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Laying turf over compacted hardcore
lwats80
Posts: 2
I am wanting to put a small area of lawn (with a border along the wall) in the area shown on that attached photo. I am planning to build a small wall, approx 150mm high and then fill up with soil and then lay the turf on that. The existing ground is very compacted hardcore laid on soil. It's been used as a drive for many years. Is it possible to simply put down the soil and then turf or will I need to prep the ground first?
Thanks
Laura
Last edited: 15 July 2016 14:01:28
0
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[URL=http://s1144.photobucket.com/user/lwats80/media/Mobile Uploads/IMAG1164_1_zpsslq3zrah.jpg.html][IMG]http://i1144.photobucket.com/albums/o495/lwats80/Mobile Uploads/IMAG1164_1_zpsslq3zrah.jpg[/IMG][/URL]
Last edited: 15 July 2016 14:13:10
Laura, click the camera icon at the top right of the reply box to upload an image. I've visited the link you gave above and have done that for you:
HI Laura, I can't open your attachments, but it doesn't really matter. You'll need to break the hardcore up before putting your soil on top. Unfortunately, drainage is important for grass to do well, so even if you're in a fairly dry area, excess rain will just 'sit' on top of the hardcore, making the soil boggy, which in turn will make the grass unhappy. It'll be worse during winter.
A good bit of digging with a fork to loosen it all might be enough, but if it's been a driveway, it'll be very compacted, so you may need to do a lot more than that to make it a viable base.
I think it may need something heavier duty than a fork!
Ooh - Bob's put the pic on
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
I agree with FG - try a fork first. If the area isn't too compacted all you would need to do is dig it over and lay some topsol on top. If it is loose enough to dig with a fork then it should provide good drainage and 15cm of topsoil would be fine for turfing on top of. If it's too hard to dig with a fork then you'll probably need to hire a mini digger (about £50 upwards a day.)