Paul G asks: Turning old turf into compost?
I have moved into a new house and the garden is really uneven, slopes from back to front and left to right. The builder gave me some turf he had laying around which i used to turf half the garden. It was a rushed job though as I knew the turf had to be laid quick and looks awful on the slope and has lots of gaps undereneath. I really want the garden to look nice, so was planning on taking the turf up and rotavating the soil (this will be april time, when dryer), as it is made from clay and is uneven, sticky and waterlogged. i will eventually buy new turf for the centre as plan to put borders, decking and patio’s in places. I have read that clay soil needs mixing with organic material like compost to help break it up. Can i use the old turf? Any other advice on clay soil and how to get it level would be great. Thanks
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Answer by recycled bumpkin
if you take up the turf turn it upside down make a stack.it will rot down and give you some good compost mix it with grit and it will break down to a fine loamy soil.
What do you think? Answer below!
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Stack the old turfs grass side down and leave them. You can then use it once it has rotted down. Would not be a good idea to use it with the grass still in the turf as the grass will grow. They will rot down into very good soil conditioner. With clay soil, the more organic “stuff” you can get into it the better. Any old potting compost – (gardening shops sometimes sell of last years’ bags cheaply), well rotted manure (horse stables and private individuals with horses sometimes leave signs outside their properties), home made garden compost. If the soil is waterlogged, you’ll need to dig in sharp sand to improve drainage and if it’s prone to flooding, then you may have to lay land drains. Don’t rotavate anywhere you plan to have hard landscaping – it’s a waste of time and will just bring up lots of weeds from deeper in the soil. As for levelling your site, it depends on how sloped it is and what you plan to put where. Decking and patios will look better if they are level. Lawns and borders can have a gently slope without looking out of place. However if the slope is dramatic, you may have to tier your garden.