What to do About a Lawn That is Patchy and Brown
If your lawn or grassed area is patchy and brown and not looking too healthy, perhaps it is time to consider re-doing the area with instant lawn.
10/09/2023
The unusual amount of rain and freezing cold weather experienced around the country has resulted in many lawns not recovering in time for spring. And it might even be that the lawn does not recover at all. If your lawn or grassed area has suffered over winter, it might be better to rip it out and replace it with instant lawn. Plus, you get a brand new lawn that will be ready for action in a couple of weeks.
Follow the steps below to have a beautiful lush green lawn in time for summer. You will find suppliers for instant lawn at the side of the road at specific intersections or you can find them online. If you do not want to do this job yourself, find out if the supplier can install the instant lawn for you.
Unseasonal winter weather has resulted in many lawns and grassed areas not recovering in spring.
1. Remove old turf
Use a garden spade to remove the top layer of turf. If it is possible to repurpose any of the removed layers of grass put this aside for the time being. There might still be hope if some of the grass is showing green shoots in some areas.
2. Use a rake over the soil
Running a rake over the soil will help to break up any large clumps of soil, bring any loose stones to the top where they can be easily removed and let you pull out any weeds remaining behind. Do make sure to pull weeds out so that you remove their roots.
3. Enrich the soil
Adding a layer of topsoil over the raked area will ensure that the new grass will have all the essential nutrients it needs to get started with healthy growth. Use the garden rake to level out the area and then walk a few lines up and down over the area to compress the surface.
4. Purchase the required amount of instant lawn
Measure the width and length of the area to be grassed so that you can calculate how many square metres of instant lawn you need. Make sure that the supply of instant lawn is still fresh - best to buy early in the morning - and lay it in situ the same day.
Lay the instant lawn on top of the soil, making sure to fit the cut sections as tightly together as possible so that there will be no gaps.
GOOD TO KNOW
You want to avoid standing on the instant lawn once it is laid so start laying the turf at the furthest corner of the area. If you need to walk on the grass, have a piece of timber or board handy that you can walk on.
GOOD TO KNOW
To ensure that the strips of instant lawn knit together and fill up the area, manually ease the strips where they come together.
5. Necessary care for healthy growth
It will take about 2 weeks for the grass to set down roots and in this time the instant lawn should be watered every day, preferably in the evening when it is cool so that the grass has time to put the moisture to use before the next day. Instant lawn, and particularly Kikuyu, is very thirsty and might require more watering than other grass species. If you have a rainwater harvesting tank, this is the perfect opportunity to put the water to good use.
GOOD TO KNOW
Check for local water restrictions before you install instant lawn as you may not be able to water the lawn if regulations are in place.
All images courtesy of diy.com : B&Q