Hi there, we are working on our back garden and looking to get some grass grown for our kids to enjoy. As you can see from the photos the grass that is left is patchy and weed ridden, so we were thinking of digging it up and laying some turf for a quicker fix than planting seed. The only issue is that the area is on a slight slope, and ideally we wish to raise the slope so that there is no drop down when stepping off of the tarmac paths. We thought we would dig up the current "grass", turn it over, bring in some topsoil to raise the height of the slope, and then turf on top. Does this sound like a feasible option? And if so, can anyone give us advice or tips to improve on that? Otherwise, any other options would appreciated.

On Mon, 2 Jul 2012 11:19:37 +0000, jhughe32 wrote:

Hi there, we are working on our back garden and looking to get some
grass grown for our kids to enjoy. As you can see from the photos the
grass that is left is patchy and weed ridden, so we were thinking of
digging it up and laying some turf for a quicker fix than planting seed.
The only issue is that the area is on a slight slope, and ideally we
wish to raise the slope so that there is no drop down when stepping off
of the tarmac paths. We thought we would dig up the current "grass",
turn it over, bring in some topsoil to raise the height of the slope,
and then turf on top. Does this sound like a feasible option? And if so,
can anyone give us advice or tips to improve on that? Otherwise, any
other options would appreciated.

Sounds like a whole lot of work to me. I'd lay down a light occlusive mulch
like old carpet upside down or multiple layers of newspaper or my favorite
corrugated cardboard. In a couple of months, virtually everything under
will be dead, and you can till the newspaper or rotting cardboard into the
soil, along with whatever you've decided for soil amendments. Till deeply
and thoroughly, rake into the contours you want, and plant.

Remember fresh sod is fragile stuff, and the kids will have to stay off it
(as well as seedling grass) till the roots are well established. Early
fall is a great time to plant either seed or sod of cool season grasses,
and you'll have less of a burden watering them and keeping them at the
correct temperature in the fall than in summer.

Do you know how to do a soil shake test? That will tell you a lot about what
amendments you might want for the soil. When I hear someone saying they're
going to add something to the soil without saying what problem they're trying
to correct, I start getting a little nervous.

I don't know if you can get this book easily over there, and it's a bit old,
but it's the title I give to beginning gardeners. There's a very nice
set of chapters on soil, water, light, weeds, etc., as well as one on lawns.
As you can guess from the name, it's geared to organic gardening; even if you
prefer to use, say, synthetic fertilizers, it's a good foundation for
understanding the basics of gardening and why certain factors are important.
http://www.worldcat.org/title/rodales-chemical-free-yard-garden-the-ultimate-authority-on-successful-organic-gardening/oclc/22810546&referer=brief_results

Looks like it might be available on amazon.co.uk for a couple quid.

I'd take my time choosing what species to plant... for instance, there
are some seeds that are called "high endophyte" -- they've been inoculated
with a "good fungus" that actually lives inside the grass plant and helps
the plant resist various diseases and problems. You've got kids, so you'll
want to choose strains of grasses that will resist a lot of foot traffic,
not the ones used for golf greens. By choosing wisely, you can reduce
the amount of work and effort you'll need to pour into a lawn.

Kay

Thanks very much for that informative reply. We've followed pretty much exactly what you said and so far it has worked great. turf being laid tomorrow! thanks again.