If you’ve recently gotten some new turf laid, you’ll want to know how best to care for it so that it not only survives, but thrives, and gives you a lush looking lawn for many years to come. Here are some top tips for caring for turf:
Watering your turf:
Did you know that a grass plant is 80% water? When water is drawn up from the soil through the roots, it carries nutrients to every grass cell so that it can develop a strong root system, grow shoots and effectively harness sunlight to start producing its own energy through the process of photosynthesis.
When you first lay your turf, watering will become vital towards its healthy growth, and until the roots get established in the soil they’ll struggle to find enough water to give support to the whole grass plant. This is where watering becomes so important, and you must ensure that the soil is never allowed to dry out, otherwise your turf will suffer. Water the turf two times a day for the first week at least, especially if the weather is hot, and then you can gradually reduce it until you’re watering your turf 2 or 3 times a week. Continue doing this for the first 6 weeks and then water it once a week.
Protecting your turf:
When turf is newly laid, all its energies are focused upon growing and establishing a strong root system, and so its important to do everything you can to protect it in the first few weeks so that it can grow and not waste energy on regenerating damage. This includes placing boards across any areas of your turf that you must walk upon to prevent damaging the grass, but wherever possible, avoid walking on it altogether for at least the first 3 weeks. Ideally, your new lawn should be walked on as little as possible for around 3 months, after which point the turf (provided you’ve watered it sufficiently) should have developed a healthy root system and be able to continue growing without so much support.
Mowing your turf:
Aside from keeping your lawn looking neat and tidy, mowing encourages the grass to grow new leaves from the base of the lawn so that it stays thick, lush and capable of suppressing weed growth:
Pull up a handful of grass from 2 or 3 areas of your lawn before mowing, to check whether the blades come away easily in your hand. If they do, then this is a good indicator that your lawn is ready to be mowed.
There is no quicker way to destroy your new lawn than by mowing it with blunt blades. Doing so rips the grass and leaves large wounds that could take weeks to heal, in the meantime, disease could take advantage of the weaknesses in the turf and spread like wildfire.
The first time you cut your lawn, you’ll want to put the mower on its highest setting to be sure that only the very tips of the grass are removed. Try to do this on a mild day when the grass is dry. Ensure that the blades of your mower are very sharp and attach the grass box so that no clippings are left lying around. After the first cut, your lawn should look neat and the grass will be encouraged to grow more shoots from the base.
Feeding your turf:
Try using ‘pre-turf’ food for your newly laid lawn to give it a good start and help it to find all the necessary nutrients.
For more advice and guidance, talk to your local lawn care specialists.
