Step by Step Guide on How to Lay Turf:

At Gravelmaster we like to make sure our customers get the most value from our products, therefore we have written a step by step guide informing you on how to lay our turf correctly. This guide tells you everything you need to know from the planning and preparation stage right through to the aftercare of your lawn, we have also included some top tips along the way.

Tools needed to lay turf:

• Wheelbarrow
• Rake
• Knife
• Spade
• Planks
• Garden Hose

Planning Stage:

The weather is a contributing factor when it comes to laying your Gravelmaster turf, we advise you to lay your turf in mild conditions. Do not lay turf in frosty weather and avoid leaving your turf outside in long periods of heat. 

The first step is to select a topsoil, the topsoil you choose is extremely important as this will depend on the quality of your lawn. The Gravelmaster ProBlend Turfing Soil will act as a superb base for turfing and is designed to enhance turf strength and durability. Ensuring that the topsoil is evenly spread is essential as this will ensure the grass roots infiltrate equally. *Top Tip use a ruler to make sure the topsoil is evenly spread and is a good 10-15 cm deep. Add more topsoil if required.
Once the topsoil is laid you should walk over the whole area to make sure it is compact, this will help create a solid structure for your turf.

*Top Tip* You must make sure your soil is free of stones and pebbles. All Gravelmaster ProBlend Turfing Soil are peat free and have minimal stone content. Once ensuring the topsoil is compact lightly rake, however be sure not to make the surface uneven. This process is the most tedious however ensuring your surface is even is crucial to the success of your finished lawn.
Be sure to water the soil a few days before laying the Gravelmaster turf this will help give moisture and allow the soil to settle. *Top Tip for best results the Gravelmaster Pre-Seed Fertiliser can be applied to the top 2.5 cm of the soil and then carefully raked in.

Calculating how much turf and topsoil you require:

To calculate how much topsoil you require you will need to measure the length, width and depth of the area you want to cover, then multiply these together to give you the volume you need. At Gravelmaster we supply our ProBlend Turfing Soil in volumes of 800 litres/0.5m3.
You will then need to calculate the amount of turf required, all Gravelmaster turf is supplied in standard m2 rolls. If you measure the length and width in metres and then times these together it will give you the amount in m2.

Laying the turf:

All of our turf is fresh therefore you must ensure the turf is immediately laid as soon as you receive it.
Begin to lay the turf by rolling out the first strip on a straight edge. On the following rows of turf try and stagger the joints which will produce a pattern similar to bricklaying. The planks of wood should be used to stand on when laying the additional rolls of turf as you do not want to damage the freshly laid turf. Avoid stretching the turf to the edges as this could potentially damage it, any gaps can easily be filled with soil.
Once all turf is laid lightly firm down the rolls using the head of the rake to make sure that the turf and soil make contact.

Directly after laying:

You may think that the hard work is over however the process after your turf has been laid is the most crucial. 

Your new lawn needs to be watered several days after it has been laid, this helps to establish a healthy lawn. We advise that you water the lawn either first thing in the morning or later on in the evening as this ensures less water is evaporated. On hot days take necessary precautions and water your lawn more frequently. You must also make sure that the water is reaching your soil, carefully lift up a corner of your turf to check. 

Shortly after laying:

You now need to mow your new lawn, this should be done no later than 3 days if possible. Be careful when mowing not to take too much grass off, we recommend a third of the grass blade. Also be careful not to dislodge the lawn, if this does happens replace the lawn and do not commence mowing until the lawn has fully established.

Aftercare:

Now you have a beautiful lawn be sure to maintain it. Keep regularly mowing your lawn and be sure to provide it with food and water. Our Gravelmaster Spring Summer Lawn Fertiliser is specially formulated to help provide your lawn with all the nutrients needed to help your lawn get the best start in spring and will keep it looking at its best throughout the summer.

Head over to our website where you can read our customer reviews on all our turf and topsoil products. Alternatively you can like us on Facebook where you can share your experiences with our fellow customers.

We would like to think this guide has been of assistance to our customers, if it has please feel free to send us in photographs of your newly laid lawn which we will share on our Facebook page.Remember to buy turf online at Gravelmaster!