Gardens across London and beyond have been weathering extreme heat this summer, which means it’s likely that your lawn resembles straw rather than grass at present.
If you are intending to carry out work on your garden this year, you might be wondering whether it’s worth planning to lay new turf given the lack of rain we’ve been getting in the south-east, coupled with the high temperatures.
While now is not the right month to lay new turf, regardless of the weather, that doesn’t mean you can’t plan for when the weather cools down. In fact, booking turf laying services now is advisable to ensure you can get the help you need.
When is the best time to lay turf in the UK?
Generally speaking, the advice is to lay turf from mid-autumn through to early spring. This is because from autumn through to the end of winter, we typically receive higher amounts of rainfall, which helps your turf root in.
Although you can lay turf during the winter months though, you want to avoid periods of frost. This is because not only does this make it harder for your new turf to survive, but also because it makes the ground much harder to prepare.
Given the dry conditions we’ve been having all summer, you may want to consider laying your turf a little later this year to give the ground a chance to (hopefully) receive some much-needed rainfall.
How do you lay turf?
Laying turf is a physically demanding landscaping job, which is why we find so many people want a bit of support. What’s more, if you don’t prepare your ground properly to receive the new turf, the chances of it failing to root properly are higher.
There are three main stages to laying turf:
- Preparing the ground
- Laying the turf
- Caring for your new lawn
Step 1: Preparing the ground
This is the most challenging work from a physical perspective, because you need to spend time breaking up compacted earth and removing weeds. Once you’ve done this, you also need to mix in garden compost or well-rotted manure to make the ground more suitable for grass.
Allow some time for the ground to settle once this preparation is completed – ideally several weeks if you can.
The final part of preparing the ground is making sure that the surface is both firm and level. The best way to achieve this is to walk across the area you’re planning to cover with turf with small, shuffling steps.
Do this several times, going in a different direction each time. Finally, rake the surface of the earth lightly, again going over the patch several times and in different directions.
Step 2: Laying the turf
Ideally, you should lay your turf within 24 hours of it being delivered. The most common approach is to start in one corner, working your way across the lawn. Lay your squares of turf in a staggered pattern, like you would if you were laying tiles in a brick-bond pattern.
As you lay each piece of turf, push it tight against its neighbour. While you’re working, avoid walking on your freshly laid grass. Instead, put boards down to protect the turf. Once all the turf is in place, use a tamper to gently press it into the ground.
Step 3: Caring for your new lawn
Scatter some compost onto your newly laid lawn and brush it into any gaps between the pieces of turf. Then give your turf a good water. If the weather stays dry after you’ve laid it, you need to water your grass every five to ten days to ensure it can set down strong roots and survive.