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Laying topsoil over existing lawn before re-turfing?

markcoopAODnTHOcmarkcoopAODnTHOc Posts: 2
in Tools and techniques
Hello, I'm looking to lay a new lawn.

 I plan to kill off the old lawn with strong weed killer.

The existing lawn is going to be raised up approx 10cm. Can I just lay topsoil over the top rather than removing the old lawn?

Also, could I put a weed membrane over the old lawn before the topsoil?

Thanks in advance.

Mark

Posts

  • gunndabadgunndabad Posts: 35
    Better to remove old turf. Old turf will degrade over time so your levels will sink and could end up quite uneven. 
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    You can certainly put more soil down and lay new turf, or seed, but - if you're doing that, there's no need for membrane or weedkiller. Scalping the old grass first helps too.
    You'd only need weed killer if the whole area was covered in persistent weeds, but you'd also have to wait until they were growing well or it won't be effective. You'd then need to weed a few weeks until all the weedkiller had dissipated, so that it didn't affect anything new.  

    You'll need a decent edging to contain it, but i expect you know that.  :)

    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • RedwingRedwing Posts: 1,511
    Why do you want to kill off the old lawn? 

    Best not to use membrane or weed killer.  Membrane is a terrible idea as the worms will not be able to work.
    Based in Sussex, I garden to encourage as many birds to my garden as possible.
  • rossdriscoll13rossdriscoll13 Posts: 234
    @markcoopAODnTHOc you need to remove the old turf before laying anything new either by hand or using a turf cutter (you can hire these).  Leaving an existing lawn, even if you kill it with weedkiller, can cause problems later down the line.
  • Busy-LizzieBusy-Lizzie Posts: 24,043
    I agee, strip the turf and don't use a membrane. Is your existing lawn worth saving?
    Dordogne and Norfolk. Clay in Dordogne, sandy in Norfolk.
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