Laying down fresh turf is not as simple as just installing it and hoping for the best – you need to take steps to prepare the ground in advance. Preparation is essential for any project, and laying turf is no exception; if you forego this, then you might not be able to get all the benefits of a beautiful lawn. In this article, we’ll go over the essential steps of preparing the ground so that you can get the most out of your turf.
1. Remove plants and debris
You need a clear canvas for the lawn; this means you will have to remove as much plant material as possible, and not just the weeds – grass, leaves, and roots too. You could do it using just a typical spade, but you might want to use a turf cutter or hire a professional for this. Adding weed killer to the mix can also help. Keep in mind that you’ll be able to recycle all of your green waste too.
2. Dig the soil
With your garden tools such as a rotovator or a garden fork, you should dig into the soil and ensure there are no bricks, larger-sized stones, or other debris. We generally recommend that you dig out around 15cm of topsoil so that there is plenty to work with – if you cannot do this, you should add some extra soil to the area.
3. Improve the soil quality
Similarly, if your soil has too much sand in it and struggles to maintain water, you might want to improve the actual quality of your soil. A helpful way to test this is to squeeze the topsoil into a tight ball – this ball should fall apart if you poke it. If you can’t ball up the soil, there is too much sand; if it doesn’t fall apart, there is too much clay. Either would make things difficult for your turf, so you should get some extra compost or fresh soil to combat this.
4. Rake the soil
If your soil is high in both supply and quality, now is the time to rake it – this smoothens it out and removes any significant bumps that might not gel with the turf. You want a flat surface across the board to ensure the turf neatly applies to the soil; people in the business often compare it to the texture of an apple crumble.
5. Firm the soil
Now you must manually firm the soil yourself – this means walking all over the area in your boots and pressing the ground as you do; this prevents it from being too ‘fluffy’ for turf. Do this a few times to be sure, as you need a stable and sturdy surface for turf to be at its best.
6. Add feed and re-rake
You should pre-emptively add a pre-turf feed to the soil as this will help the grass quickly adapt to the ground; it will help them make their roots and get off to a good, healthy start. Be sure to rake over the soil again to aid the fertiliser and make sure everything is as level as it should be; now, you’re ready to order and install your turf.
By following these steps, you will be able to ensure your turf perfectly meshes with the soil in a way that helps it reach its full potential. Sunshine Coast Turf and Landscapes can provide and install high-quality turf at competitive prices – for more on our turf and how we can use it to make your garden stand out, feel free to get in touch.
