total refurb

You ever thought of a tunnel, and smuggling??

 

That is quite sad Pearse, with Northern island pretty much settled now, integration, for want of a better word would be helped by their removal I think.

 

yea it would be better but its still a divided land, schools are mainly entirely made up of one religeon or the other, whole housing areas well in belfast at least are either catholic or protestant, very little mixed areas, marching season brings about alot of awkwardness aswell, the area where i live i get hemmed in for a few days so a parade can pass through and then the rioting starts which is insane imo, this happens each summer, so at least if i have a nice garden i can take myself there during this lol

 

right so im getting the rotavator for the weekend, im going to turn the soil, weed, clear any stones or rubbish, add in the compost and fertiliser, turn it all over. will i then need to add sand or top soil or will the turf be able to be put down without it? thanks for the replies so far aswell

 

Doing all of that work, make sure you buy good quality turf. I don't know whether this is the same everywhere but in this area some years ago when I was buying turf it seemed that some of the stuff on sale was just field grass which had been lifted when new housing was being built on what had been fields and the builders tried capitalising on the grass they had to remove anyway. People buying it soon found out it was false economy. A reputable turf supplier should be able to tell you what grasses you're buying in as much detail as any packet of grass seed. I'd say prepare the ground just as well as if you were sowing seed. I presume the high fence casts shade so think about grass that is for shady areas too if that's the case. Good luck, I agree a garden is a haven so make sure you take the time to enjoy it after all that hard work.

 

thanks for the informative answer westwales. ive been at it 8 hours today and the old grass is no more, i dug it by hand using a fork, spade and sturdy rake. however some nasty roots remain so im getting weedkiller tomorrow, is bayer glyphosate any good?

 

Glyphosate is good Pearse, but be careful, it will kill just about everything it touches and use it on a windless day.

 

thanks sheal. see after i get the weeds killed, the soil raked and all stone and debris removed im going to add in compost and fertaliser, will i then need to add sand or topsoil before i can put down my rolled out turf lawn? sorry for all the questions but i am a complete novice. my area is 45 feet by 10 feet, how many tons of top soil if i do need it do you think?

 

Do you know what sort of soil you have? If it's clay, it will be hard to dig over and feel very heavy, it also holds the water. If it's a lighter soil, which it looks like from your pictures, I wouldn't bother with the sand and topsoil. I think compost and fertilizer will be enough.

I have never added fertilizer to soil before relaying a lawn and I've gardened on clay in the past and have sandy soil now. If you feed it every spring that should be enough. But don't feed the turf after laying it as it will make it put on top growth in preference to getting roots established. When the lawn is down keep it watered, if you have more than a couple of days without rain, water.

 

thanks sheal. ive bought some organic seaweed lawn feed, will i leave it till winter before feeding it? the soil is different in parts, some areas have turned really mucky and ya sink into it, extremely hard to dig, where other areas arent like that at all. the thing is i can source good quality screened topsoil for free so maybe i should put some down. i just need to get the weeds and roots killed and rake the remaining debris out, then i can turn in the compost, put in some fertiliser, rake it, and then maybe add a light layer of topsoil? ive enjoyed doing it but it sure is hard work lol its my first home since leaving my parents house. once ive god some more done ill upload pics to show how its going.

 

Don't feed the lawn in winter, you'll be wasting your time as the grass is dormant. But if it's dry enough and getting to long, cut it on a high adjustment on your mower just to take the top off. You can however feed in autumn, as yet I haven't bothered.

It sounds like your soil is a mixture, so yes perhaps it's a good idea to lay the topsoil, in the worst areas I would dig in sand just to help with drainage. Grass roots go down to no more than approx. 4 inches, so the surface preparation will be good. When your turf is layed, again cut on a high adjustment on your mower to take the top off until it has established, possibly the first two or three cuts or it will tear the turf to shreds.

You'll be able to stand back and admire your hard work in the summer and know it was worthwhile.

 

yea i cant wait to have it done tbh. one thing ive noticed whilst digging, i havent encountered one single earthworm, is this bad?

 

The worms are probably deep down. If you have had little or no rain recently they will have gone deep. They don't like dry ground. Your soil disturbance at the moment might be a factor as well.

 

To be honest i wouldnt use compost underneath the grass. Only my choice mind. I find it too bulky and subject to settlement leaving dips. Compost also holds onto moisture, in a lawn you need a nice free draining mix. The grass roots also prefer a loamy soil to get the roots in. Personally i would, rotavate, rake and some food (BFB or somthing similier), add a good quality top soil as a dressing, rake again then lay the turf.

G

 

a few Boston Ivy climbers on that fence will give some interest in a few years time ... self clinging .... needs a couple of years before they really take off ... but they loose their leaves during winter

even a few evergreen ivy may be a good idea .... maybe combine the two climbers?