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Turf bought cheap in a heatwave - can I make it work?

tomrobson19tJcCJ4xDtomrobson19tJcCJ4xD Posts: 1
in Problem solving
Turfed new lawn area last week. I know its not usually recommended in this heat but needs must. I got some of the turf (the healthy looking part) from a garden centre, but they ran out, so sourced the rest from Homebase, where they said it had been out slightly too long so were giving it away. Thought it was worth the chance to see if it would work, and some small patches are doing ok but the rest is brown. Prepared soil well, added compost and some fertiliser and have been watering for 30 mins morning and evening with sprinkler shown.

Is it worth sticking with it and hoping it will work, or do I need to wait for more of the better stuff to come in? Opinions welcome.  

Posts

  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    That's just a dreadful waste of water IMO.
    Leave it until it rains properly, and if it doesn't  come back, take a view on it then and lay better stuff at  the right time of year.
    You can also sow seed later instead. 
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • BenCottoBenCotto Posts: 4,718
    I would water for much longer than 30 minutes twice a day. Two hours at a stretch, perhaps.

    I have never got round to checking this out but I was told once by somebody who had installed an irrigation system in his garden that because it was on a timer, and because the water only flowed in the small hours of the night, it was exempt from hose pipe bans. If this is true, get a timing device, Tom, and water around 2.00 to 4.00 am without guilt.
    Rutland, England
  • LynLyn Posts: 23,190
    It seems that the only county with hosepipe bans are Devon and Cornwall,  not that the reservoirs are low but they can’t get it treated quick enough for the amount that people use.   We have to cater for millions of people here on holidays.
    This is what they say about using hose.

    South East Water adds that its customers can water a lawn that has been laid within the last 28 days – you just need to ensure you water it outside of ‘peak hours’ (8am to 10am, then 5pm to 9pm).

    It states: ‘You may use a hosepipe to water newly laid turf in domestic gardens for 28 days after planting/laying in order to help them establish.

    ‘In order to do so you must be able to provide evidence of that date on which the gardening work was completed. Failure to do so and watering for longer than 28 days will be considered a breach of the conditions of the temporary use ban.’

    Gardening on the wild, windy west side of Dartmoor. 

  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    That really makes a mockery of having a ban to start with @BenCotto.
    Surely if they want to stop people wasting water, it should be a total ban, regardless of the time ?
    Obviously, for those producing food crops - farmers, commercial growers etc, that would be different, but a domestic garden isn't a necessity. If you were producing all your own food or helping to feed folk who are struggling to buy it or something, there could be an exception, in the way @Lyn's description is outlined, but grass is a luxury, not a necessity.  :)
    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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