Hi all, this is my first post, so be gentle!

I moved into my first home in August 2005 and the garden was a concrete jungle - paving slabs etc. so I decided that as well as planting some flower boxes I would lay some turf. I know nothing about gardening but wanted to be a bit more green.

I took up an area 3m x 5m of paying slabs to find about 8 inches of sand underneath. Because I live in a town house, it wasn't practical to dispose of the sand so I simply visited B&Q and brough enough turf to cover the area of, now levelled, sand.

The next day I spoke to a friend who said there was no chance of the grass surviving on sand. I was a bit upset by that notion but have continued to water the lawn and today have cut the now very thick, long and green grass (it's been 2 months since I laid it). It appears to have knitted together very well and looks healthy (although I know little about these things). I have not fed it yet as the plant food labels are against this for the first 6 months of laying the turf. I have tried to uproot the turf on a corner to see if it has rooted - the result is that I actually can't pull up the turf easily becuase it has rooted so well.

When I cut it today I left the cuttings on the lawn (this is called "mulching" so I understand and helps?).

My question is 1.) do you think it will survive all year and, 2.) should I feed it now? Any tips would be brill.

Thanks,

JACOBSDAD.

The next day I spoke to a friend who said there was no chance of the
grass surviving on sand. I was a bit upset by that notion but have
continued to water the lawn and today have cut the now very thick, long
and green grass (it's been 2 months since I laid it). It appears to have

My best guess is that it will do fine as long as you water and fertilize.
Regularly.

Sand actually holds a fair amount of water and makes it available to plants,
but it doesn't hold mineral nutrients very well (has very little CEC).
You don't mention the species of grass(es) you've planted, but I'd give
it several years of close care before I would expect the roots to be
down into the native soil underneath. It's probably going to be an
interesting balancing act... if you water too often, the roots aren't
going to go looking for water lower down; if you don't water enough,
you can desiccate the sod. I'd keep a spade handy to check on
things. Some of the various soil moisture granules made of polyacrylamide
may also be a useful adjunct.

I'd also topdress with thin (1/4", 5mm) layers of compost, well rotted manure
or other fine organic matter several times a year, and do what you can
to encourage worms and other soil critters to help you stir up your soil.

If wishes were fishes, and this had been my lawn, I probably would have
started with a deep rototilling or double-digging to incorporate the sand
into the soil, and probably have added a generous quantity of compost
to the situation. Then planted. Or I would have removed at least half
the sand and then tilled.

Kay


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I grew up where we have dirt, and was taught to water until there is
puddling. In the service I was sent to California, and our house had
grass on sand. I set out the sprinkler and after a few hour realized
that it would never puddle, as the water just drains through the sand.
I started watering more frequently, but for shorter periods, and the
grass prospered. Someone told me a local polo club, recently broken up
for development, had grass with roots approaching six feet, but it had
taken years to develop.

So you can grow grass on sand, but you have to be careful of how you
water, lest you wash the nutrients away from the roots, and of course
you don't want to water too long, especially with the cost of water
going up.

jacobsdad wrote:
Hi all, this is my first post, so be gentle!

I moved into my first home in August 2005 and the garden was a concrete
jungle - paving slabs etc. so I decided that as well as planting some
flower boxes I would lay some turf. I know nothing about gardening but
wanted to be a bit more green.

I took up an area 3m x 5m of paying slabs to find about 8 inches of
sand underneath. Because I live in a town house, it wasn't practical to
dispose of the sand so I simply visited B&Q and brough enough turf to
cover the area of, now levelled, sand.

The next day I spoke to a friend who said there was no chance of the
grass surviving on sand. I was a bit upset by that notion but have
continued to water the lawn and today have cut the now very thick, long
and green grass (it's been 2 months since I laid it). It appears to have
knitted together very well and looks healthy (although I know little
about these things). I have not fed it yet as the plant food labels are
against this for the first 6 months of laying the turf. I have tried to
uproot the turf on a corner to see if it has rooted - the result is
that I actually can't pull up the turf easily becuase it has rooted so
well.

When I cut it today I left the cuttings on the lawn (this is called
"mulching" so I understand and helps?).

My question is 1.) do you think it will survive all year and, 2.)
should I feed it now? Any tips would be brill.

Thanks,

JACOBSDAD.