Creating a new lawn
andyjtoy
Posts: 2
Hi All
Last year I moved into a new build property where we were acquired a garden which was just soil (most likely mixed with some builders waste). Due to other financial commitments we decided to leave the garden and over the past year or so, it has become a field containing grass and weeds.
I have a couple of times used a strimmer to control the growth, however now has come the time where we have decided to landscape the whole garden. Three weeks ago I sprayed RoundUp over all grass and weeds and two weeks ago I layer a new patio.
Now I am moving onto the garden. Almost all of the green grass and weeds have died off. I plan to remove by hand anything that has survived. The garden is about 150m2 in size and I am wondering what my next step needs to be.
I plan on raking the dead grass or thatch to remove it but this is unlikely to remove everything particularly the roots. Considering almost everything is dead (brown or while in colour) can I simply rotovate the remainder into the soil? I decided this afternoon to try to pull all the dead roots out by hands but 150m2 is proving a large area!!
Ultimately my plan will then be to level the garden, add topsoil (approx 6") and sow grass seeds within the next 4-5 weeks (by mid-September).
I would appreciate your thoughts and help.
Cheers
Andy
Posts
Hi Mike
Thanks for your useful response. I have spent the last 2.5 days with a fork lifting the soil and removing anything that remotely looks like it was once vegetation (now dead after the RoundUp application). At the same time I have removed any roots and large stones! The problem is I am not even a 1/4 of the way through the garden yet and my back is sore from the constant bending over and crouching down.
I keep saying to myself that despite the slow progress, it will all be worth it in the end. At the same time, I keep wondering if i am wasting my time as all the grass and weeds and their roots are all dead and therefore will not grown back! Shall I continue removing everything or can I literally just use the fork to turn the soil over without the slog of removing all the dead matter? Naturally if I see anything that looks remotely alive or needs removing I shall remove it.
Unfortunately I cannot used a mechanical sod cutter because the grass and weeds are not from an old lawn. It is all the stuff that has naturally grown on the uneven soil and builders waste acquired with the new build property. Someone said to get a digger in and remove the grass and weeds that way. The reason i havent done that is because I am trying to keep as much of the soil as I can.
Once I have been over the whole garden with a fork, the plan is to get a micro digger in to move the earth/soil around in order to level the garden. I have already built a retaining wall about 50cm high to help with this. No doubt the digger with unearth further unwanted roots and stones which will be removed.
I have noticed that the soil is different in different areas of the garden. In some areas it crumbles in your hand and in other areas it is heavy and is very very hard to break apart! I presume the 'hard to break' apart means it is a heavy clay type soil. I have heard that adding sharp sand to clay soil helps however how do I do this when it is so heavy and in large clumps and very difficult to break up?
Once the ground is level, the plan is to then bring in good quality topsoil. Considering the quality of soil I already have, what thickness of topsoil would to lay? A 4" layer will mean I will need around 20 tonnes, a 6" layer will be about 30 tonnes and very expensive!!
Cheers