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Tired of your backyard kingdom looking like a battlefield from a medieval turf war?

Our 'so-called' dry Winter has managed to produce ‘once-in-a-hundred-year’ rainfalls over the South-East Region… damaging our backyards and leaving us with a decision – Revive the old grass or install new turf?

Assuming your yard is ‘beyond repair’, let’s get ready to roll out the green carpet and resurrect that tired-looking yard with some tips on laying new turf.

Choosing Your Turf

Just like choosing the flooring for inside your home, deciding on the variety of turf you need should be based on a few factors

Functionality: Choose a hard-wearing, low maintenance turf for high traffic areas such as Bermuda or Couch.
Looks: While all lawns varieties look great when green and lush, if it’s an area you wish to make a ‘Grand-Statement’, a Zoysia Variety can create that ‘High-end’ feel.
Yard aspect: If your area gets plenty of direct sunlight, then all varieties should be OK. However, in areas that get reduced sunlight throughout the day, Buffalo Broadleaf turf is more ‘shade-tolerant’
Location: Regional factors such as low rainfall, average temperatures and seaside locations can all affect lawn sustainability so you will need to choose a variety that suits the prevailing conditions.
Cost: We can’t all afford to have lawns that resemble the Palace Grounds or Augusta Golf Club, so budget will come into play… but always remember you ‘get what you pay for’ and usually skimping on cheap turf means greater monetary outlay to keep it alive!

Preparation Is EVERYTHING!

Like anything in life, good preparation is imperative to creating a hardy, good-looking lawn. Key elements to consider are

Clear the Area: Remove all weeds, rocks, and debris from the site before laying the turf. You may need to spot-poison any unwanted weeds or grasses.
Culvitate The Soil: Dig over the entire area to a depth of about 15-20 cm to improve drainage and root growth.
Install Underturf Soil: Adding a layer of organic underturf soil across the area will provide a healthy planting media for the turf roots to strike and gain nutrients while it gets established. Depending on the quality of the ground after cultivation, allow for between 50mm to 100mm depth and use a soil spreader bar (or a bobcat if it’s a large area!) to ensure the area is level prior to turf installation. Maybe even consider adding an underturf starter or wetting crystals to help reduce moisture loss.

Laying The Turf

So you have chosen your turf and the area is prepped. Let’s get into the hard yards.

Ordering Turf: Try to organize your turf delivery on the day, or day prior, to installation. The longer the delivered turf sits in a stack, the higher risk of it dying before you even have a chance to lay it. This means ensuring all your prep work, including underturf soil, is complete before the delivery.
Start Straight: Begin laying the first roll along the longest straight edge of your lawn, such as a path or boundary.
Stagger the Joints: Lay subsequent rolls in a staggered, brick-like pattern to create strong, stable joints and prevent water channelling. This may mean cutting a slab or roll in half to fit into the pattern.
Butt Edges Tightly: Push the edges of the turf rolls tightly together so there are no gaps, but avoid stretching the turf. You may want to use a plank of wood or a large piece of cardboard to stand on to prevent making footprints in the soft underturf soil.
Give it a Roll: Once the turf is laid, get your hands on a turf roller ( hire one or borrow from the lawn fanatic in your street) to maintain an even surface level and help embed the turf sod into the under turf soil.

After Laying

Unfortunately, new turf isn’t ‘set-and-forget’ activity. Once the job is done, make sure of the following

Water Immediately: Water the entire new lawn thoroughly right after laying to ensure the turf and soil are saturated.
Keep Watering: Water the lawn 2-3 times a day in hot conditions and keep it moist until it is fully established, which could take a few weeks.
Avoid Traffic: If possible, keep all foot traffic (and anything heavier!) off the new lawn until the roots have firmly anchored into the soil.
Mow for Establishment: Time for it's first mow when you can no longer pull the turf up, meaning the roots are established.

Tools Of The Trade

You don’t need to be a qualified landscaper to refresh your lawn, but you will need good quality tools for the job. Make sure you have these items