Rob Millar
Full Member
Posts: 53
Joined: Tue Feb 10, 2009 6:22 am
Location: England

Laying Turf on Hard Earth

I have to lay some turf on an area that is used every summer for a temporay swimming pool. The ground is pretty hard and compacted now, so before I lay turf I was was going to rake the first half an inch or so with a landscaping rake, and then rake in some sharp sand and some good sieved top soil before I lay the turf.

I shouldnt need to do any more than this should I?

Many thanks

pd
Senior Member
Posts: 184
Joined: Sat Jun 07, 2008 7:17 pm

Not a good idea Rob, the compaction will be much deeper than a half inch.
I would fork it over and allow it to settle for a couple of weeks, then tread it over and rake level. That is the least you can do to ensure a good start for either seed or turf.

Rob Millar
Full Member
Posts: 53
Joined: Tue Feb 10, 2009 6:22 am
Location: England

I suspected as much after I posted.. The customer isnt to fussed as long as it looks better than earth, but Ill tell him the facts

Thanks alot pd

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mdvaden
Full Member
Posts: 27
Joined: Tue Aug 22, 2006 12:56 am

The compaction may be variable.

Have a friend who can feel your soil and determine if it's compacted or not?

The mere presence of a pool is not sufficient information to determine if there is compaction.

If you do the math, the weight of water distributed over each square foot is probably less pressure than someone walking.

In the same way that a man standing on the ball of one foot can exert more PSI than a pickup truck.

The math is not quite as important as really being able to tell if soil is compacted or not. You will probably want no less than 6" of soil beneath that is in good condition.

Loosening just 1" would be plenty if the soil beneath is known for certain to have good porosity and structure.

Rob Millar
Full Member
Posts: 53
Joined: Tue Feb 10, 2009 6:22 am
Location: England

Thank you, I appreciated the advice- I didnt think about weight distribution.

The surrounding ground is fine and the grass and trees grow well, though the ground has clay. Ill do my what I can and I'm sure it will be fine.

Thanks again for the advice


Rob



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