Turf or Seed: Which Suits Your Garden?

There is no single right answer when it comes to laying a new lawn, only the answer that fits your plot, your budget and your patience. Both turf and seed will give you a lovely lawn if the groundwork is done properly, but they ask different things of you along the way.

Turf arrives as rolls or slabs of established grass with a thin layer of soil beneath. You lay it like carpet and you have a green lawn within a day. It is the choice for anyone who wants instant results, needs a lawn before a wedding or a house sale, or is working on a slope where seed would simply wash away in a downpour. It costs considerably more per square metre, and you must water it diligently for the first fortnight.

Seed is far cheaper and gives you a much wider choice of mixtures, from hard-wearing family blends to finer grasses for a formal look. The trade-off is time. You will wait several weeks for germination and a good few months before the lawn can take real wear. Seed is also vulnerable to birds, drought and heavy rain while it establishes.

• Choose turf for speed, slopes and awkward shapes.
• Choose seed for cost, choice and larger areas.
• Autumn is the best window for both, with early spring a close second.

Preparing the Ground Properly

Nearly every disappointing new lawn can be traced back to rushed preparation. Grass will not fix bad ground; it will simply reflect it. Start by clearing the site completely. Dig out old turf, weeds, rubble and any builders' debris, and take particular care over perennial weeds such as docks, bindweed and ground elder. If they are present in quantity, it is worth spraying or smothering the area and waiting a few weeks rather than fighting them through new grass for years.

Next, dig over the top 15–20cm, breaking up compaction as you go. If your soil is heavy clay, work in plenty of well-rotted organic matter and some sharp sand to improve drainage. If it is light and sandy, organic matter alone will help it hold moisture. Then leave the ground to settle for a week or two, watering it if the weather turns dry, so any weeds can germinate and be hoed off before you sow or lay.

Finally, firm the bed by shuffling across it in small steps, then rake it to a fine, level tilth. You want a surface that is firm enough that your footprints barely dent it, but crumbly enough at the top for roots and seeds to get going. A slight tilt away from the house or patio helps surface water drain. If you are laying turf, order it to arrive the day you plan to lay it, and have the preparation finished beforehand.

Laying Turf Step by Step

Unroll the first roll along a straight edge, such as a path or a taut line, and work outwards from there. Stagger the joints like brickwork so no four corners meet in one spot. Push the edges tightly together with your hands or the back of a rake; gaps dry out and turn into visible seams.

On slopes, lay the turf across the slope rather than down it, and peg the top edge if it threatens to slip. Trim the ends with a sharp knife or half-moon edger as you go. Once everything is down, firm it gently with a roller or by treading it in boards, then water thoroughly so the soil beneath is soaked, not just the surface.

Keep off the new lawn entirely for at least a fortnight, and ideally longer if the weather is cool.

Sowing Grass Seed Evenly

Sow at the rate given on the packet, usually around 35–50g per square metre for a new lawn, and split the seed into two batches. Broadcast the first batch walking north to south, then the second walking east to west. This cross-hatch method avoids bare patches far better than one pass.

Lightly rake the seed in so it sits about 5mm deep, then firm the surface with the back of a rake or by treading it gently. A thin scattering of fine soil or a light topdressing keeps it moist and hides it from birds, though on larger plots a few criss-crossed lines of string are usually enough deterrent.

Water with a fine spray so the seed is not washed into drifts. In mild autumn or spring weather you should see green fuzz within ten to fourteen days.

Watering Until the Lawn Establishes

New grass needs water little and often at first, then deeply and less frequently as it matures. For turf, soak the ground beneath it daily for the first week, then every few days for the next two or three weeks. Lift a corner to check the soil below is damp, not just the surface.

For seed, keep the top 2–3cm consistently moist until germination, which may mean a light watering morning and evening in warm weather. Once the grass is up, gradually reduce the frequency and increase the amount, encouraging roots to travel downwards.

As the lawn thickens, mow lightly. Set the blades high for the first cut or two, never removing more than a third of the leaf at once, and make sure the mower is sharp. Keep off it in frost and avoid heavy use through the first winter. By the following spring you will have a lawn that is dense, even and genuinely hard-wearing.