From Preparation to Maintenance, Enjoying Your New Lawn is Easy with Southern Turf
If you're installing a lawn for the first time, the process will likely include three main steps: preparation, installation, and aftercare. To prepare the ground for your new lawn, you'll need to remove any existing vegetation and debris and loosen the soil so that it's easier to work with.
Once the site is prepared, we can begin to install the lawn. It will need to be watered daily for the first month and it’s best not to walk on it or mow it until the roots have taken hold. Let’s break down the process in more detail.
Equipment Needed
- A rake
- A sprinkler
- Weed removal (chemical free if possible)
- If you have a clay soil, you’ll need to rake gypsum through
- If it’s a difficult to access site, you may need to hire a bobcat for the day
Step 1: Preparation
To prepare the site for Southern Turf to come and lay your new lawn, the area where the new turf will be laid needs to be thoroughly prepared.
Any existing vegetation will need to be removed and the soil will need to be thoroughly raked and loosened. It doesn’t need to be wet before we lay the turf. That comes later. But it does need to be level to avoid bumps and holes in your lawn and so the roots can evenly establish.
Step 2: Installation with Southern Turf
We lay the turf in a brick-like formation, then walk or roll it in if the ground is a little hard. It can just be watered in with a good soaking if you have good soil. Depending on the size of the lawn, this can take some time.
Step 3: Aftercare & Maintenance
The First Month After Installation
The most important thing is to keep the water supply generous in the first few days/weeks after your lawn installation. We recommend at least half and hour in the morning and half an hour in the evening. Another way to gauge would be to place a cup under the path of the sprinkler and when the cup is half full, that’s a good amount.
The other really important thing is not to walk on or mow your new lawn until the roots have taken firm hold. Once you’ve started to see some growth, check a different corner of the lawn each day. When the corner no longer lifts, the roots have established and you can give it a light mow.
Long Term Maintenance
Long term maintenance on both our varieties of turf is fairly straight forward. They need less water in the cooler months and more in the summer months. It’s also good to fertilise during the spring growth period when the rest of your garden will need fertilising as well. Weed control with a lawn-friendly pesticide will keep the lawn looking cohesive and healthy.
Have more questions about your lawn? Check out our FAQs