Our garden soil is pure clay and gravel, so we have spread a layer of compost to about 3 cm thicknesses. Is this sufficient for a lawn? Can we put down turf directly on top of sand?
Unfortunately, a 3cm layer of fertile compost is not sufficient. Difficult soils should be amended first – add some grit to improve heavy clay soil, while sandy soil should be conditioned with some moisture-retentive matter. The best choice is fertile compost, well-rotted manure or loam, but you will need a lot of it – around 1 to 1.5 tons per 1 are (depending on the fertility and structure of your local soil). Whichever you choose, it should be spread to a 10-12 cm thickness (a layer of 15-16cm is even better) and dug over, or rototilled into the ground. If you opt for laying turf, you should still follow the same steps for soil preparation. When using field topsoil, refrain from sowing grass seed straight away. Wait until the weeds come up and spray them with Roundup. Within a week or two, after the weeds die out, rake the soil thoroughly and sow lawn seed.
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