The great advantage of turf is that you do not have to wait months for a lawn to form: as soon as it is laid, you have a closed, even green surface. That is why many people choose it for new-build houses, where the garden is one of the last jobs on the list.
From March to the end of May, and from September to mid-October, soil temperature and rainfall both favor rooting. In these periods the turf knits into the soil beneath it within two to three weeks.
Laying turf in midsummer is not impossible, but it then needs watering several times a day, or the edges of the rolls dry out and curl up.
Before laying, the area has to be cleared, levelled and then compacted. An uneven surface will show through in the finished lawn, and the mower will scalp the high points.
We lay the rolls in a staggered bond with no gaps, like a brick wall. Laying is followed immediately by a thorough soaking, then daily watering for two weeks.
About two to three weeks after laying, once the turf can no longer be lifted at the corner. Keep the first cut high, at 5 to 6 centimeters, and only lower it gradually on later passes.
Seasonal tasks, irrigation, pools and plant choices. Short, practical pieces drawn from our everyday work.
Autumn work decides the state the garden will be in when spring arrives. The height of the last cut, the timing of leaf clearing and a potassium-rich autumn feed all matter, but the most important job is draining the irrigation system: a cracked valve costs far more in spring than the autumn service does.
Mowing daily, a robot produces a denser, deeper green lawn, makes no noise and asks for no weekends. Neat stripes, crisp edges and the areas under shrubs remain the job of a conventional machine. In our experience the best result comes from combining the two, and we show you how.
Chemical-free gardening does not mean doing nothing. It means intervening somewhere else: in the soil and in the choice of plants, rather than with a sprayer. Compost, a mulch layer, a mixed perennial bed and a small area of water are what build a garden that stays stable on its own.
With hand watering there is always a dry patch, and always an area that gets too much. A well-designed automatic system distributes water evenly, runs at dawn when evaporation is minimal, and with precise dosing usually uses less water than a hose. It also produces a deeper-rooted, more drought-tolerant lawn.
