Lumpy lawn

Hi there

I've just spent the whole wknd de- weeding our lumpy lawn and then rotavating it. I didnt take the old lawn off before rotavating. Was this an error?? Next I was going to rake the lawn level then stamp it down flat. A little more raking then lay new turf. Does this sound right to you guys? Have I messed something up?

Cheers

Andy

 

Depends on how deep your weeds are Andy ! If they are the type with a big tap root then they will just grow back through the new turf.
Personally i would have dug out all the old turf, rotavated, levelled and stamped down, raked maybe add a bit of nice new top soil then laid the turf.

 

Thanks for reply.

Im afraid its too late for that now. Do you think laying turf over what I hav done will be a prob. Minus the deep rooted weeds coming through. I since thought that, the old dead grass will rot and decompose creating a new lumpy lawn. Why I hav all the ideas after the event is beyond me :-S. Cheers

 

If you take out all the deep rooted weeds then it shouldnt be a problem provided that the tilth of the earth is fine. This will enable the new roots underneath to get established quicker.

G

 

You could leave it for a bit and then spray anything that grows back with Glyphosate to kill it, then lay your new lawn.

If you are in a hosepipe ban area you will only be able to water the new turf for 28 days - which will get it established, but you will still need to water it during its firt Summer. If its a small area you'll be able to use a watering can, but you'll need a sprinkler for anything larger I reckon

 

What's on the surface now? Is it rotovated grass, roots and all or have you cleared that up?

 

Sorry for the delay, I didnt get e mail telling me any1else had posted. I raked off any big clumps of old grass and weed and im left with a well compacted but slightly un even mess of mud.I dont think I can straighten it out with the soil that remains cos its so compacted after this rain. Should I roller it and apply top soil. Not sure what the next step is. I need to get it more even. My dad said apply sand to do this but I've read otherwise. Really want to turf this wknd

 

Andy,
As i said mate, make sure those tap root weeds are out. I would NOT roll it. All your doing is compacting it and may get drainage issues later.
Here's what i would do:
Add sharp sand to the top of your mud mess. Then get a rotivator and rotivate it all in. Then tread it down and rake to even. Then get some decent top soil, top dress rake level again. Tread down firm, then rake. Once the soil is a fine tilth, lay the turf.
Good luck.
G