South West Turf

SITE PREPARATION

Clear the si te of weeds and existing lawn, particularly those different to your new turf. Kikuyu and couch's can be very persistent. This is best done by spraying with a Glyphosate type knockdown herbicide. A minimum of 10 to 14 days prior to laying the turf is recommended. Tip - it's always best to spray actively growing plants for chemical efficacy. Don't spray plants that are frosted, waterlogged or drought stressed. If in doubt, use a professional.

It is always best to prepare your site well in advance of your turfs arrival

Rotary hoe or cultivate the soil to a depth of 10cm or more.

Remove debris including sticks, stones and roots.

Smooth the soil by raking.

For large areas, hireing a bobcat operater can be very cost effective.

Allow for a finished height, once your new turf is laid along side paths and other features. Typically, our turf will be 3-5cm thick. Allow the desired height in relation to your paths etc.

Assess soil condition and type and apply fertiliser. Myer Bros landscape supplies can help with advice. Phone 696491331

SOIL TYPES

Most turf types prefer and perform best on a light sandy loam soil.
Some building sites may have had their top soil removed. Compaction from heavy equipment may also be a problem. This hard pan will have to be broken up. In situations where the clay subsoil is exposed, a direct application of natural gypsum at a rate of 1 kilogram per square metre is desirable. Backfilling with a top soil may be recommended by your landscape supplier.

MEASURING AND ORDERING

Use a tape measure (in meters) to measure the site.
Square areas. length times width
If you're like me you will need to get the kids to work out odd shaped areas.
Triangular shapes formula Half base times height.

Circular areas employs Pi (22 divided by 7....remember that?) area of a circle is Pi times radius squared.(3.14 times radius times radius) portions of a circle get technical... It may be easier to measure as a series of triangular areas.

If you have installed a new watering system into your home, the people who installed your system may be able to help with area measurements

Be carefull when ordering, not to over order. As turf is perishable it is not possible to return excess turf. However, to top up your order later, is possible.

LAYING TURF
The secret to laying your turf successfully in a timely manner is to have the preparation done well in advance. Good preparation is worth every minute in doing so. Is your watering system fully funtional and do you know how to operate the computerised watering system?

Plan where you might start. No point having to drive equipment or walk over already laid watered turf.
Where possible start at a straight line to lay your turf. eg driveway or back fence
Lay turf in a brickwork pattern across any hill or slope you may have.
Make sure that each section of turf is butted against each other firmly to discourage weed regrowth through the gaps. Topdressing with sand also discourages weed growth through the gaps. (do not overlap as this will create lumps and bumps).
Use an old bread knife to cut around curves, sprinkler heads and odd shapes etc. Where there is no chance of chipping concrete paths or other features, simply chop with a shovel
Lay the turf out, smooth ensuring good soil contact.
Add a suitable lawn fertiliser.
Rolling your kikuyu turf can also be beneficial but not essential.

For Kings Pride installations, South West Turf recommends it is top-dressed with sand for optimum results. Sand, while having little nutritional value, seals the turf in and allows the turf valuable time to establish more evenly through better moisture management. A cheap, coarse pit sand is suitable at a rate of 1 cubic metre of sand per 100sq of turf area is all that's needed (about 1cm in depth). This will facilitate a level finish and help retain moisture in inland NSW's very hot summer months and insulate in the cooler months for a head start to a magnificent lawn. To attain a level finish, place a manageable size piece of reo type mesh or similar on the already laid turf. The one shown is 1m by 3m sheep yard mesh. Then with your weight pressing the mesh firmly onto the surface of the turf, add sand and screed off exposing as much leaf as possible. Progressively move the mesh around your turf repeating the process. Alternatively, very good results can also be had using a topdressing bar rake for levelling the sand. Finally, water the sand and fertilizer into the turf.After a couple of weeks the sand will bearly be visible. Topdressing mesh, a turf hand drawn roller and topdressing bar rake is available for hire from Griffith City Hire ph69643333.

Start watering as soon as practical after the first strip has been laid. Carefull n ot to have traffic over previously laid wet turf
At this point the first watering is very important. Soak to the equivalent of 20-25mm rainfall. More may be needed in the peak of summer.
For the first couple of weeks be generous with watering until roots establish. DO NOT LET YOUR NEW TURF DRY OUT. Also bear in mind that any turf does not like to be waterlogged
Once establis hed, a less frequent, deep watering regime can be used to promote deep root growth. This will ensure your new turf will become drought hardy.
Mowing may commence after about two weeks depending on time of year and root establishment. Set your mower height on a high setting initially, and progressively reduce the height to your desired mowing height after a few mowings. Never "scalp" your turf. While it will recover, it may take an extentended period to do so.

For more lawn care info click here to visit Turf Australia

South West Turf

Green Ant Gardening Services can help with all home gardening and maintenance. Only in the local Griffith area. Call Anthony on 0428 681 311. Chemcert accredited.

21 Dec 2014
Vincent Fowler

SouthWest Turf

SITE PREPARATION

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South West Turf

South West Turf