How To Make A Lawn Using Turf with Alan Titchmarsh | Waitrose

Summary

This video script offers a comprehensive guide to creating a lawn that complements a garden's aesthetic. It emphasizes the importance of proper soil preparation, whether for seeding or laying turf, and suggests using a fork to remove debris and level the ground. The tutorial covers the steps for laying turf, including unrolling it, ensuring tight joins, and cutting around obstacles like trees. It also advises on maintaining the lawn's health through watering and mowing techniques, ensuring a lush and durable lawn.

Takeaways

• 🌿 Lawns are a versatile garden feature, suitable for play and relaxation, and they complement plants and flowers well.
• 🔪 Preparing the ground for a lawn involves forking over the soil, removing rocks and deep-rooted weeds, and ensuring proper drainage and moisture retention.
• 🏗️ Deep cultivation is important for grass roots, which typically do not go deeper than a few inches, to prevent the lawn from drying out quickly.
• 💧 Amending heavy clay soil with sharp grit and light, fluffy soil with organic matter helps with drainage and moisture retention, respectively.
• 👣 Firming the earth by treading and shuffling helps to eliminate air pockets and create a solid base for the lawn.
• 🛠 Leveling the ground with a rake is crucial to ensure an even surface before laying turf or seeding.
• 🌱 Turf provides an instant lawn solution, but it requires careful handling and positioning to maintain its quality.
• 📅 Turf can be laid almost year-round, except in extreme conditions like frozen, excessively muddy, or extremely hot and dry weather.
• 💧 Watering is essential for newly laid turf, especially in hot and dry conditions, to prevent it from drying out quickly.
• 🔧 Cutting around trees and other obstacles requires careful planning and precise cutting to maintain a clean edge.
• ✂️ Mowing the new lawn should be done carefully at first, trimming only the top half-inch, to allow the roots to establish before regular mowing.

Q & A

Why is a lawn considered a great addition to a garden?

A lawn is considered a great addition to a garden because it is soft enough to play on, friendly enough to relax on, and serves as a great foil for all the plants and flowers in the surrounding beds and borders.

What is the process of preparing the earth for either seeding or turfing?

The process involves forking over the ground, removing any big rocks and stones, and eliminating thick, deep-rooted perennial weeds. This ensures that the roots of the grass, which don't go very deep, can properly access moisture and nutrients.

Why is it important to cultivate the ground properly before laying turf?

Proper cultivation is important because if the ground is not cultivated, it will dry out very quickly due to the presence of stones in the subsoil and the surface's inability to retain moisture.

What should be done if the ground is very heavy and waterlogged?

In the case of heavy, waterlogged ground, working lots of sharp grit into the soil can help improve drainage. Adding organic matter can also help in such conditions.

How can you ensure that the lawn is well-drained if the soil is very light and fluffy?

Adding lots of organic matter to light and fluffy soil can help hold onto moisture and improve drainage, giving the lawn a better chance of thriving even in dry weather.

What is the first step in turfing after the ground has been prepared?

The first step is to tread or shuffle along with your heels to firm the earth into place, which helps get rid of air pockets and ensures a more even surface.

How should you arrange the turf when laying it?

The turf should be arranged so that the pieces are right close up together, with no gaps visible between them, similar to the tightness of Ernie Y Z's wig.

What is the advantage of using turf over seeding for creating a lawn?

Turf provides the quickest way of making a lawn as it is already grown and can be laid instantly, unlike seeding which requires time for the grass to grow.

How should you handle the turf to ensure it doesn't dry out after being laid?

It's important to have a lawn sprinkler ready and to water the turf thoroughly every few days, followed by light sprinkling every day to prevent the turf from drying out.

What is a recommended method for cutting turf around a tree?

Using an old kitchen knife to make a slit in line with the center of the trunk is recommended, ensuring that the turf is cut all the way around the tree without drying out the edge.

When is the best time to mow a new lawn made from turf?

The best time to mow a new lawn from turf is a couple of weeks after the turf has been laid and the roots have started to establish, but it's important not to scalp the grass, only taking the top half inch off initially.