The Lawncare Guide - February

 Go green

Periodically, we delve a little deeper into garden projects rather than just hints and tips. Laying a new lawn is best done in October/November but turfing can be done up to February so long as the ground is not frozen or too wet, assuming you have prepared the area. Buy your turf from a reputable supplier and get the best quality – you will be living with the new lawn in the years to come. 

Rolawn Medallion® Turf is a multi-purpose, high-quality turf which is hard-wearing and easy to maintain because it is slow-growing and drought tolerant. It has a fine leaf appearance and is grown from a mix of fescue and ryegrass cultivars. 

Order about 5 per cent more than you have calculated to allow for wastage. What you are looking for is a mature grass type with good, uniform colour and plenty of white roots present. You want virtually no bare patches or weeds. Lift the turf at one end and shake it. It should not tear or fall to pieces. You will have cleared, levelled and drained your site for the new lawn. 

Remove any unwanted vegetation using a weedkiller or, if you don’t want to use herbicide, you can use a flame gun or skim with a spade, though you will be leaving roots. Preparation should all be done at least a month before laying and fertilise a week before putting down your turves. Pick a day when the soil is reasonably dry. 

Lay your first row of turves and gently tamp down with a tamper made from thick boards and a pole. Stagger the second row, you don’t want joints lined up. Use a half or full-sized turf at the end, never a small piece. You can cut to fit any gap. Stand on a plank if you need to walk over the newly turfed area. Trim the edges with a half-moon edger – you can use your plank as a straight edge and a hosepipe for curves. 

Your other lawn jobs in February for an existing lawn may be to brush off worm casts when it’s dry, rake up debris, look out for signs of disease and apply lawn sand towards the end of the month to ward off moss and daisy growth.