Advice following new turf

Hi all,

I moved into our current home last year and the lawn was horrendous. It was uneven, flooded and had roots growing in parts of it from a neighbours old conifers, it also had a section missing to make a bark play area.

Fast forward a couple of months and I dug out the old grass, levelled the garden (the soil wasn't too bad to be start with) using top soil, and eventually, four or five weeks ago laid some turf.

I cut it for the first time last week on the highest setting for the mower which was 7. I then cut it again day before yesterday as it was very long and getting very wet underneath.

I noticed when I'd cut it (I gradually cut it down from 7 to 5, doing a pass at time and waiting a few hours between, that some of the gras was brown. It didn't pull out very easy so wasn't dry but it did concern me.

I've been out in the garden today and noticed the grass isn't as dark green as it was. I went out to fill in some bits where the turf was knitted together and covered with soil that didn't take.

I'm just looking for some advice. I've fed it tonight with some food my dad gave me (pic of what is in it attached) and some pics of progress and current look attached.

Any advice welcome. Just want a lovely garden in our new home for our little boys.

 

Hi @BenMunro your lawn looks pretty good to me! Bear in mind the turf will be a completely different soil to yours, so the grass may have a bit of a shock as it grows into it. I can't see a picture of the plant food, but a general balanced fertiliser should do. Remember we've had unseasonably dry weather in most of UK (don't know where you are) so you may need to be watering regularly and deeply.

 

Personally l wouldn't get too stressed about it. By the sounds of it you've basically done all the right things, left it to settle and cut it on the highest mower setting.

Bear in mind that it's going to be a bit of a shock, both to you and the grass after its first few cuts.
Your young sons will have fun kicking a ball around, and just generally playing on it, to worry too much about what it looks like. As long as it can take the punishment they're going to give it, that's the main thing .

It's done well so far. If you can give a bit more info such as where you live (a general location will do), and whether your garden is sunny or shady, that would help with any further advice.

 

Hey, thanks for the reply. Apologies, I must have missed the picture off the original post. It was just in a container (not the original one) but it contains Potassium, Iron and Nitrates.

I noticed some of the brown patches and worried if was just dying off. I'll keep an eye on it!

 

Thanks for the reply.

I'm in East Yorkshire and the garden is South facing. When I cut it, I used a battery powered lawnmower which was good but as the grass was thick (still is even after other cuts), I think it struggled a bit. I think you can tell as the blades are slightly torn rather than cut. I'm going to water it again tonight and see how it looks in a few days. I'm debating getting a petrol cutter, the area isn't massive but I do feel they cut better.

 

My OH is really the lawn expert and has had a petrol mower ever since we were married (over 45 years). He's a traditional type and likes the stripes (so do I) and has always had a Suffolk Punch model. I think they've now been superseded by Allett, not cheap last time I looked.
I'm sure there are other forum members who know more about these things than I do !

My 88 year old Dad has a battery powered mower for ease of use, it does a good job but not quite the same in terms of finish.