How to professionally remove old lawn
Wherever turf is to replace a disused lawn, the old rag rug has to give way. So that the subsurface can settle before laying, we recommend starting the ground preparation about 14 days before delivery of the turf. How to do it right:
- Use a lawn peeling machine to cut the previous lawn into strips
- Roll up each lane and discard
- Alternatively, remove the old green area with a spade
also read
- Don't just mow turf - that's the right way
- Watering Rolled Lawn - How To Do It Right
- When and how is turf to be fertilized? - That's the right way
Turf cutters can be rented from regional machine rentals for a daily price of 65 to 72 euros. Thanks to their compact design, the devices are manoeuvrable enough to remove the lawn even in small gardens.
Soil preparation for turf - explained step by step
If there was no lawn at the intended location before, skip the prologue and go straight to soil preparation. The laying of turf is possible from March to October. Choose a dry, frost-free day to avoid unnecessary compaction. Follow these steps:
- Thoroughly clean the area of weeds, roots and stones
- Enrich heavy clay soil with fine-grain sand
- Mill the subsurface or dig at least 1 spade deep
- Level the ground with the rake and smooth it with the rake
- Solidify the subsurface with a roller or step on it with your shoes
Ideally, as part of the soil preparation, before rolling, you should apply a phosphate-based starter fertilizer that supports the growth of the turf. A mix of sifted compost and horn meal is used in the organically managed garden. The subsurface is watered repeatedly until the rolled turf is delivered, last on the evening before it is laid.
Green manure creates the best framework conditions
If the laying of turf on a piece of fallow land is planned for spring, green manure in the summer of the previous year creates a vital substrate for the new green. Suitable seed mixtures are field beans, Persian clover or yellow lupins. This measure loosens the soil, invigorates the soil life and improves ventilation.
The green manure is cut off in good time before the seeds are formed and worked or milled into the soil. Then you start preparing the ground in the sequence explained.
Tips & Tricks
A wildflower meadow as a turf? There actually are. Developed for the Federal Horticultural Show in Munich, the patch of lawn with the picturesque name 'Albrecht Dürer lawn' caused a sensation. The homage to the painter's famous still life is an interesting alternative to the uniform ornamental lawn for the natural garden.