How to lay new turf including loam?

saraeld

Hello

I have received differing information regarding what steps you need to take to lay new turf.

From the information i have gathered, my intention is to:

• prepare existing ground by removing weeds
• Lay approx 100mm of loam
• roll out turf
• step on turf to compact it down
• roll out turf

My questions are:

Does the loam need to be compacted down prior to placement of the turf?

Does the loam need fertilisers or any other nutrients added?

Do you need to sprinkler a sand layer on top of the turf?

How long should we allow to lay 100sq.m of loam and turf? Is it feasible for two people to do it over two days?

Thank you

MitchellMc

Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community @saraeld. It's brilliant to have you join us, and many thanks for your question about laying turf.

No, do not compact the loam. Simply spread and level it before laying your turf. Watering it in will help it settle naturally, but you don’t want to actively compact it. Note that 100mm is quite a thick layer — typically, 30–50mm of loam is sufficient unless your existing soil is very poor.

You can add something like Hortico 8kg New Lawns Starter Fertiliser before laying the turf, but hold off on using regular lawn fertilisers for at least three months until the turf has properly established.

There’s no need to sprinkle sand on top of the turf. Some people do this to help hold the turf down and improve root contact, but this will happen naturally as you walk across the area and water it in.

If you start early in the morning, two people could comfortably complete 100m² in a single day. Spreading and levelling the loam should take a few hours, and laying the turf about the same. You could be relaxing that evening, admiring your new lawn!

Here's a helpful guide: How to lay turf.

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Mitchell