You may just need some professional advice on what you need to do before laying your lawn. Our trained staff at Buchanan Turf & Lee Rowan’s can help you through these initial stages. Tap into our wealth of knowledge and DIY, or alternately get us to do it for you !!

Just like your house is only as good as its’ foundations, your lawn is only as good as its base. Before laying your lawn you should ensure that your soil base is free of weeds, any old grass, stones and debris. The texture of the soil should be crumbly, so you may need to rotary hoe what’s there if the existing soil is suitable, or add some topsoil if not. We recommend Lee Rowan’s Lush Lawn Underlay at a depth of 50mm. Spread evenly, then rake or screed your area to ensure a smooth surface, allowing approximately 1in.(25mm.) below surrounding paths and drive-ways.

You should then fertilise your base with a, multi-nutrient fertiliser that has moisture magnets such as Sir Launcher (Available in 3kg bucket covering approximately 100m2, or a 900g bucket covering approximately 30m2). Order some when ordering your turf and it will be delivered at the same time. Simply scatter evenly over the entire area before laying your new lawn.

Laying should start with one strip of turf being placed around the perimeter, then proceeding along the longest edge, across the slope in a brick work fashion, filling in any irregular gaps. If laying on a slope start at the bottom and work your way up, laying as far away from your stack as possible to avoid

walking on any freshly laid lawn. The edges of the Turf Tiles should be pushed together but do not overlap so the root system has contact with your soil. You can trim your tile with hedge shears, or a sharp knife to fill unique shapes, or edges.

For the best result you should roll your lawn after it is laid, concentrating on the joins to help it from drying out. (This isn’t necessarily done in most cases and your Sir Walter lawn will still flourish as long as it is watered well in the first two weeks.)

It is paramount that you give your new lawn a thorough soaking immediately after you lay it. If you are laying a large area watering should commence as soon as one section is completed. (A soaker hose is ideal for this). For the first two weeks your new lawn requires extra care (especially water). Initially your Eureka Kikuyu should be kept moist, so depending on the weather, up to 4hrs watering per day may be required if hot and dry. Otherwise regular daily watering until root growth has established is all that is necessary, depending on the season and weather conditions at the time you are laying. Taper your watering off gradually to allow your new lawn to become acquainted with its’ new surroundings. Eureka Kikuyu has been bred in the tropics, so requires more watering than Sir Walter & Nullarbor Couch. We suggest deep watering infrequently instead of frequent light watering.

Eureka Kikuyu is a fast grower, so does need to be mowed more frequently than the other varieties of grass. Wait until your new lawn can no longer be lifted off the ground before attempting its’ first mow. We advise you take 1/3 of the height off the blade of grass when mowing. During the warmer weather you will have to mow more frequently, perhaps even weekly or fortnightly depending on the amount of rain. Once we head into the cooler months the frequency of mowing will decrease. A height of 30 – 40mm is recommended for a healthy, lush lawn. If part of your lawn is in a shady spot we suggest you mow this area a little higher to allow for more leaf growth to compensate for lack of sunlight. Eureka Kikuyu, like Nullarbor Couch requires a generous amount of sun to thrive.

We recommend you fertilise your lawn 3 times a year. It is best done in October, December and late March /early April. Fertilising your lawn is very weather dependant and also relies on the nutrient levels of your soil.

Have a look at your lawn, if it is a little jaded then it may need some food. Sir Walter Fertiliser comes in 10kg buckets which will cover approximately 400m 2 and 4Kg buckets which will cover approx 160m2. It has the active ingredients that will keep your lawn healthy and strong. A maintenance feed of Lawn Rescue is ideal for the summer months if the weather is hot and dry. It will feed and drought proof your lawn better than any other product on the market.

We also recommend you Topdress your lawn in Spring every 3rd year. This will not only feed your lawn but even out any dips and hollows. Lee Rowan’s Rocket Top Dressing is the perfect mix of soil & nutrients and should be applied in September for maximum effect.