Stones in soil / re-turfing

[vampyr]

Good evening all,

I am currently in the process of preparing my garden for new turf and wanted to ask a question about stones within the soil.

I've turned the area over several times and removed any noticeable large stones/rocks before repeating the process over again a couple of times.

The issue I'm having is that I don't know to what extent I need to remove the stones. Some articles I've read state that the soil needs to be completely free of stones whereas others have stated that as long as the larger, more noticeable stones are removed, it won't be a problem.

I've leveled the area as best I can but just wanted to ask this before I purchase and lay the turf. I'm trying to avoid any avoidable problems down the line.

Kind regards,

Vampyr

 

[DavidSWP]

Good evening all,

I am currently in the process of preparing my garden for new turf and wanted to ask a question about stones within the soil.

I've turned the area over several times and removed any noticeable large stones/rocks before repeating the process over again a couple of times.

The issue I'm having is that I don't know to what extent I need to remove the stones. Some articles I've read state that the soil needs to be completely free of stones whereas others have stated that as long as the larger, more noticeable stones are removed, it won't be a problem.

I've leveled the area as best I can but just wanted to ask this before I purchase and lay the turf. I'm trying to avoid any avoidable problems down the line.

Kind regards,

Vampyr

I wouldn't have thought small stones would be a problem if using turf. Seeding directly onto it would not be ideal though. I had plenty of small medium sized stones in the soil and put a couple of inches of top-soil on then seeded it and it was fine. So turf should be fine because it comes with its own layer of good soil. Some people do say that stones will migrate to the surface but I haven't found that happening at least not after 1 1/2 years.

 

[LeadFarmer]

If your laying turf then I wouldn't worry about the smaller stones, otherwise you'll be out there all day picking them up, it would be an endless task.

When I prepared my soil for turfing I levelled and compressed it with my feet and then I left it a few days to see how it behaved in the rain. Small areas sunk slightly where rain pooled. I filled these areas with more soil and they laid my turf.