DIY TURF INSTALLATION

5 December 2024

This handy guide has been prepared to help you get the best result for your lawn installation in t. By following these steps you will be able to install & maintain your new lawn like a professional.

Site Preparation

• Spray out existing lawn & weeds with Glyphosate (Roundup), follow the label for rates to give the maximum kill, allow a minimum of 5-7 days for the chemical to work on the plant, a second application may be required, if you wait until the existing lawn is totally brown & dead it will be easier to remove,
• Either remove old lawn and weeds or cultivate this into the base soil, for best results cultivate, till or spade the area to a depth of approximately 150mm, this is also an ideal time to add soil amendments like Gypsum, Lime and extra organics,
• Test your soil with a pH test kit to check if you need to add any additional products to balance your soil’s pH (somewhere between 6 – 7 is ideal for lawns)
• If you have poor soil, cap this off with good quality under turf soil such as TurfGro to a depth of 50 to 200mm. Allow for 30% compaction of your soil when ordering (so if you calculate an area of 100m2 and want to install 100mm thick topsoil your calculation will be [100 x 0.1 = 10m3], then multiply that by 130% [10 x 130% = 13m3]
• Eliminate drainage problems by having soil slope away from foundations, footpaths, garden beds etc. and towards drains,
• Rake and smooth soil whilst removing rocks, roots, and large clods,
• Roll the area with a lawn roller, this will firm the soil surface and reveal low areas that need more soil,
• Keep the soil level 30mm below footpaths, patios and driveways for the new turf to sit into (40-50mm for buffalo).
• Apply a pre-plant fertiliser like Lawn Launcher which contains a pre-plant fertiliser and water crystals that help boost your new lawns drought tolerance,
• Screen off the soil to provide a smooth surface, roll, then screen again. Your soil needs to be compacted enough that when you walk on it you only leave a small footprint.
• Lightly wet the soil to minimise dust & provide a moist base for your new turf, but not too wet that it turns to mud.

Turf & Lawn Installation in the South East QLD Region

Spring/Summer Installation Advice

• Prior to laying turf check that the soil surface is not too hot. Lightly wet the soil down with a hose if it is.
• Install your lawn as soon as possible upon delivery. Turf starts degrading slowly on the pallet, and it is essential that all be laid on the same day of delivery in summer & spring &  failing to follow this advice can lead to pallet burn which is where your turf cooks itself on the pallet and dies, this is noticeable as there will be brown circles on the turf in the middle of the pallet.
• Initial Watering: Commence watering within 30mins of laying turf, we recommend applying about 10 litres of water per square metre on the initial installation, you need to get the top 25mm of soil under the turf saturated. Progressively check this by lifting up slabs and check the soil underneath.
• Watering week 1: water up to 3 times per day for the first week
• Watering week 2: roots should have formed by now, to check simply lift up the corner of a slab and look for little white shoots, watering can now be reduced to once per day but watering should now be longer, this will soak the water in deeper which encourages the roots to search deeper.
• Watering week 3: water a couple of times per week. Again, increase the watering time to encourage deep rooting. The full establishment could take between one and three months depending upon the season & grass type. You should be mowing by now. But never mow off more than one third “1/3” of the leaf at any time.

Winter/Autumn Installation Advice

• Ideally turf should still be installed on the same day as delivery but it can usually wait until early the following day depending on the temperature conditions at the time, sometimes we can still get relatively warm days in winter and autumn, if you’re unsure give us a call and we can give you some advice.
• Initial Watering: Commence watering within 1-2 hours of laying turf, we recommend applying about 10 litres of water per square metre on the initial installation, you need to get the top 25mm of soil under the turf saturated. Progressively check this by lifting up slabs and check the soil underneath.
• Watering week 1: water up to 3 times per day for the first week
• Watering week 2: roots should have formed by now, to check simply lift up the corner of a slab and look for little white shoots, watering can now be reduced to once per day but watering should now be longer, this will soak the water in deeper which encourages the roots to search deeper.
• Watering week 3: water a couple of times per week. Again, increase the watering time to encourage deep rooting. The full establishment could take between one and three months depending upon the season & grass type. You should be mowing by now. But never mow off more than one third “1/3” of the leaf at any time

General Installation Advice

• Begin installing turf along the longest straight line, such as a driveway or footpath
• Butt up and push the ends of the slabs against each other tightly, without stretching the slab.
• Stagger the joints in each row in a brick-like fashion (refer to image below), using a large sharp knife, garden scissors or hedge shears to trim the slabs as necessary.
• On slopes, place the turf pieces transversely across the slope.
• After installing the turf, use a turf roller (also known as a lawn roller) to roll over the entire area. This will improve the contact between the turf and the soil and help level out any footprints that may have been transferred through the slabs during installation. Turf rollers can often be rented at a low cost from most hire centers, such as Kennards and Coates, as well as at some Bunnings stores. These rollers are typically water-filled, making them lightweight and easy to transport when empty, and they can fit in most cars.
• During the first two weeks, avoid heavy or concentrated use of your new lawn, this gives the roots an opportunity to firmly knit with the soil and ensures that the turf will remain smooth, plus the soil will most likely be wet and spongey underneath, so any indentations caused may remain.

If you don’t feel like reading, here are some useful how-to videos from our friends at Lawn Solutions Australia.

As always, if you have any questions please don’t hesitate to call us on (07)55 438 304 if you require any further advice.