Turfing your new lawn

Laying the turf

It is best to lay the turf as soon as possible after delivery as the turf can suffer if left rolled up to long especially during the summer.

Start laying along a the nearest side of the lawn, ideally on a straight edge. The turf should be laid in end to end in rows. Each row should be staggered in brickwork fashion so the joins in the previous row don't meet each other. This means starting every other row with a half length of turf to eliminate the joins meeting.

While laying the turf it is important not to walk on previously laid turf, always use boards or planks to walk on. As the turf is laid it can be lightly firmed down using the back of a flat rake head. Never hit it with a spade. For any turf that need cutting use a half moon or edging iron that is sharp.

Aftercare

If the turf is laid in the spring or summer it may need watering on a regular basis to help it establish and to stop the turf drying out and shrinking. Give the turf enough water so that it soaks through turf into the root zone underneath but don't over water so the turf is flooded.

Again if the turf was laid in the growing season it will need mowing when necessary. Turf can be mown about a week after laying, aim to just top the lawn to begin with using a small rotary mower or flymo. During the first few weeks try and keep off the turf, so only mow when necessary and make sure the ground is firm whilst mowing at this early stage.

If the turf was laid during the autumn or winter months there will be less initial maintenance as the growth is slow during this period. However once into the growing season the turf should have rooted and firmed up well leaving you with a new established lawn.

Which ever route you choose the success of lawn will depend on you site preparation and especially your maintenance program after the lawn is established. You can purchase the finest grade turf but if the correct site preparation and maintenance program are not adhered to you lawn can quickly deteriorate.