Depending upon how you look after your new turf will determine its density, colour and growth rate.
As soon as you lay new turf in your garden, it’ll need to be cared for almost straight away. Unfortunately, simply laying the turf down and hoping for the best isn’t going to produce a healthy green lawn.
Below are our six top tips to help you understand how to look after your new turf. After laying over 300 square metres of turf in my very own garden, these tips certainly worked for us as well as many other people.
How To Look After New Turf
1. Regular Watering
Whether you use a garden hose to target specific areas or a high-quality garden sprinkler, watering the turf regularly is the key to success. For the first two weeks in particular, watering the turf in the early mornings or late in the evening is highly recommended. The reason for these specific timings is that the sun can cause the water to evaporate, which means the new turf isn’t getting all the benefits from you watering it.
Depending upon how hot the weather is will determine how long you should be watering your turf. For example, if it’s around 10 degrees, it’s advised that you water it daily for 2 weeks. However, if you laid the turf during summer, you may need to keep watering for up to 4 weeks for the best results.
Whilst we are on the topic of watering the turf, it’s important that you don’t overwater it. Overwatering can cause the soil to become soggy, which can suffocate the grass and encourage lawn disease.
2. Keep Off The Turf
Although it can be very tempting to walk on your freshly laid turf, it’s advised that you avoid it until the roots have bedded into the soil. This can take several weeks to happen and even longer if the turf is on a slope. One way that you can tell if the turf has bedded into the soil is if you can’t easily lift the turf and there is some resistance.
3. Mow Little But Often
After waiting a few weeks for some growth from your turf, it’ll soon be time to mow it. During the first few months of mowing your new turf, you’ll want to cut it at its highest setting. It’s also recommended that you mow the grass often (at its highest setting) because this encourages new grass to grow from the base of the lawn. If you want to learn more about this particular stage, we wrote a guide on when you should first cut your grass.
4. Extra Nutrients For The Soil
If your turf isn’t getting any nutrients, it’ll try to find anything in the soil. However, if there aren’t any nutrients in the soil, you may notice that it’ll turn pale and thin. Therefore, applying some lawn feed to the turf after a few weeks will certainly help improve the thickness and return the healthy green colour to the grass.
5. Clear Leaves & Debris
Depending upon the placement of your new turf may mean that leaves and other debris will fall on top of it. Therefore, you’ll want to try and clear it all by using your hose to direct it off or lightly raking the leaves or debris.
6. Weed Control
Keep an eye out for any weeds that may emerge in your new turf. It’s important to address them promptly to prevent them from taking over your lawn. Ideally, you’ll want to pull small weeds out with your hands or use a selective herbicide that can help maintain the health and appearance of your turf.
What To Do If It’s Not Working
If you notice that some areas are looking a bit patchy and not turning into your dream new lawn, don’t give up. Make sure you target the area whilst watering and lay down some lawn feed to help promote healthy growth.
Whilst we were laying turf in our back garden, we noticed that some areas were starting to become patchy. However, after a week of targeted watering of that particular area, we started to see some great results as shown in the photos below. We will add another photo after a few months to show the end result after looking after the new turf.
Patience & Observation
It’s important to remember that establishing a healthy lawn takes time. Therefore, it’s crucial that you remain patient and observe how your turf responds to different care practices. Gradually you’ll want to adjust your maintenance routine and address any issues promptly to ensure the long-term success of your lawn.
Conclusion
After you’ve gone to the effort of preparing the ground and laying the turf, it’s vital that you look after it.
The first few weeks are crucial to the growth of the lawn and by following our tips on how to look after new turf, you shouldn’t have any problems whatsoever. If you do have any issues in caring for your new turf, feel free to get in touch with us and we will be happy to give you some first-hand advice.
