A healthy, lush lawn is a delight and can be a real focal point in your garden. However, newly laid turf requires special care if it is to blossom into the emerald green sward you hope for. Here are some tips on how to care for your newly-laid turf.
Newly laid turf top care tips
Watering
- The first thing to do when your turf has been laid is to give it a good watering, especially if the weather is very warm. Use a gentle sprinkling system to hydrate your turf so that the water gradually soaks right through the sods into the earth beneath. Don't use a high-pressure hose jet as this can disturb the turf and prevent the grass plants from rooting properly.
- For the first few weeks after your new turf has been laid, water it every day, preferably early in the morning or in the evening after the sun has set to avoid evaporation.
- During watering, check underneath the edge of the sods frequently to make sure that the water has penetrated. The underside of the turf should feel damp but not soaking wet. This is important as overwatering can lead to the growth of fungus and mosses that can choke the grass and kill it.
Keep off the grass!
- It can take a few weeks for the grass plants in the new turf to put down roots into the soil beneath the sods. It's important that you don't walk on the turf during this time to allow the grass time to root properly. If you can't lift up the corner of the turf sods easily by gently pulling, you'll know that the grass plants have rooted securely.
- If your turf has been laid on a sloping area of your garden, it may take longer for the grass plants to root securely, so allow another couple of weeks and check the sods as described in step #1 before allowing people to walk on the grass.
- When your new turf has settled in and is firmly-rooted, you can begin to mow it. Make sure that you don't have your mower set on too-low a setting as this can tear at the new grass plants and damage them. In addition, if you cut your new turf too short before the grass has had chance to thicken, you will expose the soil between the plants to parching by the sun and invasion by insect pests and disease. Use a higher setting on your mower to trim the grass tips which will encourage the plants to grow and thicken.
- Don't allow overuse of your lawn for the first few months of its life while the plants are becoming fully-established. New grass plants can be irreparably damaged by kids' football games and scorched by pet urine.
In conclusion
Newly-laid turf requires special care for the first couple of months of its life in your garden. Follow the above advice on watering and handling so that you and your family can enjoy a lush, green, healthy lawn this summer. If you need help, contact a turf supplies expert.
