On Sat, 21 Aug 2010 12:56:08 +0200, Timothy Murphy
wrote:

Any advice on laying turf on a newly dug patch?

Hi Timothy. How's the border coming?

For laying turf, probably best to wait until October. In the meantime,
prepare the ground properly - dig it over, remove all the stones and
get it level. Then leave it to lie for a bit and remove any weeds that
germinate - preparation is the key.

Then choose the turf carefully bearing in mind the use the lawn will
have. Type something like "choosing turf" in your browser's seach box
and you'll get links to loads of advice on choosing the type.

It's best to order the turf, either for delivery to you if it's a lot
or to a local garden centre if the load is small enough to get in your
car, rather than just take what might be on offer at the garden centre
- the rolls there could have been waiting for a buyer for a long time
and will have deteriorated. Aim for a delivery date no more than a
week before you plan to lay the lawn. The turf will come in rolls
which can be stored for about 3-4 days but if you need to store them
for longer before laying, unroll them.

Again about a week or two before laying, feed the soil (Growmore for
example), rake the feed in and do a final prep job on the soil to get
it nice and level,a good tilth, weed free and all that.

It's an idea to make yourself a "tamper" - screw a piece of board,
about a foot square, to the end of a pole (at right angles to the
pole) - to use to press (not beat) the turves down as you lay them.
And get a good strong plank of wood - stand on that, not on the newly
laid turf or on the bit of the area you haven't turfed - spread your
weight!

Also make some "filler" for the cracks - something like 50%
horticultural sand, 30% fine loamy compost and 20% peat substitute
(coir) is my formula.

Then choose a dry day, when the ground isn't waterlogged but is a bit
moist, start along one edge of the patch and lay a line of turves,
make sure the edges are butted close together and use the tamper to
gently but firmly press the turves onto the soil. Then start the
second row, placing the turves so that the joins are half way along
the length of the first row (like a brick wall would be). And so on.

Fill the cracks between the turves with your filler mix and work it in
with a broom or back of a rake. If you want curved edges, you can cut
them at the end of the job or leave for a while to let the turves
start to knit into the soil and then cut them after a few weeks.

Then stay off the lawn. If you must go onto it to remove a weed or
something, use your plank. If the weather gets dry make sure the lawn
is watered (the October/November weather usually takes care of that!)
In the spring, the lawn should start to grow. Around April give it a
good feed with a lawn fertiliser (check the label to make sure it's
suitable for a young lawn - some are not). And now you don't need your
plank! Enjoy the new lawn. But remember if you get weeds, check any
weedkiller instructions carefully - best not to use most until the
lawn's a year old, removing them by hand is better.

That's my method but remember that if you assemble 10 gardeners there
will be 10 different methods. Others will no doubt offer alternatives
- take your pick. Enjoy.

Jake