Tradepoint: How to lay turf in your garden

Laying turf in your garden is a process than can take a few weeks, with time needed both to prepare the ground and to let the lawn settle afterwards.

However, done properly a lawn can be the perfect way to liven up an outside space.

In this blog, we’ll cover the steps that you’ll need to follow if you choose to do the job yourself.

The first thing you need to do is to prepare the current soil for the new turf. Taking a spade, you’ll need to  ‘turn over’ the soil to help loosen it.

Then, add some compost to the area where the turf will go. You could also use water saving gel.

Once you’ve added enough, you’ll then need to firm down the soil to help remove any air pockets. To do this you can lightly tread on the area where you just scattered the compost.

Allow the soil to settle

This is the first stage. It is then important to allow the soil to settle for at least two weeks.

Make sure you water the soil often, and you can also add fertiliser and use a rake to mix it through.

It’s then time to measure the space.

You’ll need to work out the surface area in square metres, and then add 10% to this figure. 

Once you know how much turf you’ll need, you’re ready for the next step!

Top tip: It’s a good idea to use timber boards as a platform when laying turf, and it is advised that you order turf to arrive the day that you are planning to lay it.

Start by taking a small section of the turf and placing it in a corner of the area you want to cover. Once it is down and you are happy with the positioning, pat it down using your hands. Then take the flat part of a rake and pat the turf down using this. Repeat this method, making sure that the edges of the turf strips are packed tightly together.

To seal the edges of the turf you can always add more topsoil, and any gaps at the end can be filled with seeds.

Once the turf has all been put down, it’s important that you water this daily, and allow a further two-three weeks for the grass to become rooted.

To watch a detailed step-by-step video on how to lay turf, check out this useful video: