Whether you're just getting started with your new lawn, looking for tips on keeping your garden looking fresh, or wanting to order turf, our guides below will help. Got a question not answered below, please don't hesitate to give us a call.
Step-by-Step Guide
Laying Turf
Step 3
Avoid walking on newly laid turf. We recommend boards being placed down for walking on. Ensure that all turf has full contact with the soil beneath. Start by laying one strip of turf around the outside of the lawn (avoid using small strips at the edges as these may dry out and perish). Lay the first row along the longest straight line and work across the lawn. Butt and push the edges and ends against each other but do not stretch the turf. Use a razor sharp knife or half moon spade to cut the end of a row.
Mowing
Step 6
Somergreen Turf recommends that you don’t mow your new Turf until it has rooted. This can easily be checked by lifting up a corner of Turf to see if the roots have attached to the soil. Your lawn mower should be set to a higher setting than normal - it is important that the lawn is not scalped. Mow your new lawn at least once a week when the grass is dry and always collect the clippings, each time removing no more than one third of the grass height. Once established the grass height can be reduced gradually to the optimum height of between 15 - 35mm (0.5 to 1.5 inches).
Never use a hover mower, apart from on steep slopes / banks. A petrol cylinder mower, or Rotary with a roller on behind will always give the best finish providing they are serviced once a year and the blades are sharpened at least annually. Your eyes are naturally drawn to the edges of a lawn so always ensure you use a strimmer before each mowing.
Lawn Feeding
Step 5
In general, a balanced fertiliser containing similar amounts of Nitrogen (N), Phosphate (P) and Potash (K) should be applied in wet conditions (to avoid scorching of the grass) once a month throughout the year. A little and often should keep your lawn in tip-top condition. 'Growmore' is ideal and should be applied by hand as if you were spreading seed.
Watering Turf
Step 4
Between March and October, newly laid turf should be watered profusely within 30 minutes of installation. This watering must be repeated daily until the turf has fully established (usually about a month). In general at least 2 hours per day of constant watering over the entire new lawn will be imperative. The drier and windier the weather, the more water is needed. If there are any signs of the turf drying out (including gaps between the turves, browning etc), water it profusely immediately.
Ground Preparation
Ground preparation is essential if you are to obtain satisfactory results: Take up any existing lawn, rotavate or dig over the soil to a depth of 4 - 6 inches, remove any debris, sticks, stones, weeds etc, then level and smooth the soil by raking it.
Step 1
Measuring and Ordering Turf
Step 2
Measure your proposed lawn area accurately in square metres, square yards or square feet - or use our simple measurement calculator. Then order your turf from Somergreen Turf - ideally be ready to lay the Turf within 48 hours of delivery.
Weed and Moss Killing
Step 7
Whenever weeds or moss are present make sure that you treat them with the relevant chemical which can be purchased at Mole Valley Farmers, or Garden Centres etc. This can be applied by yourself using a sprayer, or contact us for a quote to do it for you. In our experience, fertilisers with added herbicide and moss killer are rarely strong enough to treat areas successfully.
Leatherjackets
Step 8
These, together with Chafer Grubs and Bibionid Fly Larvae are normally found in gardens old and new. However, when their numbers build up to a critical threshold they will start damaging lawns and need to be removed ASAP. Unfortunately, there are no longer any chemicals that can control them so 'nematodes' need to be introduced.
More information is available via the following links:
Poa Annua (Annual Meadow Grass)
Step 9
Annual Meadow Grass is present to varying degrees in all lawns, old and new. As with 'lawn pests', there is no chemical control available.
More information is available via the following links: