Stored turf

I have recently lifted some turf from my garden and I have covered it in black plastic and stored it to use the soil later. How long will it have to be stored before I can be sure that all weed seeds have been killed

islayhawk

 

Two years minimum, three to four years ideally then riddle the sods. Cheers, Tony.

 

Depends what you want to use it for potting soil - then best to steam-sterilise it, which will kill the weed seeds. So you'd only be looking for it to rot down to get to a nice loam, and for stacked turf my guess is that a year would be enough.

For a soil enhancement then the issue with weeds is less (you are going to get some self-sown anyway), so depends a bit on what weeds you had in the lawn it came from. Pernicious weeds then leave it longer, perfect bowling-green grass then that will be dead already!

If you are going to incorporate it under the surface then less issue with any weeds it contains anyway.

Beware that if the lawn was treated with selective herbicide (clopyralid, or its relations) because that persists for ages, and will kill plants [other than grass!] that it comes into contact with - even after being left to rot for 12 - 18 months :(

 

It was more moss than weed that was on the lawn. Thought I would use it to top up flower beds in the future.

islayhawk

 

personally I'd give it a year, more if you are not in a rush. (Provided you didn't use selective weedkiller on it in the last year)