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Laying Turf Advice

Matt39Matt39 Posts: 3
in Problem solving

Hi All,

New to the forum and new to the gardening scene.

Looking for some advice if possible...I would like to lay turf down in the garden. 

We moved into the house a while back and there was a lot of pea shingle down. 

This has been removed and what looks like clay soil underneath. 

What steps would i need to take to lay turf on top of this? 

Thanks

Matt

Posts

  • Dave HedgehogDave Hedgehog Posts: 377

    If your soil is poor-draining, you may need to add some aggregate and sharp sand.

    Either way, the soil is best tillered/rotorated to a fine, crumbly mixture, down to at least 20cm or so and levelled out, with any stones or pebbles on the surface removed. A decent, high-grade topsoil (that isn't full of stones!) is ideal for laying and leveling the turf, ensuring the roots have a nice bed without air pockets or bumps to get the roots established evenly and quickly.

  • Matt39Matt39 Posts: 3

    Thank you for the quick reply. 

    Would you say to add compost before adding the top soil? Or just top soil would be enough? 

    Time to get levelling out :) 

    matt

  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117

    The ground will be quite compacted Matt, so a good bit of digging and mixing to get it in better condition will be beneficial. Unless you get high rainfall, and therefore, waterlogging in winter,  the topsoil will probably be enough to give you a nice medium to lay the turf, but you could add some compost and grit to the existing soil if it's very heavy - which is quite likely.   The better the drainage, the better the quality of the grass, eventually  image

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



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • Matt39Matt39 Posts: 3

    Thanks for the reply. image

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