Preparing for a new lawn

[joeandrews]

I've removed the turf in our back garden today, I will rotavate next, level, then lay turf.

Thing is, we have an old, large border which has quite a few weeds in it.

Do I have to pull all the weeds up, or can I just rotavate them into the earth?

Many thanks.

 

[Deleted2797112]

If they're perennial weeds like couch grass and brambles rotovating will chop up and spread the roots and each little piece of root can grow into a new plant waiting to pop up through your new turf. Rotovating also brings dormant weed seeds back up to the surface so you can get a new crop of annual weeds too. Why are you rotovating at all - is it very compacted?

 

[Mursal]

Text book would tell you to spray with glyphosate (Roundup, Clinic etc) and wait for them to start dying. But as you probably have the rotavator already started, go ahead .....

If they are soft weeds (small roots easy killed) you should be OK, if scutch grass, dandelion might be best to spray and wait ........... stand away from the rotavator.........

 

[joeandrews]

Thanks for your replies.

Everywhere I have read you should rotavate. However, the levels are all over the place and I wouldn't get my rake into the soil, so rotavating will help me move the soil around.

 

[r896neo]

if you are turfing go for it. If you are seeding it then spray and wait.

Weeds are not that hard to deal with in a lawn. Selectives nowadays are very effective.