Laying a lawn

For many of us in the UK the first signs of spring bring out the great British obsession with obtaining the perfect lawn, whether formally striped flanked by bedding, left to grow wild, or simply an area for the kids to play, lawns form the largest part of most gardens. This is probably down to the fact that lawns are a cheap way of covering a large area, added with the versatility you get from the unique way grass grows, makes it the perfect ground cover plant. Unlike most other plants new shoots on grass grows from the base of the plant just above soil level. This is why constant cutting reinvigorates grass and encourages new shoots to grow, whereas it would quickly exhaust other plants.

Despite its importance in the garden, grass is often thrown down without much thought. However the better the preparation the better the lawn will be in the years to come. At Harlow Carr we are in the middle of some large changes to the garden, lifting some areas of lawn and laying others. When creating these new lawns we have put as much time as possible into the preparation, even if this means in the short term the areas look disused and unsightly, we know that in the long run we will see the benefits of a properly laid lawn.

The first thing you will need to decide when creating a new lawn is whether to use seed or turf. Both have their own advantages, however, for the purpose of this article I am going to stick to talking just about turf.

When preparing soil, many will say that the preparation for turf requires a lot less work than for seed which needs to be a fine tilth (bread crumb like structure) for the seed to settle and germinate evenly. However I would urge you to treat them both the same and aim to get a fine tilth no matter which you decide to use. The end result will leave you with a precise level lawn and ensure that maximum contact is made with the turf roots and soil.

You should be aiming for your soil to be a sandy loam, this will have good drainage and allow the fine roots to spread down to a good depth in the soil. This may require buying in good quality top soil or simply working sand into the top layer of soil on the intended area. This should then be roughly raked out to the intended level removing stones or unwanted debris. Once a rough rake is complete the soil will need to be treaded to remove any air pockets or areas which may sink at a later date. This is done by walking across the site with your weight on your heals in a waddling penguin fashion. Once again get the rake out and level the area working the soil into a tilth, this process is repeated again until the required height and level is achieved, and with each turn the soil should become more workable and to the point of a fine tilth. Once this is achieved you are ready to start laying.

Turf should be laid as if building a wall, with the joints staggered. Putting a layer around the edge first of all can be advantageous, especially on a lawn that isn’t square. Then fill in the centre, being careful not to stand on any turf that has been put down, scaffold boards can come in useful here to work off and spread your weight over the newly laid turf, this will also help press the turf down, ensuring it is flat and in contact with the soil. A bread knife is a useful tool to cut off any loose ends or to fit turf into the required space. It is always best to keep the turf cuts as large as possible and in the centre of the lawn to reduce the possibility of it drying out. Keep off the lawn for around 4-6 weeks to allow the roots to establish and keep well watered.

Once all your hard work is done, you should be able to sit back on a deck chair and admire your green oasis, of lush thick green grass while sipping on a refreshing drink, maybe flicking through a magazine picking out a new lawn mower to get the best cut and be the envy of the neighbours!

Top Tips for Turfing

• Spend time on soil preparation.

• When ordering, add a little extra to allow for awkward corners and cut offs.

• Have handy tools ready, such as scaffolding boards, edging iron and bread knife.

• Tap turf down well with the head of a rake or using scaffolding boards.

• Keep off and water well for 4-6weeks.

DIARY DATES

Sat 18 – Sun 19 April, 10am - 4pm

Spring Gardening and Wildlife Weekend

Come and share in the RHS’s wealth of gardening knowledge to celebrate National Gardening Week. Round up the family and discover the joys of growing plants to help encourage and support wildlife in your own garden. It doesn’t matter how much space you have or your level of experience, there will be something to interest everyone.