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Flattening a newly laid lawn.
BML
Posts: 151
I had a new lawn laid and it looks a bit bumpy to me. I have a heavy device that was used to flatten down paths which is a large heavy piece of iron on the end of a steel pole and takes a lot of effort. I wonder if one of those hand operated vibrating motorised devices used to do hand work with tarmacadam could be used and would not flatten the turf to much.
0
Posts
When you say 'bumpy' do you mean the edges of the turves are raised/uneven or do you mean that there are larger areas of bumps and hollows? Sometimes the edges of the turves can take a while to settle and knit together ... however if it's larger areas of bumps etc I would not be at all happy with the firm laying the turf and would expect them to come out and rectify.
I would not attempt to flatten it with the implement you describe ... the last thing a lawn needs is compaction.
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
The area is generally uneven and I want it to be flat. You said, "I would not attempt to flatten it with the implement you describe ... the last thing a lawn needs is compaction." What about our local cricket field where they spend much time rolling the wicket?
Afternoon All
Rolling is the only true way of flattening a bumpy lawn.Using any squre plate etc would result in square indentations that you will not get by using a roller
Happy gardening
Jolly G
Rolling an established cricket square is a very different thing to using a 'whacker plate' on newly laid turf.
Who laid this turf for you? Did they prepare the area properly?
http://www.gardenersworld.com/how-to/maintain-the-garden/how-to-prepare-ground-for-a-new-lawn/
https://www.rolawn.co.uk/preparing-to-lay-turf
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
Don't use the hand tamper to compact the lawn.
You can lift the turf and use a rake to rake down the highs into the lows, OR just do a top dress a couple of times with topsoil once the grass has established in spring
A whacker device would be a mistake, particularly if you have clay soil. It would really damage the soil structure, especially this time of year.
What about filling in dips with a top soil and seeding it?
It sounds simple and ideal to to that but actually very difficult to do. This can only work in very slight dips and mild undulations. Sounds like you can visually see the bumps. It's better to peel off the turf layers and re-rake the soil underneath until it is even and flat. Then place the turf back on top.
If you paid someone recently to lay this turf I'd have them back to do the job properly.
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
I agree with dovefromabove. The surface should have been levelled and firmed down before the turf was laid. For the customer it's almost impossible to tell how good a job has been done at the time, because you can't walk on it to check.