GARY KENYON

Lawns are important to houses, and properly maintained lawns can boost their value. The type of turf or grass used for your lawn depends on the type of lawn you want, and must be decided in the preliminary stages. The type of turf to be used depends upon local climate, the amount of sunlight available, irrigation and soil conditions. Popular grasses are Bahia, Bentgrass, Bermuda, bluegrass, buffalo Grass, carpet grass, centipede grass, fescue, ryegrass, St. Augustine and zoysia. After the type of lawn has been finalised, the ground has to be prepared to help ensure the growth of your garden. Almost all varieties of grass are easy to lay, but if the need arises you could hire local help during preparation.

Proper soil preparation is essential before turf-laying, as it allows roots to penetrate deeply and evenly, thus making the lawn more drought-tolerant . Objects like old paving stones, bricks, stones and tin cans need to be removed from the surface when preparing the soil. Check for weeds and destroy them manually or using chemicals. You also need to trim existing vegetation to ground level and test soil nutrient content and pH levels for acidity and alkaline balance. The soil quality and structure should be improved using compost, coarse sand or other organic matter before laying the turf.