Do you have to wait to turf your garden until next year, or can you crack on?
The quick is answer is yes, you can turf any and every month of the year.
I know because I have put down turf in December and January, gone back months later and it has knitted just fine to a beautiful, full bodied lawn.
There are however a couple of consideration
The Ground
The first consideration is the ground. Usually when you turf you want the ground to be pretty stone free, not full of clay and not as dry as sawdust.
You would fluff the ground up with a rotivator to create a good top layer of tilth.
Tilth is the fancy word for soil that is fluffed up - not compacted down. Turf needs a little tilth for the roots to burrow in to, however if you go mental and create 12 inches of tilth you lawn will sag as the tilth settles.
An additional consideration in winter is the soil getting frosty. If the soil is frosty it will be too hard for the roots to take to, and if really cold it will damage the roots of the turf. Usually working over the soil will break down the frost and pull up some of the soil from lower down that was insulated against the air
The Turf
The main thing you need to keep an eye on when laying turf in winter is that frost doesn't get to the roots. If frost gets to the roots, it's game over.
Usually turf will get delivered in rolls, stacked on top of one another. The turf is normally rolled with the grass facing inwards and the roots facing outwards.
So you need to be prepared to protect these outward facing roots once your turf gets delivered. Prior to delivery get yourself set up with some dry painting sheets or old cloths/blankets, and a water proof top - you can get a tarpaulin for a fiver from most places.
Then when your turf gets delivered wrap it first in the blankets, to keep the turf warm, and then with the tarpaulin. The idea of the tarpaulin is if it rains you don't want the blankets to get wet and then freeze when the temperature drops.
Tucks the blankets in pretty tight around the turf, if the blankets are loose cold air will get between them and the turf and potentially freeze the turf. You can usually just weight the blankets tight with bits of wood or brick.
The Other Way To Protect Turf
The other way to protect your rolls of turf is to order a few extra rolls, unroll them and place them over the pile of rolled up turf.
Turf is after all a good insulator, and will work just as well as blankets to protect your rolls
Get It Down
Ultimately you are best getting the turf down as quickly as possible. Protecting the turf against frost causes the fresh problem of making the turf warm, and when turf gets warm it sweats and speeds up the rotting process.
Order your turf for a day or two you have set aside purely for laying it, if possible get the first delivery slot of you first laying day, then you can get it down there and then.
Little insider tip, turf that gets delivered on a Monday has usually been lifted on the proceeding Saturday or Friday so is already not very fresh when it gets to you, go for a Tuesday delivery instead
Caring For The Turf
Usually once you have put turf down it needs a seriously good watering, turf is very thirsy.
With it being winter you might get rain which will save you the need, but if not you will still need to water it.
However if you water it too early in the day the cold temperature may freeze the water in the turf, same if you water the turf too late in the day as the temperature begins to plummet
Ideally water the turf in the middle of the day, when the temperature is at its warmest, and a few hours away on either side from the colder temperatures.
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