Quality Turf supplied direct to the door (Newcastle and North East England only)

We at Taylor Made Gardens have been supplying and laying turf for over 25 years within Newcastle and North East areas. With our experience we can ensure we can supply the best quality turf for your needs.

Whether it is a hard wearing lawn for heavy use like a family lawn with pets and energetic kids who like to play football or a luxury fine show lawn for ornamental purposes.

What ever your needs may be we can advise and supply you the best options to create the ideal grassed area for your garden. And if you like the easy life, why not let us prepare your garden and lay the lawn for you.

We only cover the areas in Newcastle and other North East areas due to the fact that we would always recommend that turf is laid within twenty four hours of been lifted. Transporting turf nation wide can cause problems with sod heating (grass turning yellow or brown in patches due to over heating).

Our turf supply and lay services (Newcastle and north east only).

We only supply the finest quality turf you can buy cheaper but we would recommend you are fully aware of how the turf has been grown and cared for before it lands on your doorstep.

We supply two grades of turf one which we would recommend for show lawn with light to heavy use and our value turf which is fully durable but coarser in appearance. Both of the grades of turf we sell are grown from seed it comprises a known type of grass suitable for lawns and has been fully cared for from their germination to be free from weed and other related problems.

We can also supply and lay your turf for you (Newcastle and other North east areas). If you would like this service we would visit your garden and complete a site assessment and quote accordingly.

Why and how to use turf?

Using turf to create a grassed area is in no doubt the fasted way to obtain a grassed area, but it needs the right preparation to get the area ready for laying.
In the north east of England turf is best laid in autumn or early spring when the ground is still warm but there is less risk of drought. Tuft can be laid later in spring through to late summer but they will need maintenance to ensure that the tuft does not dry out.

We have been turf suppliers Newcastle for over twenty years and we would always recommend that the Turf is laid within 24 hours of delivery; any delay over 48 hours increases the risk of the sod heating (grass turning yellow or brown in patches due to over heating). Never arrange for turf to be delivered until the site is fully prepared and you are ready to lay it. There is nothing worse than having your turf delivered and it starts to rain when you still have to level this can delay the job for hours and lead you to rushing and doing substandard work.

Planning your lawn

If you're thinking of replacing or creating a new lawn time taken at this stage can really save you so much time and effort in the long term so take you time and get it right. You may be replacing a lawn that has not lived up to your expectations but carefully looking at the area you have can be the answer to getting it right.
If you are not too good with pencil and paper when it come to you lawn design why not use a hosepipe or rope and lay it out on the garden to create the shape you are looking for. When doing this you can look at the area at different advantage points and get the shape that suits you best.

Problem areas to look out for

Lawn under trees.

This rarely works due to the trees competing with light, nutrients and water. Where as you can buy specialist grass seed for shade you will always have a collage to create a good looking lawn under trees. You may want to think about shaping you lawn around the canopy of trees and creating a planting bed in this area using dry shade tolerant ground cover plants that will look more attractive and be less maintenance in the long run.

Waterlogged areas

If you are replacing a lawn because of moss problems or you have an new plot that has wet soil then you really need to get the rood of the problem before laying new. Installing drainage might be the best option; this may seem like hard work in the short term but will save years of disappointment in the future.

Preparing your area

The first thing that will need to be done is to clear the area of any existing vegetation (weeds or original plants). This is best done with a systemic weed killer containing glyphosate, it will take up to fourteen days to fully work but this will eliminate the chances of perennial weeds growing through the turf.

Once your area has been sprayed for weeds clear all rubbish and obstacles that may be in the way large stones, blocks and any obviously non-organic rubbish from the surface. If you are replacing an existing lawn, spade off the existing grass to about two inches or use a mechanical turf lifter.

Now is the time to asses you soil condition remember that A lawn grows best on well drained medium loam, if your soil is like this you are lucky and your preparation will be minimal, but if the soil is heavy clay (very common in the Newcastle and the north east of England) then you really should do some more work to improve.

With heavy clay soils, the best solution is to add sharp sand, and organic soil improver this will improve drainage under the lawn and prevent lawn problems in the future.

The top soil needs to be prepared to give a fine, workable matter to a depth of 5 to 6 inches if the area of the lawn is fairly small, it can be prepared by hand using a spade. For larger areas it is worth using a motivator - borrowing or hiring one if necessary.

When preparing the soil, ideally it should be not too dry and not too wet. If the soil is to dry water the whole area the night before you start or if the area is to wet by dig or rotavate the area and this will help the air get in and dry it out faster.

When digging or rotovatingto the required depth, break down any large clumps of soil and remove any sticks and stones or that are present. When digging, work back on yourself so you don't tread down the soil you've prepared.

Having turned over the whole area now is the time to add any soil conditioner if needed. Once added dig over or rotavate the whole area once more.

Now its time to rake over the area to level it the best you can by eye or using pegs and lines  (again removing any stick or stones which you come across).

The who area now needs to be firmed (Tread down), step and firm sideways applying more pressure with the heel slowly across the area placing, you can look silly doing this as customers often quote “that’s a funny dance”. When you reach the other end, turn around and repeat until the whole area has been firmed.

Once you have a fairly level surface rake again pulling soil from the bumps into the hollows and ideally strike off the whole area with a long piece of level wood pulling towards you, 4”x2” is perfect.

When you are happy that you have a flat surface, it is time to bring in the turf, think about where to stack them as you only want them handy when laying. If the weather is very hot make sure you place you turf in shade as it will not take long to dry out if left in direct sun.

Laying the lawn

Never walk or push a wheelbarrow directly on newly laid turf when laying, always use planks on top of the turf, this includes kneeling when laying.

Start with a straight edge rolling the first rolling the first roll out along this line. Follow on each roll after this making sure you are butting up the edges of each roll as you go, using the head of your rake is ideal for this job.

When you get to the end of that row start laying in the opposite direction making sure the turf is laid in a brickwork fashion. Repeat for the remaining rows, starting off each alternatively using full or half turves to maintain the brickwork pattern.

Make sure you firm whole area with planks once laid to ensure that the roots have contact with the soil.

 

Lawn after care

Immidietely after laying

WATER

• Watering your new lawn is without doubt the most important task to do after laying.
• Water with a sprinkler is best lift a corner of the turf checking that water has penetrated to the soil.
• Even if you have had rain it is still important to make sure it has fully penetrated.
• It is always best to water your new lawn in the morning or early afternoon to avoid evaporation.

Soon after laying

MOW

• Don’t delay if your grass has started to root and will not be disturbed by mowing start. This helps establish you lawn (this is the only time you should walk on you lawn for the first ten days).
• Start with the lawnmower on a high setting bringing down the length gradually.