New Turf Worries

Hi everyone, first post here.

I had a new lawn laid this week(on Monday) and i am worried that it is already damaged.
The edges of most rolls are yellow and there are a few off brown patches here and there.
The company that have laid the turf said that it was due to it drying out but should be fine once it starts getting water on it.

I have been watering it twice a day as people have recommended but i cannot really see any difference in the appearance, i know it's probably too soon to tell but I'm new to all this and fear i have a ruined lawn already.

I hope someone on here can tell me I'm wrong

Rich

 

Hi - I had turf laid last year and a similar thing happenned to me. It's been very warm lately, so I'd recommend watering your lawn with a sprinkler for many hours.

 

Dont get too worried! When laying turf its always best to lay past the proposed boundary edge as a certain amount of die back is inevitable. Once established, the edges can be cut back to suit.

Turf is laid like bricks. make sure that joints are filled [usually a mixture of soil and riversand]

Try not to walk on it too much.

The roots need to get their 'feet' down into to soil and get itself established. Keep the faith. It will do OK.

Ive seen some summers where the grass has become brown all over and still come back. grass is difficult to kill.

Come spring - give it a liquid feed. I use a product called 'Lawn Magic' I prefer it to pellets as they can cause the grass to burn if its doesnt rain soon after. I get it from www.superspray.co.uk and use one of their supersprays to apply it with

see pic

 

Thanks for the response.
From what i can see the lawn is getting worse by the day...

Some people have told me to stop watering it in the morning and just concentrate on the late afternoon/evening water instead.
I'm using a hosepipe with a sprinkle attachment at the moment and i am getting a proper sprinkler next week, i am watering for about 20 to 30 mins twice a day at the moment and i have checked to make sure the water is getting to the soil underneath the turf by checking under the corners, which is dark and cold to the touch and not over soaked(as recommended on many turf care sites)

Rich

 

hi ive laid turf in warm conditions and it should not look like that id have a word with the co that laid it.
only prob with laying turf in warm conditions is it needs watering a lot.
when buying turf allways check it before paying even if it means every roll make sure its weed and stone free and the roots are white.

 

Vegman's advice is sound.

I rekon the turf had been stored rolled for a few days prior to laying and the edges had dried and died back slightly, with this weather it is impertive that turf is layed quickly. Either that or it wasnt compacted down suficently after laying.

I prefer to seed rather than turf, however if a client requests turf then I always personally collect it from the growers the morning of laying with my trailer. This way I am asured that it is 100% fresh, often lifted quite literally an hour before.

The only way around it will be to scratch the deges were its died back with a leaf rake and seed them however you should contact the firm that laid it.


BTW, looking at the pics at the back end the turf has not been cut properly by the wall and there are a few gaps on the edges.... IMO a cra* job

 

One thing i will however add is that from the photo it would apear the grass has been cut very low, this is WRONG as with seed, new turf should be cut on a high setting for the first four weeks after laying.

 

Thanks for the advice everyone.
The good news is that nearly all the edges are starting to green up again now, it's just the large areas which have died off that are going to need attention so i am going to contact the company that did the work about this.
As for the grass being cut low Pro Gard, that is how it came off the trailer, i haven't been anywhere near it with a lawn mower as it has only been laid down a week today.

Rich

 

hmm looks familiar was it a well known company that supplied your turf?If it was we had trouble before like this from them mind you they they were delievering to us in essex and the turf was cut in yorkshire

 

We seem to be having the same problem, We have contacted them and they don't want to know.

 

Let's hope all this rain we are having is helping and when you eventually do decide to cut the grass, make sure you cut it at a really high setting so it's not actually that short.