what to do if turf shrinks?

kieron79 · 11 Apr 2009

Just layed ne wturf down today and so far its looking top notch!just wanted to ask IF it shrunk what are the remedies?lets hope it dont anyway but just in case!i have watered it for ages today, how long shall i keep this up?we are forecast good weather over next few days for a change

LeadFarmer · 12 Apr 2009

Water it every day unless you get heavy rain. You need to prevent the roots from drying out until they have grown into the top soil. Keep this up for a couple of weeks. Dont walk on it or mow it until the roots have taken.

Fill any gaps that appear inbetween the turfs with top soil and grass seed. Garden centres sell bags of sterilised topsoil.

kieron79 · 12 Apr 2009

great thanks, how long should i water for each day?

LeadFarmer · 12 Apr 2009

Give it a good soaking with a hose pipe in the early morning or at night time. This way the water wont evaporate in the heat of the sun. If you water during a hot day, the roots can get scorched.

Cant really say how long to water for, but a decent watering each day will greatly help a new lawn. No need to drench it, just ensure that the lawn doesnt dry out or it might start to die off in areas.

The visible joints between the turfs will eventually disappear, giving you a lovely looking lawn. The turfs will only shrink if allowed to dry out. When you think the roots have established themselves, you will only need to water during dry periods without rain. By the time autumn arrives you wont need to water the lawn ever again

LeadFarmer · 13 Apr 2009

Kieron, Heres a photo of my old lawn at my previous house when I moved in...

http://i232.photobucket.com/albums/ee192/thebear843/P8220134.jpg

And a photo of the new lawn I laid

http://i232.photobucket.com/albums/ee192/thebear843/P9220067.jpg

One month later the joints between the turfs have disappeared

http://i232.photobucket.com/albums/ee192/thebear843/IMGP0391.jpg

And one year later...

http://i232.photobucket.com/albums/ee192/thebear843/P8020004.jpg

kieron79 · 13 Apr 2009

thank you so much for your help, much appreciated!

kieron79 · 13 Apr 2009

ps your lawn looks great!

LeadFarmer · 13 Apr 2009

Thanks, Ive since moved house so Im in the process of doing it all over again.

Forgot to mention, in autumn it might be worth sprinkling some granular Autumn lawn feed on your new lawn to keep it healthy.

When Ive relaid my current lawn at the end of this summer I intend to apply both spring and autumn feed onto the lawn each year.

Theres something quite British about a good lawn!

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what to do if turf shrinks?

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