This Forum will close on Wednesday 27 March, 2024. Please refer to the announcement on the Discussions page for further detail.
New Turf dieing
res
Posts: 61
Laid some new turf on a front verge; seemed to be ok but of late looks like its dieing off with no growth and very brown. It sits under a large tree...
How do I try to save and bring back?
0
Posts
Can only repeat Dave's very good advice to water, water, water.
High summer is the worst time of year to lay new turf, too hot and dry. This year is exceptionally bad with very high temps and very little rain.
You're not alone though, have seen half a dozen similar querys on the forum over the past week.
Good luck.
Was it tamped well down? Maybe the roots haven't knitted in properly? Can you easily pull it up like a rug/carpet?
Yes, a daily drenching is best for any new lawn.
If the soil was not prepared correctly, the turf will not have been able to put down good roots or may lack necessary nutrients. As Kitty 2 suggests, if you can pull it up, then the soil may not have been well prepared and there isn't much chance that the turf will take. In that case, you should probably pull it up, prep the soil properly, and put it back down again. I would only try that if it is particularly loose and I would not make the attempt in particularly hot weather. Soak the turf with water after pulling it up to keep it at least damp until it goes back down.
If the turf is not loose, then keep watering and get your soil tested to see what nutrients and amendments you should and shouldn't add. There should be a local government organization or university that does that kind of testing and it is usually not at all expensive. The problem may just be that the turf is not a shade variety and so won't do that well in the shade no matter what you do. In that case, I would top dress and overseed with a shade mix. That is usually not something you would do in mid-summer but would wait until early fall.
LMHmedchem