When is the best time of year to lay turf?
In this article, we talk about laying turf in all seasons and the benefits to this.
Turf can be laid at any time of year. Spring, summer, autumn and winter. If you can get onto the land to prepare it for turfing – without making a mess – then you can lay turf.
For best results: Work with Mother Nature not against her. In Britain & Ireland, plants generally do the majority of their growing in spring and autumn. That’s when the weather is mild, the days are still fairly long and Mother Nature provides gentle rain for irrigation. Turf is no exception.
Laying Turf in Spring
Between March and June, the grass plants put all of their energy into developing big healthy plants. What they are trying to do is grow tall, flower and set seed. But we humans interrupt that process by mowing so we don’t often see the whole cycle.
If you lay turf in spring, the soil is warming up, it’s normally very workable and conditions are right for the plants to put down roots and start growing immediately. All you need to do is make sure there are enough soil nutrients to support that growth and that the soil is kept moist until the roots get established.
Always use a pre-turfing fertiliser when laying turf in spring and pay attention to watering….if you’re lucky, your irrigation will be supplemented by rainfall.
Keep off the lawn for the first 3-4 weeks if you can. After that it’ll be strong enough to use all summer long.