Preparation

Now that your turf is on the way, the ground preparation work can begin.

As turf is a living plant, we always recommend that it is laid within 24 hours of delivery, to ensure that rooting can start straight away and important nutrients are retained to give your lawn a healthy glow.

Tools that are required for ground preparation are:

Sharp spade, Rotovator, Rake, Wheelbarrow, Half-moon edger (or sharp knife), Boards.

Before preparation can get under way, you need to prepare the area. There are different ways to do this depending on what type of garden you have. We have listed the most common below.

Albar Turf

Albar Turf

New Garden:

If you have a new garden, the builders will probably have left you with a top soiled garden.

This is perfect, as the only thing you need to do is spray the area with a weed killer before beginning ground preparation. Weed killer can be purchased from most garden centres.

Please remember to follow the manufacturer guidelines carefully.

Existing Lawn:

If your current lawn is full of moss or weeds, the best method is always to replace the old lawn with new turf.

Firstly, the garden should be sprayed with weed killer (available from most garden centres. Please follow the manufacturer guidelines carefully). A sharp spade should then be used to cut under the grass until the whole lawn is removed.

Ground preparation has now begun. Soil needs to be turned over to a depth of 15cm, either by using a spade or a rotovator. A pre-turfing fertiliser (please see our Products page for further details) should then be raked into the soil. The garden should then be levelled. This is done by using a rake to ensure that the surface is smooth.

We would also recommend spreading a 25mm sand base over the area to help achieve consistent levels and also to help with drainage directly below the turf. Please see our Products page for details on sand, soil, peat and compost.

Laying the Turf:

Start by using one strip of turf around the outside of your lawn. Avoid using small strips at the edges, as these may dry out and perish. Turf can be shaped to follow gently curved borders around your garden. Lay the first row along the longest straight row and work across the law, staggering the joints in each row – as in brickwork. Butt and push the edges and ends against each other but do not stretch the turf. Use a sharp knife or half-moon spade to cut the end of a row.

Avoid walking on the newly laid turf. It’s a good idea to place boards down to walk along and work on. This will also help ensure that the turf has full contact with the soil.

If you have any questions laying the turf, all of our drivers are highly skilled and will be able to help with any problems and will leave you with our handy step-by-step guide.

Contact Albar Turf

For further information on our turf supply or landscaping services throughout Scotland then please contact Albar Turf on 0141 881 1371, email us at info@albarturf.co.uk or complete our online Enquiry Form.

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