How to treat new Sir Walter turf with brown edges and thatch?

Question

I laid new Sir Walter a week ago and I have been watering it once a day but I forgot the last two days. I also didn't know you had to press it down after laying it.  I noticed that the edge have gone light brown and it looks thatchy underneath the healthy grass. There are also gap lines where the joins are.

Just looking for advice on what to do. I pulled back the corner of a piece of the turf and I can see a few little hairs.

bellinda · Answer

Thank-you so much. I was kicking myself that I hadn't looked after it properly. I will keep an eye on water levels. I had just given it a water before I sent the pic but I will test it before I water it to make sure it isn't wet.

MitchellMc · Answer

Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community @bellinda. It's fantastic to have you join us and many thanks for your question on newly laid lawns.

What you're seeing is fairly typical for recently laid turf, especially only a week after installation.

I'm not seeing any major signs of die-back or significant browning at the joins in your photo. The lighter-coloured edges and visible join lines are quite normal at this stage. It generally takes several weeks for individual turf sections to knit together seamlessly, and during that time, the joins can remain visible.

It's also worth keeping in mind that we're currently in the coolest months of the year. Sir Walter slows down considerably during winter and produces very little new growth. If this turf had been laid in spring or summer, you might expect the joins to disappear within a few weeks, but in winter it's not unusual for them to remain visible for several weeks or even longer.

Overall, your lawn looks much as I would expect for freshly laid turf. It also appears to have been watered fairly recently, as the surface looks quite wet and possibly close to saturated. During spring and summer, newly laid turf may need watering twice a day while establishing, but in winter, the requirements are much lower due to reduced evaporation and slower growth. The goal is to keep the turf and soil beneath it moist, not constantly wet. If the soil is already wet, do not water.

The fact that you can see a few fine white roots when lifting a corner is a positive sign that the turf is beginning to establish. At this stage, I'd continue monitoring moisture levels, avoid overwatering, and try not to lift the turf unnecessarily so those new roots can continue developing.

Let me tag, @nagumuthu, @Marcusdib, @swarn and @michellef16, to see if they have any thoughts.

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Mitchell