How to replace artificial turf with real grass?

If it's gravel under the synthetic turf, you'll need to do some work to prepare the area for soil and turf. Do you know how thick the gravel is? I'd recommend you start by removing the synthetic turf, removing the block work, and digging down to see how deep the gravel is. You'll need to build up the ground with around 100mm of topsoil or try cultivating the existing soil. Cultivating the soil would involve turning it over, and you might like to hire a unit to do this in a day.

You'll find this step-by-step guide useful: How to lay turf. Now would be a great time to prepare the area, as you'll be able to lay your turf when the weather warms up.

How's the drainage in the backyard? When it rains heavily, does the water all drain away quickly, or does it become a boggy mess?

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Mitchell

I am envious of the size of your yard - it's my idea of perfect!

If you want a low maintenace yard you might like to consider wood chips and native plants. You just need to prepare the soil a little. Native plants are ok with poor soil, but depending on how much vinegar and weed killer was used, it might be necessary to apply some fresh soil and native 'tonics' before planting. Ask your Bunnings horticulturalist - their advice is excellent (and no charge either!).

But the first step will be to clear the area of the fake grass and any building waste. It the rocks are concrete waste, they need to go. Over time the chemicals in concrete leach into the soil, which plants don't tolerate well and so die.

Once the ground is cleared, cover with builders plastic. That stops the light getting in and allowing weeds to grow. Then put your soil down.

Natives like very loose, rocky, sandy soil (NOT beach sand though - it's too salty!). It's cheaper to make up your own native soil mix by buying large bags of the separate components at Bunnings.

There is a great range of native ground cover plants available and they save you ever having to mow a lawn! But be wary of the tall bunched up grasses as they provide good house for rats! They look great, but space them out. If you want to bunch them up, buy a cat or two! 😉

Once the plants are in and have had a water, then you get a comfortable chair, grab a cold beer and enjoy watching your plants grow! And then start thinking about how nice a pond would look ‌💭‌ ... with a perhaps a sandstone rockery ‌💭‌ ...

Good luck! 🤗🍻

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/29105#Comment_29105

thanks. do you know if possible to lay grass by batches? eg. i might not be able to do it all at 1 stage.. so might nee to do 1 section by 1 section

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/29105#Comment_29105

wood chip and native plant for the whole area?

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/77220#Comment_77220

As long as you stick to the same type of turf rolls, then there is no issue in doing it in batches. As the weather warms up, you'll find fresh turf rolls at your local Bunnings every weekend.

Adding wood chips and growing native plants is worth considering if you're interested. It would be less maintenance than a lawn, and if that suits your lifestyle, then I can't see any reason why you couldn't go that route.

Mitchell

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/102575#Comment_102575

Thanks @MitchellMc . Do you have photo how it looks like with woodchip and growing native plant.. i cant really visualise how it look like on a big area.. (understand if it is small section)

EricL

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/118294#Comment_118294

Hello @calccom21

I've placed a sample image below to give you an idea of what it could it look like once the turf is established. Please have a look and tell us what you think.

If you need more advice or information, please let us know.

Eric

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/77220#Comment_77220

https://ultimatebackyard.com.au/australian-native-garden-design/

If you want. The design is totally up to you. Some people have the whole area with a gravel path to washing line, BBQ, work shed etc. I've seen others that have a small area of grass. Others put in a fishpond or kid's play area. Have a walk around your area and look at other garden ideas. The woodchip & natives are lower maintenance and survive better in hot weather. So if you live a busy life and don't have much time to care for your plants, then I'd go for natives with no grass to mow!

As a rule, natives don't like really wet areas so often having raised areas works well by just putting mounds of soil around the rear and putting higher trees on them. Then dot some shrubs about 1 to 2 metres in front of the trees, with ground cover and smaller shrubs in front of them! I have attached a very rough sketch of this idea of grading down the heights of the plant - I hope it makes sense to you! If you want a fishpond, planting a wall of high plants around the pond will act as a barrier to cats who want to eat your fish! I would go with Reeds and Rushes or prickly shrubs planted close together. If you choose a fishpond, you need to avoid tap water from the house tap. You need to use filtered water, as the chlorine in the water might kill them.

Here are some ideas that might help.

Click on this link. Then on the links under the photos:

Bunnings also has some ideas but mainly for BIG gardens!

https://www.bunnings.com.au/diy-advice/garden/planting-and-growing/how-to-design-a-thriving-native-garden

There are more ideas here:

https://www.bhg.com.au/native-cottage-garden

The design is up to you.

I hope this helps you @calccom21

Getting a garden that fits your lifestyle is important. So do remember that while you are deciding what to do! A native garden will last forever. Fake grass gets ugly and needs to be replaced. If you go with grass, it gets delivered in rolls. Negotiate with supplier and see if they will deliver in 2 or 3 lots. But I have seen delivered grass on the footpath for a week or so ... it might depend on the time of year as to how long it can last before being laid down and watered (if you are budgeting, watering grass can add to your water bill too).

Good luck!

I hope we can see the photos of the finished back yard when it's done!

Cheers! 🤗

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/127543#Comment_127543

Hi @EricL

That is one very fancy garden design! 👏

Did you come up with this work of art using specialised software or is it via an app?

Cheers 🤗

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/118294#Comment_118294

The internet has lots of photos. Then you can pick out some ideas that you like. A little bit from one garden, a little from another and so on ..

You might like to type the following word search phrase into your Internet page. When the results come up, click on 'Images' (just underneath where you paste the text)....

starting a native garden with woodchips in australia

Cheers 🤗

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/127547#Comment_127547

Hi @Tyro,

I'd suggest @EricL used a photo manipulation program such as Photoshop to put that image together.

For a great garden planner that @calccom21 might like to check out, too, have a look at the Gardena Garden Planner. It's been created to plan out garden irrigation but works a treat as a general landscaping tool; really helps to visualise a space.

Mitchell

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/133617#Comment_133617

A huge thanks to you @MitchellMc

I do need something like that to visualise my design for my crowded courtyard!

👏🙏🏻🤸‍♀️😁

Cheers 🤗

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/133616#Comment_133616

Hi any idea if I can just remove the artificial grass and put the real grass on top without remove those stones?

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/137480#Comment_137480

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/29105#Comment_29105

As @MitchellMc

suggested, you would need to put down alot of topsoil before you lay grass down. Instead of the grass idea, have you seen gravel gardens? That might save you lots of work. Type Gravel Gardens into google. A website called Pinterest has some very cool gardens that have small stones instead of grass.

Cheers 🤗

EricL

Hello @calccom21

I propose setting aside some time and slowly start removing all the unnecessary parts of the old garden. Use a sledgehammer to remove the concrete circles. Gather the wood and tarp and begin tilling the soil. Remove any large stones or rocks in the soil. Straighten or remove the garden edging and level the entire garden. Add new topsoil and prepare it for the laying of the new turf.

Putting turf on an unprepared surface will result in the turf dying or growing in an uneven manner. This will make the surface difficult to mow and and maintain.

If you need further assistance, please let us know.

Eric

jshkrr

Hi @calccom21, I came across your post as I'm writing a blog article on synthetic vs natural turf. This image is a great example of why I think natural turf trumps synthetic. I was hoping I might be able to use and share your image on the blog?

Best of luck with your turf project!

JacobZ

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/47594#Comment_47594

Hi @jshkrr,

A warm welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community, it is fantastic to have you with us.

Hopefully, @calccom21 will respond shortly.

If there is anything else I can assist with, please don't hesitate to reach out.

Jacob

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/47594#Comment_47594

Hi sorry I missed your message can you share to me?

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/85855#Comment_85855

Thanks I still have not done any work yet.. is it ok if I removed the artificial grass and just add on soil on top of it... There is also tree stump.. will that be ok if it buried under the soil?

JacobZ

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/110084#Comment_110084

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/29101#Comment_29101

Allow me to tag @jshkrr so they are notified of your response.

It would be best if you remove any hardscaping and tree stumps in your lawn, as they will cause differences in the drainage and structure of the soil, which can show up as patchiness in your lawn once it grows.

Ultimately, your lawn will still grow if you just add soil over the top, but it is usually best to put the effort in early to bring everything back to a clean slate rather than later when problems arise.

Let me know if you have any further questions.

Jacob

MrCannotWeld

Hi there!

I have a similar problem with awful fake turf and a layer of crusher dust. How deep a crusher dust layer would you say is too deep to turn into the soil underneath?

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/91647#Comment_91647

Hi @MrCannotWeld,

Generally, when preparing to lay real grass over a base that currently has crusher dust, you want to keep the layer manageable so it can be incorporated into the soil. A shallow layer, around 50mm, can usually be worked into the topsoil without too much trouble, improving drainage and firmness. Anything deeper than 50mm can be very difficult to turn over effectively, and may create a compacted layer that the grass roots struggle to penetrate. In those cases, it’s often better to remove the excess crusher dust or build up new topsoil on top rather than trying to mix it all in.

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Mitchell

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/111821#Comment_111821

thanks. if we do section by sections, what is the best way to compact the soil and make sure it is leveling? is there anything we can use beside compactor? as it wont be practical to keep getting compactor if we do section by section. any advise?

JacobZ

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/123396#Comment_123396