Laying Turf

I did say I'd be asking questions lol...

In a part of my "garden" there is an area of nasty grey chips (5mx10m, someone told me it is Type 1 - whatever that is). It is very unsightly, and I want to cover it with turf...
What is the best way to go about this? I did think that I'd be ok, just laying the turf on top of the stones, and leaving the grass roots to "reach" down through the chips, but I read somewhere that I should have some topsoil for the turf to root on to?
Or do I need to remove all the chips (not a good idea, flooding from surrounding fields, and the fact there must be about 20 tonnes of the stuff!)
Im not looking to make a bowling green lawn, just somewhere safe for the little uns to play

Thanks for any advice, tips

G

 

"Or do I need to remove all the chips"

That's your best option. Put in land drains if there is water coming into the land from higher ground. You can use your Type-1 for that (although it may be a bit sharp, and thus risk it punctures the pipe).

Type-1 is an aggregate that binds very well when rolled. It would make nice hard-standing for cars, or in-fill for a shed base etc.

Normally gravel is used as back-fill for drains.

Grass won't grow on a bed of stones. You could probably stick a foot of topsoil on it (provided that depth wouldn't interfere with the rest of the garden heights), but it will be very free draining and probably go yellow all summer long as a consequence. In my opinion it would be better to get the stone up, put soil down, and sow grass seed (in the Autumn) or lay turf

 

Hello sausagefingers
Kristen is spot on with his advice .Removing 50 square metres of aggregate will be a huge job ! My friend has just had his waterlogged lawn covered with artificial grass , but then again 50 sq metres of it correctly laid would be a hefty bill . You could possibly cover it with a more decorative gravel , say 20mm golden gravel . You would need about 4 bulk bags to cover your area , at around £100 a bag .

 

Offft! Lifting/Shifting all that stone (it's about 1' deep) would take a back breaking long time. Toying with putting my little patio (12x12) on top, to hide some of the chips, then it looks like it will be some decorative gravel to hide the rest. Might try splitting it up into areas, and covering with mulch/bark (ie down the sides of the fence)
Thanks for the help guys, saved me some money jumping in, as I usually do lol

Thanks
G