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You must first consider where you are installing the turf if you want a healthy lawn. When it comes to the dirt beneath your turf, a solid foundation is essential. When it comes to the healthy growth of your lawn or grass, the quality of the soil is essential. The nutrients required for plant growth and the healthy growth of your grass are found in the soil. For this reason, you must make sure that you have the optimum soil for your turf before beginning.
Let’s look at what you should do to make sure your soil is completely prepared for lawn.
1. Verify the type of soil
Identifying whether your soil is clay or sand based is the first step in determining if it is suitable for instant lawn. In general, an immediate grass base made of sand and soil works best since it allows water to freely percolate beneath and throughout the turf. If your foundation is already sandy, consider incorporating some organics.
2. Test the pH
The best way to determine the pH values of your soil is to do a pH test using a standard test kit from your neighbourhood hardware or nursery. If your soil’s pH is off, it can be changed with treatment. For instance, you can add compost or manure to your soil to lower the pH if it is excessively alkaline. Alternately, you can add dolomite or agricultural lime if the soil is too acidic, which is likely in instant turf in Melbourne.
3. Soil preparation for underlay
Regardless of your soil type, thorough pre-work is essential to ensuring a long-term healthy grass. The topsoil and turf underlay applications are a part of this preparation.
The base on which instant turf can grow is turf underlay. It offers a stable foundation that enables efficient water use and retention and develops strong root systems that shield your turf from winter frost and drought.
An adequate ratio of sand, silt, and clay is present in the perfect soil for strong, growing turf. This type of soil is referred to as loam soil, and it is excellent for plant growth. When the lawn is watered, the loam soil absorbs rainwater and also drains efficiently. Loam also allows for optimal airflow and effectively maintains nutrients, both of which are essential for the developing grass.
4. Sand
The biggest soil particle is sand. Sand drains water effectively—often even too effectively. As a result, it dries out more quickly and doesn’t hold moisture as well. Sand is a poor choice for turf by itself since it is bad at holding onto nutrients or water.
5. Silt
Silt has smooth, powdery particles that are larger than clay but smaller than sand. Although it stores water and nutrients better than sand, the more aerated loam still makes a better basis. During prolonged rainy weather, silt can also consolidate to clay, making it difficult for turf roots to grow. Silt can be quite beneficial when combined with sand to create loamy soil.
6. Clay
Clay allows it to retain the most water and nutrients. It’s best to avoid having too much clay in your soil since it can be difficult for turf roots to penetrate and can become damp, which can lead to root damage because of insufficient drainage.
Conclusion
In order to maintain a healthy grass turf, it is crucial to understand your soil and how it functions. Start your lawn off correctly with the right soil if you want it to be the best it can be.