How to Lay Turf Part 1: Soil Preparation

You first want to start off by killing off the grass in the area you want to lay new turf a week or two before you start prepping the soil. If you don’t, turning the soil may prove to be more difficult and also you run the risk of having this grass grow back once your new turf is laid.

Next, measure out the area for your new lawn. If it’s square area, simply multiply the length by the width to get the square meters of the area. If you have an irregularly shaped lawn, break the areas into small squares, and just add up the square meters once calculated.
In some cases, such as if your soil is exhausted of nutrients, you may have to remove the top layer of soil with a mini loader or skid steer. Your turf supplier will be able to advise you on any additives you can add to your soil prior to give it a boost of nutrients, or if you need to remove the top layer.

If your soil is in good nick, you’ll just need to turn it over. For soft sandy soils, a rotary tiller is the machine to use. For harder clay like soils, the rotary hoe has enough grunt to get the job done. Give the area a good hose down a few days beforehand to help soften the area up a bit. Remember, always be mindful of any underground pipes or cables. Run the rotary hoe or tiller in parallel passes across the turf area. If it is on a slope, start from the bottom of the slope and work your way up.

Once you’re done turning the soil, rake up any dead grass. Once that’s done, use a mini loader or skid steer to fill in any dips or low points with new topsoil. Then use the easy level rake to smooth of and level out the topsoil.
Repeat this process again, but this time using turf underlay. Next up use the roller smooth out the underlay, and also to bring up any low spots that may need additional turf underlay. Fill in any low points and go over them with the easy level rake and roller again.
And there you have it! Your yard is now ready for laying turf. To find out the steps required to do this, check out the second part of this project.