How to fix Sir Walter Turf that is patchy after laying?

[michellef16]

 

 

Hello, 

We laid Sir Walter turf on Sunday, that was delivered Friday last week. We intended on laying it Saturday however we had heavy rain in VIC. 
We have been watering morning and evening however it’s started browning in square patches. On looking back after we laid it, it seems the grass was already turning a shade of dark green/brown. 
How do we fix this? Also how much do we water? There’s conflicting advice online…

[Jason]

Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community @michellef16 and thanks for joining in the discussion. Feel free to post anytime you need a hand or have a new project to share with other members.

Apologies for the slow reply - it's a busy time at the moment with a lot of members getting stuck into projects before the end of the year! Let me tag our resident Bunnings D.I.Y. expert in @EricL as well as other helpful members @Noelle, @Adam_W, @homeinmelbourne and @mich1972 for their thoughts on how your new lawn is looking and what can help it along.

Thanks again,

Jason

[Noelle]

Hi @michellef16 

Turf needs to be laid as soon as practicable after it has been lifted - it does not do well when it remains stacked on pallets or on the ground at home for too long. If it's raining then naturally there was a delay but that will not have helped in this situation. The dark areas seem to be in a repetitive pattern, as though covered for too long while the other end of each piece looks healthier.

The turf also looks like it could have been mown very low before it was lifted - scalped almost - which may be a contributor to the bare looking patches.

I assume all the correct soil prep was done before laying - soil dug over, levelled, lawn starter fertiliser applied, etc.

At this stage I would look at applying a seaweed plant and soil tonic (one with no added fertiliser or trace elements in it) to help strengthen the roots. Do this as soon as possible and repeat again in about a week.

Also, check how moist the soil and turf actually are - if the soil is quite moist throughout the day, then cut the watering back to just once a day, in the morning. Try not to water late in the day as wet soil and grass are more likely to be susceptible to fungal and mould issues if damp overnight.

[michellef16]

Thanks Noelle, yes the soil was appropriately prepped prior to laying - I will get some seaweed tonic ASAP - hopefully this will help!