How do we get rid of weeds/grass to lay new turf?

natalie_

  

Hi there,

we’ve just built a new house and are trying to get rid of the grass and weeds that are covering the back yard, so we can lay turf. 
Does anyone have experience with getting rid of weeds/grass to lay turf in a new build?
We’ve sprayed with Round Up Tough twice. 3 weeks ago and 1 week ago. Each took a couple of hours. My husband has started manually digging them up but 2 hours in and he hasn’t gotten far as the ground is very hard.
Any other recommended ways??

Thanks! 

JacobZ

Hi @natalie_,

Thank you for your question about removing grass and weeds before laying new turf.

The best way to remove the grass and soil would be to use a skid steer to do a site cut. This involves scraping the top layer off and removing it from the site. Unfortunately, this isn't always possible due to access limitations. 

If this is feasible for your project, skid steers can be hired in conjunction with Coates Hire through your local store. You can check this out here; For Hire: Coates Small Skid Steer Loader, just make sure to check availability in your area.

You can also hire trailers and skip bins through your local store to remove the green waste from your project. Alot of council tips will give free tipping for green waste, so this is definitely worth looking into in your area.

You could also use a Rotary Tiller which can be hired from your local store in conjunction with Coates Hire. While this is a good solution, this would still require a great deal of manual labour to remove the grass and weeds after tilling.

There are also smaller options for cultivators that can be purchased through your local store. This would allow you and your husband to carry out the project over time.

Let me know what you think.

Jacob