Instant turf! How to grow a lawn in one morning.

Now that the weather had warmed somewhat, it was time to put some grass down in the bottom yard that Stefan had prepared earlier. The quickest way to getting a lush green lawn is of course instant turf. The variety is important so after a bit of research (yes Google again) I chose Palmetto Soft Leaf Buffalo as it was supposed to thrive in shaded areas requiring only 2 to 4 hours of direct sunlight and is drought resistant. With that giant tree in the yard it was going to need to be VERY shade tolerant!

The turf from Advance Turf in Melbourne arrived on time early on Saturday morning as arranged and I'd laid out a tarpaulin on the driveway to keep it clean. The truck arrives complete with its own forklift so they can drop it wherever you want it.

It was all hands on deck to get the turf down as quickly as possible, so I rounded up some friends to help on the promise of a free barbecue lunch. The first piece is always the most significant and my friends son Ben wanted to lay claim to it! What a star (and a show-off!).

First one done!

It's a pretty easy job to lay the lawn, although it's back-breaking moving the turf around! The rolls weigh in at a fairly hefty 20 kg each. Dirt isn't light! We used the wheelbarrow to ferry them from the front yard to the back, then you essentially just place them on the ground end on end. Use a good set of garden shears and/or a sharp knife to cut the turf where required. When you start the next row, make sure you stagger the joins in a brickwork pattern. 

Below is Richard and I hard at work. Who says you can't cut your friends grass?

Ta da!

Once the grass is down it's time to top dress the turf with top soil washed river sand (1 cubic metre per 100 square metres of turf). You apply a thick layer of the sand on top of the joins, narrow strips, or any low areas, as well as a thin layer to the rest of the turf. Top dressing the turf is supposed to hold additional moisture, reducing the turf from being "shocked" after harvesting, and it helps retain water where it's needed. The sand is supplied with the turf rolls.

Oh my aching back!

Job done on the bottom lawn. It now needs to be watered twice a day for three to four weeks. I'd already laid in a pop-up system with two sprinkler heads prior to putting down the turf.

Job done and water on

Looks pretty good and getting plenty of sunlight already. Fingers crossed.

Turn on the sun

We also laid the turf around the utility area, but unfortunately came up two and half meters short! So much for careful planning. I had to drive over to the turf supplier the following weekend and buy more direct from them, throwing three rolls into the boot of the car which was enough to finish the job off.

Came up a little short!