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New Build Garden
brxd-jvL3IPq
Posts: 1
Hi all,
I’ve recently moved into a new build property where there was no turf to the rear garden.
I wanted to try and save a bit of money by sowing grass seed as opposed to turfing the rear garden.
Although they claimed there was already a few inches of topsoil down, it appeared to be of poor quality and during the wet weather it was evident it had very poor drainage. I rotivated the whole area and added an extra 2 tonnes of topsoil of a better quality, levelled it out as best as I could and then spread the seed.
It hasn’t stopped raining for the past week and the drainage doesn’t look as though it has improved.
This photo was taken yesterday and as it has continued to rain therefore it is slightly worse at current.
My question is, what can I do to improve the drainage?
Will grass seed grow in these conditions?
Is it more sensible to fork out a little bit extra and turf the rear garden?
Any advice welcome and very much appreciated.
I’ve recently moved into a new build property where there was no turf to the rear garden.
I wanted to try and save a bit of money by sowing grass seed as opposed to turfing the rear garden.
Although they claimed there was already a few inches of topsoil down, it appeared to be of poor quality and during the wet weather it was evident it had very poor drainage. I rotivated the whole area and added an extra 2 tonnes of topsoil of a better quality, levelled it out as best as I could and then spread the seed.
It hasn’t stopped raining for the past week and the drainage doesn’t look as though it has improved.
This photo was taken yesterday and as it has continued to rain therefore it is slightly worse at current.
My question is, what can I do to improve the drainage?
Will grass seed grow in these conditions?
Is it more sensible to fork out a little bit extra and turf the rear garden?
Any advice welcome and very much appreciated.
0
Posts
Although you rotivated the area it doesn't go deep enough so the soil is still compacted by the building and groundworks. It is also probably clay.
You will have to wait and see if your grass seed germinates but if it does it will most likely be patchy.
If you want a lawn soon turf is the only option and growing grass will take up some water but whether that will be enough you won't know until winter.
I'm afraid if you want to sort the drainage you will need to take of the top soil and dig over the underlying soil.
The other option is to lay turf then aerate the lawn with a machine or a garden fork, brush sharp sand into the holes and repeat for several years!
Couple of helpful videos
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Ni21T_hrkMc
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=J2Tv-ML36r0
In these type of situations laying a lawn is almost seen as an automatic assumption or choice.
If you Google "small garden design" you'll find quite a few great suggestions that don't involve grass.