can yellow turf regenerate?

I laid turf two weeks ago and my arch enemy has been the foxes Every night they've been in digging holes in the joins and flattening the middle sections. I think its was the chicken manure pellets we added to the soil that has attracted them. We were also advised to spinkle top soil on the joins which just seems to have smothered the grass at the edges. Is now looking very patchy. I've just got everything crossed that come next spring the yellowing areas might have grown back and I can fix the worst fox damage with some seed.

 

Hi all

From my experience I'd say well done for getting your Turf back on track. In my garden once it started to turn yellow (out of neglect) I tried everything I could think of and while I managed to save most of my garden I now have a little patch that is lifeless and barren. The funny part is that it's right in the centre of my garden.

My question for those who are a bit more experienced is what type of questions should you ask say B&Q staff or garden centres about the quality of Turf that you purchase. How can you avoid getting something of lower quality and more importantly how to test that the staff know what they are on about.

- Boualem Bouderba

 

" How can you avoid getting something of lower quality"

Personally the first thing I would do is not buy from B & Q or a garden centre.

Some / many have turf from Rowland - which is, indeed, a prestigious brand - but gawd knows how long its been sitting there.

Turf companies deliver (I don't know if that is an expensive way to buy turf), so you can have it delivered on a date to suit when you will be ready to lay it immediately. More importantly they should be able to offer you a choice of types of turf - the main choices would be ryegrass or no ryegrass, depending on whether your want hard wearing, "regular" grass, or "bowling green" finish - or a mix suitable for shade.

I've only bought turf once. I bought that on eBay, drove to the fens and picked it up from the field where it was lifted while I waited. Drove home and it was down and laid in no more than 3 or 4 hours from when it was lifted

 

Nothing wrong with B&Q turf ,just check that it is freshly delivered (I think usually Thurs/Fri) and I think generally you would only get it there if you needed a couple of rolls not a big project.
If its yellow leave well alone or take the risk (they do sell it cheap when yellowed )
As Kristen mentioned have it delivered direct to order (sometimes a minimum delivery amount or you might pay more for the delivery )
As a retired landscaper I used a local guy to me an if I only needed a few rolls would go to the cutting fields ..

Dave

 

"Nothing wrong with B&Q turf"

Yeah, I was a bit harsh, sorry about that. But is the turf stacked on a pallet outside such Sheds Fine lawn? hard wearing? suitable for shade? I've never seen more than one pallet, and never seen anything that says what type it is. I expect the foreman at my local garden centre would know ... but I doubt the other folk would. I expect most people just think "Turf" and buy some - same as they do when they see Tomato Plants in March - they buy some, plant them, the plants die (they probably think they did something wrong :(), they buy some more plants ... poor show on that part of the Sheds IMHO.

" if I only needed a few rolls would go to the cutting fields"

I hadn't really thought about how many rolls would fit in a Renault Espace when I set off to the cutting fields - managed to get slightly over 100 in though :thumb: she was a bit low on the springs and "bouncy" on the way home though :roll:

 

Wow 100 rolls.... good going ....
Although I defended the B&Q turf I am not happy with the care or should I say lack of care, they inflict on a lot of the plants (certainly in our two local branches) dying ,and unwatered, need to get in there as they arrive then there are some good buys to be had

Dave

 

B & Q not having skilled people who know about plants enough to keep them going is perhaps one thing.

Our local "specialist" garden centre are just as bad, and it makes me angry - or maybe it should be a clear sign to the customers. If Wyevale can't keep their Tomato plants alive in their Shed in March then - Guess what? - punters won't be able to either. But they do other irresponsible things - offering tiny plug plants way WAY after the last planting date for much more robust plants. Either they have a very naive audience, or there is a steady stream of not-yet-con'd new customers :(

I only buy things there when they are on special offer (and even then its only 50% off which is rarely enough to tempt me), or if I have had a seed-sowing-failure and am panicking that the time to get plants in is running out!