of the work
The old surface has to come off. Turf laid on top of dead grass sits on a layer that holds water and rots, and roots will not cross it. Stripping is not optional and skipping it is the most common corner cut in the trade.
Then the ground is dug or rotavated, and stones, roots and builder's rubble come out by hand. On new build plots in Bromborough this is frequently the whole story: the topsoil is thin, what is under it is compacted subsoil left by the machines, and the developer's turf was laid straight onto it. Those lawns look acceptable for one season and thin out from the second.
Levelling comes next, then firming. Firming is done by treading, heel to toe across the whole area, not by rolling. A roller bridges a soft spot instead of finding it, and a soft spot you did not find becomes a hollow in the finished lawn that you will look at for years.
Laying
Rolls go down staggered like brickwork, joints butted tight so they do not open as they dry, worked from a plank so nobody stands on the prepared surface. Edges are cut to the shape last, with a half moon iron rather than a spade, because a spade leaves a scalloped line.
Then it is watered properly on the first day. Not damped: watered until the soil beneath the turf is wet, which takes far more than people expect.
The first three weeks, which are your job
This is where most new lawns are lost, and it is the half a contractor cannot do for you. New turf needs a thorough soaking every day for two to three weeks unless it has rained hard, and a light sprinkle is worse than useless because it wets the turf and leaves the soil under it dry. Grass roots follow water downward. Water only the surface and the roots stay in the surface, and the first dry spell kills them.
Stay off it. No foot traffic while it roots, and children and dogs need longer than adults. Test by tugging gently at a corner: if it lifts, it has not rooted.
The first cut comes when it has rooted and reached around three inches. Cut high, with a sharp blade, taking barely anything off. Cutting a new lawn short is how people lose one in year one.
When to lay it
Autumn is the best window on the Wirral: the soil is still warm, the rain is reliable, and the lawn has months to establish before it is asked to cope with heat or use. Spring is the next best. Midsummer is possible and the watering demand is heavy and entirely on you.
Seed or turf
Turf is instant, usable within about a month and more forgiving of a mediocre season. Seed costs a fraction, produces a better long term root system, and needs weeks of protection from birds, weather and feet. For a garden with children or a dog, turf is the practical answer. For a large area with patience available, seed is the better lawn.
The short version
- Strip the old surface. Turf laid over dead grass sits on a rotting layer.
- Firm by treading, not rolling. A roller bridges soft spots instead of finding them.
- Water thoroughly every day for two to three weeks. A light sprinkle is worse than nothing.
- Stay off it until a tugged corner does not lift.
- Autumn is the best time to lay on the Wirral. Midsummer puts the whole risk on watering.
Common questions
When is the best time to lay turf?
Autumn on the Wirral: warm soil, reliable rain and months to root before it is asked to cope with heat or use. Spring is the next best.
How much watering does new turf need?
A thorough soaking daily for two to three weeks unless it has rained hard. A light sprinkle wets the turf and leaves the soil beneath it dry, which is how most new lawns are lost.
Can turf be laid over an existing lawn?
No. The old surface has to come off, or the turf sits on a rotting layer that holds water and stops roots crossing into the soil.
We do this across the Wirral, including Bromborough, Irby, Meols. The service page is Turfing and lawn care.
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