TURF

When you are looking to lay new turf, you should be able to find a local garden centre to supply this. Try to opt for somewhere that specialises in gardening products, rather than a general DIY store, as the quality will normally be higher because they specialise in these products. However, if you inspect the turf well, you should be fine. 

In terms of cost, you will probably be looking at around £4-£6 per square metre of turf if you are opting for a standard turf. Anything below this is probably going to be poor quality and anything above it is going to be premium turf (these are not worth the extra price tag).

The key to buying turf is inspecting it before laying it. This might be either when purchasing it or when it is delivered, but make sure you do this. If you have the turf delivered, you would be within your right to turn it away if it is not suitable, so take a few rolls and unravel them to take a look. The longer turf is stored and rolled up, the lower the chance you will have of a healthy lawn. Look out for:

Colour

The turf should be green. It sounds pretty obvious, but the turf will start to turn a yellow colour the longer it is stored. So we want to avoid turf that has started to change colour.

Weeds

This one is straightforward - there shouldn’t be any weeds in the turf. Having the odd small weed is not too much of an issue, but anything more than that is not acceptable.

Moisture

If turf is stored for a long time, it will start to dry out and we want to avoid this as much as possible. The ideal time to lay turf is spring or autumn, so your turf should not be drying out, but this is something to look out for. You will find that when it is stored and rolled up, it will be watered to try and negate this, so even if it is damp, make sure to look out for other signs. 

Temperature

The rolls of turf will start to give off heat the longer that they are stored, due to the organisms within it. The temperature of the turf will show you how long it has been rolled up and indicate whether or not it is good quality. If turf gets too hot, it will not take when it is laid, so look for turf that is nice and cool. 

Condition

You will want turf that is neatly cut, without any torn edges and holes in the roll, as this will make it much easier to lay. You would expect a roll or two within a large order to be a little shabby and these can be used as your offcuts, so they don’t all need to be perfect. Also, the roll of turf should have a full covering of grass, without any mud spots within it. 

If you check your turf for all of these, you will well on your way to a fresh, healthy new lawn.