The Roll Turf Way to a New Lawn

When it comes to replacement, the three key decisions to be made relate to timing, when can the work be undertaken? Which will give better results seeded or roll turf and finally cost, what is the most cost effective way of replacing an old lawn? First of all, a new lawn especially a roll turf lawn can be installed pretty much any time of the year except of course during very cold and/or wet spells. On the other hand, a seeded lawn is usually done during the period April-October, when the ground conditions are drier and soil temperatures are a little warmer. From the point of view of ground preparation the preparation for both options is similar. A new lawn does however require good ground preparation. A seeded solution will take longer to develop and if the ground preparation has not been carefully completed, weeds are going to appear very soon and compete for air, moisture and nutrients with the fledgling shoots of new grass. The time and effort involved from seeding to lawn becoming established can be several months before a firm, hard wearing attractive sward is achieved. Roll turf on the other hand can become very established within a matter of only a few weeks, i.e., capable of withstanding challenges of young children play within 2-3 weeks and certainly within a month, can be well established to take the rough and tumble of football etc. But for many the clear advantage and indeed the main reason for choosing to use roll turf, is that the lawn has that 'finished look' when completed on Day 1. The only aftercare during the initial weeks involves keeping the grass moist but this will also apply to a seeded area. 

If you wish to replace/install a new lawn, here are a few useful tips:

• Remove existing lawn (Tip: prior to commencement of works,  spray old grass with a systemic weedkiller) in a small area, a flat spade should be adequate, for larger areas, consider hiring a sod cutter machine


• Dig or rotovate the soil to at least the depth of a spade, 12”/300mm


• Remove all stones, builders debris etc


• Apply a good fertiliser (e.g. pre-turfing feed) to area by raking into the soil


• Rake the area to produce an even smooth level and a fine tilth finish to surface


• Water the area well and allow to settle


• Prior to installing the new lawn, ensure the are is generally dry.

Installing the new Lawn

Ideally new roll turf should be installed as soon as possible after delivery, if for any reason, this is not possible, roll turf may be rolled out onto a flat surface and if kept moist, can be stored in this fashion for up to 48 hours. Under no circumstances are the individual sods to be left rolled up for an extended period as new grass will quickly deteriorate and turn yellow.

• Begin by the laying the sod along the longest straight line, and ensure that subsequent lines are staggered, i.e. row 1 starts with a full roll length, row 2 starts with a half roll length and roll 3 starts with a full row length


• Push edges together and ensure all joints are well butted, a sharp knife will be required to cut sods ( I find an Old Bread Knife ideal). Avoid any small cuts as these will tend to be poor at retaining moisture and will dry out very quickly. Instead adjust lengths of last two rolls so that the end piece is not narrower than 12”/300mm wide


• Avoid during installation walking on the new turf, use boards or wide sheeting


• After installation is completed, water well and continue daily until approx 2 weeks by which time the new sods should have become well knitted and rooted in the ground

Aftercare for the new Lawn

To retain the vivid green lush look of a new lawn and good healthy grass growth:

• Continue feeding the lawn every six weeks during the growing season (April-October) and do not forget to apply a winter feed later in year (which is a specially formulated feed to ensure strong root development)


• It is very important during the initial few months that the new lawn does not dry out, so if necessary water regularly


• Do not allow the grass become too long and generally avoid cutting the new lawn shorter than 2”/50mm. Frequent cutting (except during wet spells) are ideal to maintaining a beautiful finish.