I want to order and lay some turf in my garden - is it too early to do this?

Question

Should I wait until March - ie the spring, when the growing season starts? I live in the south east - and I suppose you could argue that the weather is so warm now that the grass doesn't stop growing - but all experienced advice would be gratefully received.

Answer 1

Sod can be installed pretty much any time, provided that the soil is not frozen, and the supplier is still cutting it. Although, Fall is the most ideal time to lay sod, as the warmth of the soil allows for it to root in quickly without requiring large amounts of water. Summer should be avoided if possible as the sod requires a large amount of water to get established when the weather is hot. I suggest that you may want to wait until March to get better results especially if you live in an area with a possibility of frost.

It is very important to make sure that your soil is properly prepared first. You want 3-5" of good topsoil (a medium loam is ideal) in place. If you have soil that is high in sand or clay, add composted material. This will aid in drainage in the clay, and hold moisture in the sand. Rototill as much organic material (composted) into the soil as you can if you have poor draining or nutrient poor soil.

It is important to make sure that your lawn is properly graded. Any low spots will cause puddling and the grass will struggle and have lots of weeds in those areas. Avoid slopes greater than 1' vertical to 3' horizontal (1:3) as they are difficult to mow. After the soil is prepared and graded, rolling the area with a water roller will compact it and reveal any possible problem spots.

When you lay the sod, make sure that you have good tight joints that are staggered like a brick pattern. Use a sharp knife to cut the turf, and avoid small or thin pieces next to concrete or asphalt, as they will dry out faster than larger pieces. Ideally the sod should be installed within 72 hours of it being cut at the source. Make sure that the sod provided is fresh, and weed free. It should be dark green, it starts to yellow from lack of sunlight, so if it is turning yellow, it isn't fresh and should be rejected.

Good luck, and enjoy your new lawn.

Answer 2

Normally you wait until the spring growing season starts (march).But with nature the way it is ..you could possibly get away with laying it down earlier..the best time to lay turfs is in the late summer ..so it can root more securely through the winter ready to spring forth the next year..I laid mine in the spring and it had lots of bad things in it so I had to clear the garden and start again..so watch where you get the turfs from..

Answer 3

If you get your area prepared and locate some turf, I don't see why you couldn't do it now. Use a seed and sod fertilizer. Water it in. Keep it moist for a while to let it send the roots deeper. It might be nice to get it in now and see it where you want it before establishing the garden further.

Answer 4

Don't lay turf until mid march early April Try to loosen the soil before laying it, andd when it is down, water well until it is soaking.

Answer 5

yes lay turf in the spring when the soil ia warming up,but not to hot and dry like summer time

Answer 6

No. Cardiff council have just layed some new turf outside the city hall and its fine.

Answer 7

Check out the sod farms, see how the grass is looking so far, if it looks ok there, then it will look ok at your house. Just keep it watered.

Answer 8

you should probably wait untill march or atleast untill you are sure we have no more frost coming we had turf laid to early by our landlord

Answer 9

Deffo wait for spring cos if it doesn't take then you've wasted all your money

Answer 10

you lay it now my dear, we dont get severe weather enough to kill grass off. happy gardening!!