Shredded Turf Installation Guide

• If you have the time, prior to installing your shredded lawn we encourage you to water and fertilise the area to be grassed to germinate any dormant weed seeds and grass stolons. Once these have germinated treat them with a herbicide or hand weed to remove them.
• Prior to installing any Lovegrove Turf lawn we strongly recommend testing your reticulation coverage for with catch cups. Assessing your reticulation with Catch cups is a vital part of good lawn establishment and maintenance and should be repeated through the year to check your reticulation.  At the same time we also recommend checking your soil is “wetting up” and if not applying a good quality wetting agent like Eco Wet.
• If you have bulbous weeds like soursob, Guildford (onion) grass or onion weed these are difficult to hand weed as the whole bulb and all bulb-lets needs to be removed. The bulbs of these weeds can be very deep so we recommend replacing your soil to physically remove the problem prior to planting.
• With a tape, measure the area of your planned lawn simple areas like rectangles and squares can be calculated by multiplying length by width. If you have a multi-shaped area break it down into squares, rectangles, triangles and circles, calculate the area of each shape and add them together.
• We harvest to order so after preparatory work is completed and you are ready to install, it is best to phone through your order at least 2 -3 working days your grass is required. Sometimes we do have staff available to harvest at late notice but we can not guarantee availability.
• Make sure your measurements are correct as we aren’t able to take stolons back or give refunds if you over order.

• Rake the soil to remove any debris such as rocks, rubbish, plant material etc. Leave the surface as light and fluffy as possible to allow for ploughing in the grass. Dig in Dynamic Lifter @ 200g/m² and spread Eco-Prime Red fertiliser over area @ 100g/m². This will feed the lawn essential nutrients during the first weeks of establishment.
• To grow a healthy lawn you need at least 150mm of good quality top soil (250mm if you are on rocky/gravelly ground such as in the Hills) OR amend your existing sand to the same depth.
• To amend your sand EITHER incorporate 50mm of our Lovegrove Underlay in the top 100mm of sand, OR if your existing sand/soil is at the desired level incorporate a combination of Bentonite Clay @ 2kg/m² and Humus soil conditioner @ 20 litre bag/50m² to a minimum depth of 150mm. These products are available at our Wattle Grove Turf Sales Office.
• The finished soil should be 10mm below paths to allow for the thickness of the lawn once it has matured, and pop up sprinklers should be at about soil level so they will be below the established lawn. Eliminate drainage problems by having soil slope away from foundations etc.

• Spread one bag of grass out at a time over 75m². Tease the grass out to cover the ground as evenly as possible. Only work on one bag at a time to avoid grass drying out.
• Aim to get 95% of the grass under the soil, whatever is left on the surface will dry out and die.
• Using the disc roller (available for hire) or with a spade work the grass into the top 30mm of soil. Large areas can be done with a Rotary Hoe (available for hire).  Each bag should take about 1—2 hours to install fully.
• Follow up immediately with plenty of water that is.

Shredded lawn is very susceptible to dehydration and dying off in the first 8 weeks after planting. The soil must be kept moist during the first 4 weeks for this reason.  The summer watering guide below is a useful guide but a new lawn particularly needs to be monitored and watered according to conditions. At cooler times of the year watering less often may be required the goal is to ensure your new shredded lawn does not dry out and yes this can happen in winter too.

Summer Watering Guide

Week 1: Just before dawn, 10am and 3pm

Week 2: Just before dawn and noon

Week 3: Just before dawn

Weeks 4 – 8: Every second day before dawn

Week 8 onwards: Two times a week before dawn

On well prepared soil we recommend 10mm watering per session, then 10mm-15mm from week 4.  It is best to use catch cups to time how long your reticulation and water pressure dispenses this volume and set your timer accordingly.

When you have full coverage, you should be deep watering two to three times per week to encourage deep roots for a healthier lawn.

If you apply small amounts of water at each session you risk loss to evaporation within the first two hours after the sun comes up, leaving your turf exposed to the heat of the day.  Also the roots remain shallow in the top layer of soil which dries out very quickly.

Watering with reticulation is preferred as it is difficult to dispense even quantities of water via hand watering

Care should be taken to minimise watering when the wind is blowing as the amount of water that
actually hits the ground will be reduced. If watering in the wind is unavoidable compensate by watering for longer.

Once your lawn has good coverage and its roots established by deep watering then ongoing       maintenance will require 10 to 25mm of water depending upon – the season, your soil, exposure to the sun and daily temperature. By examining the soil moisture and state of your lawn leaf you should be able to determine if your lawn requires additional watering.

The most important thing you can do to keep your shredded grass alive and thriving is to keep it wet in the early weeks.  If shredded lawn is allowed to dry out the stolons can die and you may need to re plant some areas or even start again.

Shredded lawn should be fertilised with a good starter fertiliser like Eco-Prime Red @ 100g/m² as a bare minimum at the time of planting.  In the first three weeks you will not see much leaf growth as your shredded grass or stolons focus on growing roots. Eco Red is the ideal fertiliser to promote root growth.

After three weeks your shredded grass will start to increase leaf growth and it needs Nitrogen.  Apply Eco-Prime Emerald @ 200g/m²