How to replace artificial turf with real grass?

[calccom21]

 Hi All,

   Need some advise... When I move into here.. we had artificial grass and over the years, it turn bad to worst and all the thread and nails came out and the weed sprouting out . I was thinking to put real grass in it . Any advise? Fyi I had been pulling the weed out, vinegar and also weed killer..nothing last ..also if I were to put real grass, what I need to do...do I need to remove the stone, etc underneath the artificial grass?

[JacobZ]

Hi @calccom21,

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? 

[MitchellMc]

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

[calccom21]

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]

Hi @calccom21,

You don't want to compact your soil when laying turf, so I wouldn't suggest doing any kind of compaction at all. Compacted soil will make it incredibly difficult for the roots to break through that compacted layer and establish themselves in the soil.

You'll instead want to break up and aerate the soil while incorporating new soil. You can use a garden fork to do this.

Once aerated and mixed, use a soil spreader or metal tyne rake to spread the soil and level it. You don't need it to be absolutely perfect in terms of level, just aim for flat.

Let me know if you have any further questions.

Jacob

[MrCannotWeld]

Thanks for that. 

It looks like it might be 5cm maximum so I'll give it a crack.