Turf Installation & New Lawns — Tea Tree Gully, Modbury & Golden Grove

Turf installation Adelaide lawns need to survive summer

Roll-on turf is the easy part of a new lawn. Whether it is still green in February comes down to what is underneath it: how the old surface was removed, how deep the soil was prepared, whether it was levelled with a fall away from the house, and whether water gets to the roots evenly. I prepare lawns the way a horticulturist prepares a garden bed, because that is what a lawn is.

How I lay a new lawn

1. Site assessment. Sun, shade, traffic and drainage decide which turf variety suits, and whether the area should be lawn at all.
2. Removal and preparation. Old lawn, weeds and builders' rubble removed, soil loosened and improved with a quality sandy loam and organic matter.
3. Levelling. Graded with a gentle fall away from buildings, compacted lightly and raked to a fine finish.
4. Irrigation. Pop-up sprinklers or drip under the turf, installed before the rolls go down.
5. Laying. Rolls laid brickwork-fashion, tightly butted, edges trimmed, then rolled and watered in.
6. Aftercare plan. A written watering and mowing schedule for the first six weeks.

Which turf for Adelaide? Kikuyu, Buffalo and Couch

For a full-sun family lawn in Modbury or Golden Grove, Kikuyu is hard to beat for price and toughness. Soft-leaf Buffalo handles the part-shade of established eastern-suburbs gardens far better and stays greener in winter. Couch varieties give a fine, tight surface for a show lawn but want full sun and regular care. I will recommend the variety that suits your site and your budget, and I cover the costs in lawn installation cost in Adelaide: Kikuyu, Buffalo and Couch compared.

Looking after a new lawn in the first six weeks

The six weeks after laying decide whether the lawn knits in or fails. For the first week the turf is watered every day, early morning, enough to soak through the rolls into the soil beneath; in summer that can mean twice a day. From week two the watering is stretched out so the roots chase the moisture down. Keep off the lawn as much as possible until it cannot be lifted at the corners, then do the first mow on a high setting with sharp blades. A light feed at around six weeks and the lawn is established. I leave every turf client with this schedule in writing, adjusted for the time of year and the irrigation that has been installed.

If a lawn already exists but is patchy, compacted or full of weeds, renovation (coring, dethatching, top dressing and overseeding or re-turfing the worst sections) can be cheaper than a full replacement. I will tell you which makes sense for yours.

Where I install turf

Tea Tree Gully, Modbury, Golden Grove and the new-build suburbs of the north-east are regular turf jobs, as are renovations in Norwood, Magill and Campbelltown and lawn replacements for rentals and B&Bs across the eastern suburbs.