Why Autumn Could be the Best Time of Year to Lay Turf

Spring is often touted as the best time of year to lay turf. Summer is just around the corner, it’s beginning to warm up, and plants begin to flourish. When you lay turf in spring, it’s ready for use by summer.

However, laying turf in the spring has several draw backs, which may not make it ideal for you or your clients. This is why many professionals are beginning to prefer laying turf during the autumn.

We don’t view autumn as a better or worse time to lay turf when compared to spring. Instead, take a look at the benefits and disadvantages of each time of year, and see what works best for your needs.

Why Landscapers Are Laying their Turf In Autumn

Here are just a few of the reasons why landscapers have begun to lay turf during the autumn.

Foot Fall

Typically speaking, freshly laid turf should not be walked on for the first 3 weeks after it’s been installed. In the spring, this can make it highly impractical. Spring is the time for enjoying landscapes, not for cordoning off lawns. When laying turf in the autumn, whilst you still need to give 3 weeks before walking on it, this is much easier to achieve. In autumn, the evenings draw in and the weather begins to turn, all in all making it easier to reduce footfall.

Raining

Turf can quickly dry out in the spring as the sun begins to get a lot hotter, requiring regular watering to keep it moist. Autumn provides the benefit of being a wetter season. It rains more regularly and early morning dew, mist and fog, means that you don’t have to be as rigorous on the watering schedule

Too early for frost

Frost is a very real concern for any plants in the garden, turf included. Most autumns are rarely a risk of frost and a very mild frost at that. By the time serious frost hits, the turf should be well established.

Lasts longer

The shelf life of turf can be a very real concern on landscaping sites. One small delay can cause a whole batch of turf to be ruined due to being left, rolled up and drying out in the sun. Autumn comes with the benefit of cooler temperatures, which helps to increase the life of still rolled turf. You’re still not going to be able to keep rolls fresh for weeks at a time but combined this with our ProFresh® equipped turf ranges and it lasts much longer.

Be prepared for falling leaves

The only serious danger to turf laid during the autumn is falling leaves from trees. Falling leaves from trees will be detrimental the bedding in of the turf and have a big impact on its growth. The falling leaves block out sunlight, increase moisture (too much) and begin to heighten the nitrogen levels of the surrounding soil, making it harder to support healthy soil.