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How to get a perfect lawn on clay soil

nad_84_nad_84_ Posts: 2
edited November 2019 in Tools and techniques
Hi all,
 

Apologies if this has been asked 1000 times over but I was after some help on the best way to lay turf on clay soil.

 A bit of background:

  • We’ve recently had an extension done and as you can imagine the back garden is  looking a little worse for wear.
  • I’m not hugely green fingered but I am good at applying myself so I want to ensure I do it right first time.
  • The soil is fairly clay heavy (I live in the Chilterns) which has been compacted with machinery.
  • The garden is small (35m2), sloping slightly away from the house.
  • My plan is to turf it, no flower beds due to the size.
  • The garden will eventually be used by children and dogs.

 

The Plan:

  • I’ve ordered in a 9bhp rotavator/cultivator for next Thursday (28th November) and ahead of then I plan on hitting all the weed with some roundup to ensure I don’t spread them.
  • I plan to then add some top soil
  • Then lay some turf on top and let is settle over the winter so it is good to go for the spring/summer. 

My questions:

  • How far down should I go with the rotavator/cultivator?
  • How long should I leave the soil after it’s been rotavated before adding topsoil?
  • Should I add anything to the clay to improve it? Gypsum? Lime? Grit? Sand? Nothing?
  • What type of top soil should I buy?
  • How much top soil is required for 35m2?
  • Should I add anything to the toil soil to help the turfs roots establish?
  • I believe it’s fine to lay turf at this time of year but is that actually true?

 Sorry for the barrage of questions, but I really want to ensure that I get it right as I don’t want to do this all again in 2 years time because I missed one small step.

I recognise that the lawn will need looking after during it’s lifetime and I am happy to do that, but I want to ensure I get it right.

Thank you


Posts

  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    No offence but- as soon as you add dogs and children to a lawn, trying to make it perfect is virtually pointless.
    Did you mean 35 square metres? 35 metres squared is a different size altogether.
    However- weedkiller is also pointless at this time of year as weeds have to be growing well for it to work. Even if they are, they won't have had time to die back thoroughly if you have a rotovator coming next week, so you could be chopping up weeds and creating more of them. You'd be better removing them by hand, or cancelling/delaying the rotovator.
    Heavy clay can be improved by the addition of rotted manure, compost and grit. All mixed together, then firmed and levelled, then raked. The problem with turfing at this time of year is that ground will lift and then settle over winter, so your lawn is likely to be uneven by spring, which means filling in all the dips with soil and reseeding.
    If you're in a milder area, you might get away with it though. 

    Sorry if that all sounds very negative. If it was my garden, I'd wait until next year, although if it's the first size, I'd hand weed, fork over and get the soil prepped etc to give it a chance to settle, then see how it is in spring.  Others may say otherwise :)
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • nad_84_nad_84_ Posts: 2

    Thanks for the quick response fairy girl.

     It’s a small garden, 35m2 total size, It’s circa 8 x 6m with a shed taking up some space.

    Ok I’ll remove them by hand then as it sounds like the weed killer will be in vain.

    I want to get cracking with the job as my free time is very limited, so even if I rotavate now and wait some time for the next steps.

    I live in the south east and it is generally warmer vs the rest of the UK, however it’s still the UK so I wont get the shorts out just yet

     Thanks for the advice re what to add to the clay soil, I have seen there are various top soils that are designed for clay, so I’d assume they are a combination of what you have mentioned.

     Dog and children… they will have to be under strict instruction

  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    Dogs and children eh?  ;)
    The winter weather can cause a few ups and downs with bare soil, hence the problem if you wanted to lay turf just now. It may well be fine, but it's expensive to do, even if it's a small area, and if the conditions are less than perfect, it can then be a waste of money. If you feel you can have a few weeks of reasonable weather and temps, to get the prep done and lay the turf, it should be ok. The south east does tend to be drier and more favourable than many areas.
    Clay soil is a great growing medium, but when it's been compacted by machinery etc, it becomes less hospitable for a nice bit of lawn. It may well be fine with a going over with a fork, but your own general climate has an impact. Lots of rain means it can waterlog, and if you have a lot of dry weather - it can crack. Anything you can do to get it to a nice structure will help, regardless of what topsoil you buy in.  :)
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
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