“How Soon Should I Lay My Turf After It’s Delivered?”

One of our most frequently asked questions is “How soon should I lay my turf once it’s delivered?”

We strongly encourage you to install your turf immediately after we deliver it to prevent drying out. Turf should be laid no later than the day it’s delivered, so make sure your site and soil are fully prepared prior to your delivery day. It’s important to remember that turf is a living product so without being laid, watered, or properly exposed to sunlight in the advised period after delivery, the turf will start to deteriorate.

To ensure we can provide our customers with fresh turf delivered in the morning, we harvest our turf the day prior to the scheduled delivery day.

When harvested from our farm, our turf rolls come to you with a small portion of soil attached. This means that while it’s waiting for installation, your turf is still receiving a small form of nourishment. That won’t last long though, and if the turf isn’t installed soon after, it will start to dry out and ferment. And the warmer the weather, the quicker your grass will begin to deteriorate.

Although somewhat dehydrated grass can still be laid and live a healthy life, you might discover that it takes more time to establish and look lush, and you wouldn’t really be giving it the best start in its new home. For this reason, we strongly suggest laying your turf on the same day that you receive it and as soon as you can within this day. This is especially important during the warmer months of the year because the warmer weather will speed up the drying-out process.

To ensure you can limit any delays in installing your turf, below are a few things you should do both before and after your turf delivery day:

Before Delivery

• Do all of the ground & area preparation before ordering any turf. Or at least allow plenty of time after you have ordered to prepare the area. That way, you know that when the turf arrives, you will be ready to lay straight away.
• We deliver turf six days a week* to ensure there is an installation day that suits most. When placing an online order, you will be shown a calendar where you can select a delivery day to fit in with your plans to lay.
• We only need a few days’ notice for orders**. This ensures that you can have your site prepared prior to the time of ordering as we don’t need much notice to get the turf delivered to you!
• If your area is quite large, you may consider splitting the delivery over a few days. However, this is another reason why we offer morning deliveries; you have the rest of the day to get the installation job done!

*Delivery days depend on your delivery region. See our delivery map for more details.

**Turf availability can be subject to the quantity, time of year, & turf variety.

After Delivery

• It’s time to lay your turf!
• On arrival, the pallet will be shrink-wrapped. We suggest taking this off straight away to allow air to get to the turf.
• Use our installation guide to help with this step!

If, for whatever reason, you’re unable to lay your turf straight away or the day you receive it, here are some important measures you can implement to limit turf deterioration:

• Keep the turf outside but move it to a cool, shaded area if possible.
• Turf can overheat if left stacked on the pallet for too long, particularly if you are laying the turf in summer. Take the rolls off the pallet making smaller piles so that the air can get to the rolls.
• Many people think that watering the turf whilst on the pallet will help. Do not do this! The water will get warm, create steam, and only increase the risk of it overheating and burning.
• If you have left the turf on the pallet overnight, it may have lost a bit of colour. This is just due to the lack of sunlight for more time than recommended. Once laid and watered, and with a bit of patience, it will soon green up again.
• Once laid, water the turf well and continue to water the turf twice a day whilst the turf is establishing and rooting in.
• Be aware that your turf may take longer to establish/look good if not laid within the recommended window.

Keep in mind that every day you prolong laying your turf, you decrease the chances of its of survival. It’s important to remember that there are many variables outside the control of Turfco that come into play after the turf is delivered. Following our recommended area preparation and installation procedures will ensure a successful turf establishment and performance. It’s your responsibility to follow our guidelines and timeframes when laying turf to ensure you see the best results from the turf.

Other Things to Know:

• Some yellowing may occur to your grass before it is laid but should grow out over a period. Once laid, yellowing, and shrinking around the edges of the turf rolls is normal. But this is usually a sign that the area is lacking adequate water. Your lawn is talking to you and letting you know it needs a good drink!
• Laying your turf on good-quality topsoil (turf underlay) is very important – don’t overlook this step. Check out our handy area preparation guide.
• Water your lawn deeply within 30 minutes of laying it with at least 25mm of water. Then make sure it stays well hydrated by watering it deeply twice each day (morning and afternoon) until it is firmly rooted to the soil beneath.

Install Your Turf As Soon Possible To Get The Best Out Of Your New Lawn!

Installing turf promptly after delivery is essential for its survival and overall success. Turf is a living product composed of grass and soil, and like any living organism, it requires care and attention to establish roots and adjust to its new environment. The longer the turf remains rolled up, the greater the risk of it drying out and suffering from stress, leading to potential damage and poor establishment. With good planning and preparation, this can be easily avoided, and your new lawn will get off to a great start.

Book your turf delivery now by easily ordering turf online!