Levelling Lawn for turfing and drainage

[OllieN]

The soil in my back garden contains a lot (read mostly) clay. In the summer it gets really dry and cracked, ion the winter it doesn't drain well. I think this is in part due to the fact that it's not very level and is very slightly concave so our garden probably acts as the drain for our neighbours as well.

My plan is to dig over the whole lawn (approx 4m x 6m) and level it out to hope to a) get a flatter surface and b) reduce the water collection in winter

The question really is - I suspect I am going to have to add some additional material into the soil to help bulk it out so that it is flat. What am i best adding to aid the drainage?

 

[Thermo]

lots of grit and egetable matter (compost/soil conditioner) to open it up.

cover the area with sandy loam after youve done the work prior to laying the turf. theres a few posts down the page ive answered on this aspect.

 

[lx200gps]

I'll second that answer. I had a similar problem a few years back and dug in loads of horticultural sand and well rotted horse manure.

After you have done this you can walk over the whole area, putting the weight on your heels, to compact it so the new lawn will not sink after you have laid it. Then you need to level again. For this I would recommend a large aluminium ladder with a rope attached and drag it across the whole area. A large heavy plank can also be used but it needs to be heavy enough to scalp the high spots and I find a double ladder ideal for this.

Fill any low points with topsoil, or the left-over from the high spots. Walk over again. Level again. Keep repeating this until the whole area is level and firm to walk on. Then lightly drag a rake across the whole area to obtain a nice crumbly surface although this may not be necessary if all the work done so far achieves this. When I say 'level' I mean flat with no bumps or hollows. If your garden has a slope don't worry. Just make sure it is flat as this will make cutting easier and improve the general appearance. A couple of handfulls of Growmore, or suitable alternative, per sq yd before laying the turf is a good idea.
Have fun.

Stan