Spongy grass

sking5 · January 2022

Hi All, I have a new build property, the lawn was laid in August and is still very spongy. I live in South England so we have had a lot of rain, I don't know if that's what is causing it and hope it dries out in spring and summer or if there is a more serious problem. I have tried forking it but no improvement. Any ideas or suggestions?

Fairygirl · January 2022

It's a common problem with new builds. Loads of rubbish under compacted ground, a thin layer of soil chucked down and turf stuck on top.
Things that don't suit healthy grass unfortunately. It probably hasn't rooted properly, and won't have much below ground to sustain it, and what it does have may be solid and inhospitable for the roots.
There isn't an awful lot you can do, other than lifting it and amending the ground before relaying new turf, or seeding. Grass doesn't need a huge depth of soil, but it needs enough to keep the root system.

Jenny_Aster · January 2022

We moved into our new build during the 1st week of September last. During the first week of moving in the landscapers arrived to lay the turf. The garden did have (what I think) about 6in of topsoil (covering what - I've yet to discover). The landscapers lightly rotavated the topsoil, then racked the soil to level it out, then they rolled out the turf. The workmen (two of them) used planks to kneel on while rolling out the turf. The last bit they did was to place the planks on the 'seems' of the turf, and they then walked on the planks to compress the soil. That's all the compressing of the soil they did - they never used a roller.

I was left with instructions not to walk on the turf for a while, and to keep it well watered. Keeping off the turf wasn't really an option when you've got a frisky German shepherd. The grass now feels quite firm, though it's not perfect, it'll be a work-in-progress.

sking5 · January 2022

Thanks for replying, the grass has been laid upon over 500mm of new topsoil and there wasn't rubble underneath it so it should be rooting ok. Hopefully it will settle and improve over the summer, it's 100ft so I can't afford to lift it and replace it if it does die

Fairygirl · January 2022

In shadier sites, grass can be spongy because it's largely mossy at this time of year. My front garden is largely moss over winter, until it gets a bit drier and the grass can get going.
Is yours grassy or is it mossy?
The amount of water new turf needs is enormous too. A large site like yours would need persistent rain for several hours every day to keep it healthy in the first couple of months, if laid in August.
If it needed manual watering [in a dry spell] it's even harder. An area of about 5m x 5 metres would need about an hour's watering each day [ at least] to soak it thoroughly and keep it hydrated enough until the following day

Spongy grass

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