Thetownend.com

*Hopefully Macphlea can help  ;)

I'm looking to turf the front garden because at the moment it's gravel, and I trod in some cat shit the other day. Is it too late in the year to be turfing? Also, is there a market for Berkshire flint, there's approx a tonne of it.

Has anyone ever met 4D  :hmmm:

Turfed a bit of my garden a month or so ago. It was gravel/hardcore which I cleared and put a good 2" of fertilised top soil down and the turf has rooted ok. Just keep it saturated for the first couple of days.

Yes, JFW, FLASH; and I'm quite normal.  :)

Do you think topsoil is needed, I was just going to rake the soil underneath ( being quite fertile because of all the cat shit and dead slugs etc)

I used top soil because the soil under the gravel in my garden was solid with clay. If the soil is finer then you'd probably get away with it.

If you've met the Flash then you will never be normal again. He can turn the most intelligent person ever into a jibbering wreck just by opening his mouth.

Yeah, I think the soils ok for me to not require topsoil. I need about 30sqm of turf, what do you think that will set me back?

Funnily enough it was after meeting him that I started posting daft threads.  :sherlock:

Oh for fucks sake. Go to B&Q and ask.

I thought you were going to tarmac it and then paint it ?

Grass grows better in the Spring & summer. However, everything wants to live.

...and then buy your turf from somewhere else.  B&Q turf is rubbish!

As for the cost, anything between £300 and £500 I'd have thought.

No, just a part of it to increase parking.

 :eek: I was thinking more along the lines of £100. Grass seed it is then.

I paid £35 for 4 bags of top soil and 5 rolls of turf from B&Q.

Ignore me!  Decent quality turf is about £1.60/m2...so you'll get your lawn done for a lot less than what I quoted.  Sorry.

He said 30m², not 300m² ;)

 :-[

Whenever I needed turf I used Blackfords, never had a problem! However, as regards what you are laying it on top of, unless you get every bit of flint/gravel out it may well work its way through the turf meaning you will be forever picking it up or buying new lawnmower blades!!  Get up what you can, inc. cat shit etc., put a couple of inches of good quality topsoil down, roll it well to make a firm base, a very gentle rake and lay your turf.  Yes, it grows faster during spring/summer but provided you do not lay it on a frozen surface you should be ok. 

Firstly, now is about as late as you want to leave it - any later the first frost will kill the roots and you'll end up with a patch of mud.

You'll need to dig and rake over the existing soil before you put down the top soil other wise the roots will struggle to take hold and simply spread out through the new top soil... if you don't it'll look fine to start with but when you get an ounce of warm weather it'll just end up going brown and dying.

Also when you lay it make sure you over lap the edges by 2" then fold them into each other to allow for shrinkage... Water the lawn at least once a day when it doesn't rain for the first 2 weeks (unless frost is forecast)

Hope that helps...

Thanks for the advice.

Someone once told me the best time to put grass seed down is in a month with a P in it, September, April. Would this be the same for Turf MacPhlea? Or is that wrong?

Macphlea forgot one important instruction when laying turf - Green side up!

This is mainly because there is generally less chance of the grass being killed by drought or frost and the months when rain fall is generally higher... October is pushing it as there is a higher risk of frost.

Just been quoted £75 for collection

you can lay turf at just about any time of the year, obviously avoid extreme weather like frost or when its really hot/dry. normally between 7-10 days and it should start to root. if you get it down now it will have time to root before the cold weather kicks in and then it will be stronger after the winter. if you can get your hands on it get some fertilizer called pre-sow/pre-seed and put this on the top soil before laying the turf, will help get it going a bit quicker.

The strangest first post ever?

Thanks Titch  :)

You've just killed 4D's opportunity to start a separate "which way up should I lay turf?" thread ;)

Of course, if you're building a high sided bunker you lay the turf upside down...

Or how can I get the turf to stick to the garage door.

Why don't you seed it? Might take afew weeks but cheaper and will be better in the long run.

Is there a reason why they do this other than aesthetics?

Spoke to the wife last night, looks like I'll be shifting a tonne of gravel this weekend.

Green side up 4D.

edit - someone beat me to it!

and the top soil goes on "top"?

If its delivered in one of them new fangled bulk bags, it will only be 850 kgs.

You haven't read the whole thread, have you?  :)

Whoosh for 4d

I think she meant it

I have the joys of tree stump removal this afternoon, and it's going to piss down.

If you shovel it into on of those bulk bags,it will only be 850 kgs.
Is it Berkshire or Newbury flint?

Cleared the gravel (nearly), it was about 8 inches deep and 40m2! If I want 2 inches of top soil, how much would that be in weight. I've been quoted £60 a tonne, the bloke said he didn't know how much I would need  ???

Try this site, it is in feet but it should give you what you need.

http://www.ataktrucking.com/materials-calculator/gravel-calculator (http://www.ataktrucking.com/materials-calculator/gravel-calculator)

Just make sure you tell them it's 40 sq metres, not 40 metres square.

Not after calculating it'll cost me £240 (I need 4 tonnes)  :(

I'll have to hunt around my garden for some spare earth.

I now have to put a small retaining wall in, all gravel has been removed (all 6 tonnes of it  :doh: ).

Turf ordered for Friday. Sam, did you roller the topsoil or leave it loose? I have borrowed a roller from my bro in law.

Mine was just a small(ish) area, I compacted it down with a plank of wood.

Oh, ok. I just reread the thread, the roller will get some use.

By the way there will be some further threads in the future, I have several jobs ahead.  :suicide:

The turf is now down, only 3 rolls left, so my calculations weren't too bad. A cat has dumped on it though  :(. Time to sort that out now!

The frost coming later this week should kill it (the turf, not the cat).

Well, if the cat keeps it up there should be enough shit to insulate the lawn!

You weren't joking either Sam!  :( Down to -3c at the weekend. I need tarpaulins  :sherlock:

You still have time to install undersoil heating.

Now there's a thought  :hmmm:

As most of us are preparing to make the last cut of the grass for the year for winter 4D is laying turf.  :Ride On Fatbury's Lovestick:

Put it down now and I won't have to mow it for 5 months  ;)

Getting some tarpaulins down tonight, if the lawn dies I will go mad!

You decided against undersoil heating then?

Our mild winters don't justify the expense.

Not this year mate

this winter is going to be a cunt

Warm and wet?

 :D

Smelly and inaccessible?

Nasty and full of razor sharp teeth?

No chance. I'm likely to see the winter.

[url width=127 height=107]http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j241/chemooo/vagisil.jpg[/url]

Will help the smell, but it is likely to remain inaccessible!

The tarps are down and it's bloody cold out.

Indeed it is - just back from training at Beversbrook. Car thermometer said 4 degrees.

Has it been snowing over that way Wiggy? Someone said there was a bit of Snow in Melksham earlier.