Lovin’ your lawn

laying a new turf lawn is one of the quickest ways to improve a garden’s appearance, and it’s a job that’s well within the skill level of a home landscaper. The secret to getting it right is preparation. You can’t just roll out new turf over the top of an old lawn – a little ground prep is required first. But it’s worth the effort, as a lush green lawn will turn your yard into a garden and tie all the elements together beautifully.

The right preparation

To give turf its best chance to thrive, it needs to be laid onto a bed of loamy soil – not hard ground. The ideal soil is a free-draining medium, which also contains organic matter to help retain moisture – it’s often sold as ‘turf underlay soil’. The soil bed should be about 25-50mm deep, so when excavating for new turf, it’s important to allow for this depth, as well as the depth of the turf itself.

1 Turf has to be laid as soon as possible after it’s delivered – it dries out quickly during hot summer weather. Stack the rolls in a shady spot and spray with a fine mist of water to damp them down.

2 To create a circular lawn from turf, you’ll need to mark out the circle with set-out paint. Then trim the turf with a sharp knife, following the marked line.