Help with new turf and preparing existing soil

[Fred_H]

Hi,

I'm in the UK.

My old lawn has not been growing for last 2 years, always yellow and dead despite watering feeding etc, so this year I have had the lawn removed, the person who laid the lawn last time used a compactor on the soil and it has left the soil very hard, unable to get a fork into many areas, also have a tree nearby with fibrous roots which has also caused the soil to be like a carpet just under the surface.

So I am now digging and sifting (to 13mm) my soil and removing the roots, stones etc, intend to do this all over the grass area (9Mtrs x 3Mtrs), not a quick task for me at 70 years old

Can anybody advise me on how deep I should dig the old soil, I have read 50mm, 100mm and 150mm, obviously deeper means more work for me.

Afterwards I was thinking of adding some topsoil over my sifted existing soil, but do I need to add compost and topsoil or just topsoil?

I have paving stones around 3 sides of the lawn area, how much space above topsoil should I leave for the turf so its level with the paving when I lay the turf?

Should I put fertilizer on the topsoil before laying turf?

Thanks for any assistance.

 

[oneeye]

No don't put any fertilizer down until you see new grass growing. Post a photo for the best suggestions friend. .

 

[Fred_H]

No don't put any fertilizer down until you see new grass growing. Post a photo for the best suggestions friend. .

I am laying turf so the grass is already growing, wanted to know if I need to fertilize soil before turf laying?

I have started to dig and sift the soil, which is not easy due to the many, many roots, but I feel that I must remove the roots or else the grass will not get enough water etc, and maybe why the ground was extremely hard.

I have added a couple of pics, thanks for reminding me

 

[Oliver Buckle]

Roots making the jump from the soil in the turf to the soil below is sometimes a problem, so adding some top soil and a little manure will help with that. Turf can vary in thickness, but it is usually about an inch and a half or so, however the soil you have dug will settle a little, so aim to start off with the turf slightly above the paving so it settles to level. Not too much, if it drops below the paving you can always build it up when the grass is established by adding top soil little by little, it is not so easy to lower the grass or lift the paving.

 

[oneeye]

I agree with Oliver put some well-composted manure and topsoil down before planting your sod. Every time I have ever done that the grass grew like crazy with a pretty green color.