Soil preparation in advance of turf laying - avoid a 'pan'

[Philip Voice]

You may well be planning a new lawn this Autumn and to ensure that you give the turf the very best of starts, think about how to prepare the soil in advance.

In the good old days when rotovators were not available to all, gardeners would look at digging or double digging the soil so that good aeration is achieved to provide the best possible root zone for the new turf.

In these times of readily available and specialised technology, the rotovator is a common tool for the preparation of soil but there are some basic guidelines that need to be followed if a consistent and acceptable tilth is provided for your new lawn.

A rotovator tends to shatter an existing soil structure where as using a garden fork or spade to turn over compacted soil is a friendlier way to create the right environment.

The tines or paddles of a machine will spin at a consistent depth and very easily break up compaction but they can also create an impermeable pan by smearing the soil. Water can collect here creating a mini perched water table leading to airless and non favourable conditions.

It is not economically possible to dig large areas of soil by hand but if you can avoid creating a pan then the roots of your grass will be able to grow much deeper.