HOW TO PREPARE GROUND FOR TURFING

If you want to grow a successful, quality lawn from turf then the first thing you will need to know is that it is ALL about the preparation! In fact the decisions you make before you even start to work on your new lawn can have a crucial effect on the end result.

PREPARING THE SITE

The proposed area for your new lawn will need to be well drained. If the area suffers from damp or even periodic water logging, it may be necessary to lay either a soak away or drainage pipes under the soil. If drainage problems are not dealt with at this initial stage then you are only opening the door for plenty of work later on.

A lawn will grow best on well drained medium loam. If this sounds like your soil then your preparation can be minimal, but if the soil is clay or sandy, you'll need to do more work.

With heavy clay soils, you should add sharp sand, and any well-rotted organic compost as this will improve drainage under the lawn.

With sandy soils, you should just add well-rotted organic compost as this will help to improve moisture retention under the lawn.

The top soil will need to be prepared to give a fine, workable tilth to a depth of 4 to 5 inches. If you are adding organic matter, you should aim for a minimum depth of 6 inches. If the area of the lawn is fairly small, it can be prepared by hand using a spade. For larger areas it is well worth using a rotavator.

When starting to prepare the soil, it needs to be not too dry and not too wet. Start by digging or rotavating the whole area to the required depth, breaking down any large clumps of soil and remove any stones or rubbish you come across.

TIP.When digging, work backwards so you don't tread down the soil you've just broken up.

Having turned over the whole area and broken down the soil, add only half the sharp sand or organic compost that you need, and dig over or rotavate the whole area again. Once completed, add the other half of the material waiting to be dug in, and go over the whole area once last time.

Rake over the area to level it while removing any vegetation, stones or rubbish which may appear. Now leave the area to settle for a week.

If a lot of weed or vegetation appear in the first week, consider using a non-residual herbicide to kill them off. Carefully follow the instructions and leave the soil for the recommended period before proceeding.

Rake over the area again and remove any more vegetation, stones or rubbish which may appear.

Tread down the entire area. Start in one corner, then walk slowly across the soil placing one foot in front of the other. When you reach the other end, turn around and repeat until the whole area has been trod down (if the area is large, you may need more than one person!). The first time you do this, you'll probably find some humps and dips, remove these by giving the surface a light racking and repeat the treading down.

Once completed - or at least once you have had enough working on it - the ground is now ready for turfing.

For related articles click onto:
How to Control Weeds in the Lawn
How to get rid of Lawn Weeds
How to Get Rid of Moss in Lawns?
How to Grow Banana Trees from Seed
How to Grow a Lawn from Seed
How to Grow the Sago Palm from Seed
How to Grow Palm Trees from Seed
How to Improve Drainage in Lawns
How to Kill Moss in Lawns
How to Lay Turf
How to Prepare Ground for Turfing
How to Prepare a Lawn for Seeding
What Causes Moss in Lawns?
Article based on the writings of http://www.gardeningdata.co.uk/
Photos care of http://www.thedailygreen.com/ and http://minnesotaraingardens.net/ and http://blog.mmenterprises.co.uk/ and http://cluedupdads.blogspot.com/ and http://www.easydigging.com/Tool/how_to_use.html