Good preparation is everything
In order for your garden to become an oasis again with its new turf, first the substrate must be thoroughly prepared. If there is still any old turf left over, this must first be removed using a “turf peeler”, after which you can start to loosen the soil. The Gardena Terraline spade fork digs deep into the substrate, which then allows the surface to be thoroughly loosened. Stones, weeds, and root remains must also be removed. To improve the soil structure and to make it easier for grass roots to grow, sandy soil can be used with humus soil or mature compost. In the case of clay soils, however, about one-third sand should be used to allow water to drain better. It is crucial that the ground has been properly loosened deep down so that the grass roots can penetrate deep, otherwise all the re-laying effort will soon prove to be wasted! The loosened soil is then carefully levelled with the wide Gardena combisystem rake.
Do not store turf too long
After buying your turf, you should start laying as soon as possible, otherwise the grass in your rolled turf can become yellow and start to rot. Ideally, the turf should be stored in a shady and cool area and laid within a few hours of purchase. The prepared surface should be loose, crumbly, and slightly moist and sticky. To allow the turf sods to interlock more easily with the ground, the bottom of the rolled turf is first roughened slightly with the Gardena combisystem rake. When laying, the easiest method is to start along a straight edge so that the turf only needs to be adjusted slightly. If the turf is too wide or too long in some places, simply cut with a sharp knife or spade. Do not throw away the residues, because these may be useful to fill gaps elsewhere. Make sure no gaps or overlaps occur and ensure the individual sods are offset to each other in a similar way to laying laminate, to produce a more uniform result.
If possible, do not walk on the prepared bed soil when laying the turf because this will make indentations in the loose soil, which are difficult to remove afterwards. Once the turf has been laid out, this should also be treated as gently as possible when you first walk on it.
If the individual strips move, your dream of a perfect lawn will soon be over. To avoid this, the newly laid turf must be well-secured. First roll the freshly laid turf with a water-filled lawn roller across the direction of laying. This avoids the turf strips shifting and prevents any joints or overlaps from occurring in the future. Be careful when rolling; take care to only tread on securely laid areas! Then, proceed to roll the turf along the direction of laying.
To allow the new lawn to grow quickly and properly, the new lawn must be watered sufficiently. Depending on the soil moisture, the lawn should be watered with approximately 10 to 15 litres of water per square metre on the first day. The edges of the rolled turf are especially prone to drying and must not be neglected when irrigating. Ideally, the soil should be kept moist down to the roots for the following 14 days. Once the grass reaches a height of about six to eight centimetres, (which depending on weather conditions and watering may be achieved as soon as two weeks after laying) it will be time to cut the grass for the first time. But be careful, don’t cut down too low, but shorten the stalk only by about one third. After around two weeks, the new lawn can usually take a certain amount of load, and after a month, it is ready for long relaxing hours of sun on a radiant green lawn.