Help laying new turf...please!

 
So, I'm about to lift some turf and lay some new turf as well as
extending the area. However, I'm very much a garden novice and have a
couple of questions I'd like to ask you lovely people.


1. Do I have to add top soil to the area before laying the new turf? Or
can I just add sand to the existing soil? (I have it on good authority
that the garden soil is very fertile)


2. Do I have to do the ground preperation immediately before laying the
new turf or can I do it the day before?


3. The area I'm using to extend the lawn has existing weeds. After
removing the weeds should I use weedkiller on the soil or will this
effect the new turf.


4. Away from the new lawn now - I'm also putting up some raised decking.
I've cleared an area which was heavy with weeds. Should I put some
weedkiller on the soil before laying a membrane or will the membrane be
enough to keep the weeds at bay?


I would be very greatfull if someone would be kind enough to provide me
with some advice on these issues.




--
jamie23

 
jamie23;929437 Wrote:

hi, go over it with a rake to get a fine level tilth,the day before is
fine.probably better to spray then remove them in a couple of weeks,or
just hand weed, no point in weed killer once theyre out.


regarding the membrane, it depends on the type of weed, but really you
should spray and leave them to die down for a couple of weeks before
putting it down. or pull them out, some weeds like brambles could pop
through. also some membrane is better than others.




--
fletcher

 
You need to ensure that the ground you will be laying onto is weed and
debris free, best done by going over a few times with a rake.

Following this, your lawn needs to be as level as you want it to be, as
you don't want a wonky lawn! You will need to ensure that as your raking
the soil, you need to treat it with a good quality fertilizer and a good
water, and then it is ready to lay.

When laying the turf, you need to ensure theres a certain amount of
pressure to the turf sits nicely on your soil, and its always best to
tap it down by laying a plank of wood across the joints in the turf and
tapping it with a hammer to ensure its packed.

Last thing to do puncture a few holes in the top of your turf (most
people do this with a rake), and you need to sprinkle some good quality
topsoil over the top of the turf, followed by brushing it in with a fine
sweeping brush!

Hope this helps!

Matt




--
gardenermatt

 On Jul 12, 4:06 am, gardenermatt <gardenermatt.
891b...@gardenbanter.co.uk> wrote:

I can just see doing this on a 5000 sq ft lawn.  Must be a real joy.
And the point to making holes with a rake is?



That sounds about as useful and practical as the previous step.
Ever see pros do either of these?

 trader4@optonline.net said:


Ever see anything worthwhile come from Gardenbanter?  =P   c'mon man... get a
newsreader. You're still the only G2 poster that I upscore.  =)
--

Eggs

-I started out with nothing... I still have most of it.