Ground Preparation

Old lawn removal

The old lawn can be removed by slicing underneath the grass using a spade. For larger areas and a less labour intensive approach hire a turf cutter from your local hire shop, garden centre or contact us for further advice. Using a turf cutter should allow for large portions of the old lawn to be rolled up and easily disposed of into a skip. Your old lawn should be removed to a depth of around 30mm. Remember, if you have space in your garden the old lawn turf can be piled up and after a year will make great compost for planting flowers etc.

Cultivate soil (soil preparation)

The soil should now be cultivated or turned over to a depth of between 100-150mm; we recommend nearer to 150mm. This can be done by manually digging with a spade or for a less labour intensive approach hire a powered cultivator from your local hire shop, garden centre or contact us for further advice. Once cultivated remove any weeds, stones or debris that are visible. If you are unable to cultivate the soil or wish to improve the quality of the existing soil then new higher quality top soil can be added. To do this wheel barrow the soil into piles across the area of your lawn and use a shovel to roughly spread and level the new topsoil. Top soil can be ordered from Garden Lawn Shop in 20kg bags, tonne bags or lorry loads. Using high quality screened topsoil will make the final preparation easier and will help aid the growth of your new lawn by providing much need nutrients to the turf.

Raking

Your cultivated soil or topsoil should now be raked to create a smooth and level surface. Try and work backwards as this will avoid trampling the already prepped area. Once happy with your initial levels shuffle over the area in small steps pressing the soil down with your feet; this process is called treading in. Once complete re rake the area and tread in again. This removes any soft patches where there isn't enough soil and will stop the lawn turf from sinking during or after laying your lawn. The process will also remove any humps and bumps from your new lawn which may cause scalping during mowing. Once completed the area should be firm but not compacted; by stepping on the prepared area only a light footprint should be visible in the soil. This stage is crucial to your new lawn and we recommend taking the time here to ensure a firm level base for laying turf. Following this another rake will finalise the levels and give a good tilth ready for your new turf arriving.

Wide landscaping rakes will make raking much easier and accurate.

Fertilize soil

It is recommended at this stage to add a pre turf fertilizer to the topsoil to provide additional nutrients and aid the growth of the new turf.

Measuring up and ordering your lawn turf

Measure your lawn as accurately as possible and place your order. We recommend adding 5% to the measured area of your lawn. This will allow for cutting in edges, ends and any waste that may occur while laying your lawn. For help on measuring up and ordering your turf please use our turf calculator or contact us directly.

Your turf will be freshly harvested prior to delivery to ensure it arrives in the best possible condition and is supplied in easy to carry rolls covering 1m². Your turf should be laid within 24 hours of receipt; in the summer this will be less. At all times of the year we recommend being prepared and ready to lay the turf as soon as it arrives to give your new garden the best possible start.

More advice from Garden Lawn Shop...how to lay lawn turf