Laying turf...weeds

johnc86 · 3 Jul 2020

Several weeks ago I I used a turf cutting machine to take the turf up in my garden and rotavated the soil. I covered the whole garden in in material in weed suppressing material and had intended to lay turf in the following week. Unfortunately other things got in the way and I didn't lay the turf. The the material over the soil must not have been as opaque as I'd expected as the there are now lots of weeds underneath.
The soil is also flattened down where as before it was really high and fluffy.

I'm wondering whether I can spray the whole area with weed killer, wait a few days, add some topsoil and then start turfing?

Or, would it be better to rotate the whole area again? This isn't ideal as the access down into the garden which is on several layers isn't great and obviously the cost of hiring a rotavator again etc....

Just looking for some advice. I will try and add a few pics.

Thanks

conny · 3 Jul 2020

I usually lay a double layer of weed control material but you can still get some managing to try and grow.

I once laid artificial grass down over some weeds on a small section. It stopped them at first but about 2 years later they started to poke through. I think these were actually wind blown seeds which managed to penetrate the grass and put roots down rather than the old ones growing up through it.

I'm not sure, (someone else may be able to confirm it), but I think the idea is to suppress them growing through the soil so the material helps to prevent them reaching sunlight. This then makes them weaker and unable to re-germinate and eventually they stop growing. If you had turfed over them you may well have not known they were still trying to grow as they couldn't get through the weed control. I would not put weed killer down as it may linger in the soil and kill your new turf for up to about 6 months.

Munroast · 3 Jul 2020

I have never heard of anyone ever turfing on top of a plastic weed control membrane - sounds like an environmental disaster to me. Weeds will still grow in the turf, and how will the all important worms exist? you really do need worms to keep your grass healthy (yes I know greens on golf course kill worms, but they then go to vast expense and work to do the job of the worms) as far as I know you only use this membrane under stuff like gravel and bark to create a barrier between the living and the dead.

johnc86 · 3 Jul 2020

That's what I'm thinking, I don't want weed killer to kill the turf. But, what about a contact weed killer which is only effective when it touches the leaves of the weeds directly?

When I rotovated it, it fluffed up to nearly knee height so any weeds that would have been near the surface would have been buried pretty deep.

johnc86 · 3 Jul 2020

Munroist said:
I have never heard of anyone ever turfing on top of a plastic weed control membrane - sounds like an environmental disaster to me. Weeds will still grow in the turf, and how will the all important worms exist? you really do need worms to keep your grass healthy (yes I know greens on golf course kill worms, but they then go to vast expense and work to do the job of the worms) as far as I know you only use this membrane under stuff like gravel and bark to create a barrier between the living and the dead.

I'm not planning on turfing on top of plastic weed control membrane. Nor did I say it was plastic. Its the fabric stuff.

I put the stuff over to stop weeds from growing in the interim period between rotavating and turfing. Unfortunately things got in the way and that turned out to be weeks instead of days.

johnc86 · 3 Jul 2020

I have no intention of turfing over it. I didn't say that.

conny · 3 Jul 2020

DOH! Of course, I should have said you can't turf over weed control. My mind was trying to compose a reply to a work email at the time, sorry.
I simply used the artificial grass as a weed control BEFORE getting round to seeding as it was in a far corner of the garden and I wasn't in a rush to kill them/get it seeded.

JohnD · 3 Jul 2020

johnc86 said:
That's what I'm thinking, I don't want weed killer to kill the turf. But, what about a contact weed killer which is only effective when it touches the leaves of the weeds directly?

When I rotovated it, it fluffed up to nearly knee height so any weeds that would have been near the surface would have been buried pretty deep.

You can spray the ground with weedkiller after preparing it and letting the weed seeds sprout.

The weedkillers you buy in the High Street are inactivated when the touch the soil and do not poison the ground. The label will tell you.

Farmers, who know the germination period, use pre-emergent herbicides one or two days before the new crop is due to come up.

Munroast · 3 Jul 2020

johnc86 said:
I'm not planning on turfing on top of plastic weed control membrane. Nor did I say it was plastic. Its the fabric stuff.

I put the stuff over to stop weeds from growing in the interim period between rotavating and turfing. Unfortunately things got in the way and that turned out to be weeks instead of days.

weed control membrane is plastic, that's why it lasts for about ever.

Great that you are not intending leaving it there, some experts apparently do advise this
https://www.turfonline.co.uk/blog/how-to-stop-weeds-from-invading-your-new-lawn/

As for preparing the soil prior to laying the turf, remove what green stuff you can see then lay the turf, strong healthy grass should stop the weeds from establishing. the soil will be full of seeds anyway waiting for there moment to spring into life, some weed seeds can happily wait a decade for there chance.

sodthisforfun · 3 Jul 2020

IMO, rotavating without killing the weeds first just causes the weeds to spread. Sorry

johnc86 · 3 Jul 2020

Munroist said:
weed control membrane is plastic, that's why it lasts for about ever.

Great that you are not intending leaving it there, some experts apparently do advise this
https://www.turfonline.co.uk/blog/how-to-stop-weeds-from-invading-your-new-lawn/

As for preparing the soil prior to laying the turf, remove what green stuff you can see then lay the turf, strong healthy grass should stop the weeds from establishing. the soil will be full of seeds anyway waiting for there moment to spring into life, some weed seeds can happily wait a decade for there chance.

Is a top soil layer generally necessary?

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Laying turf...weeds

sodthisforfun

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