Gardening: what to do about new turf lawn that has mostly died

July 24, 2019 11:03 AM

On our housing estate the council has recently cleared an area of scrubby shrubs and weeds, and laid down new turf lawn. It was green for about a week, and now (2 months later) it's like a brown mat with weeds coming up everywhere. And some tufts of grass here and there.

The lawn they laid was of the kind supplied in a big roll. They didn't bother watering it after it was laid, and there is also no water supply in the vicinity so I can't reach it with a hose or sprinkler.

This was mid-May. There has been rain off and on, but nevertheless the grass quickly died. Weeds have sprouted everywhere, both between the turf seams and in the turf itself. I've been pulling out weeds in bagfulls, but unsure if I'm wasting my time.

In some areas more than others, tufts of grass has established. Is this likely growing from the turf roots, or more likely an interloper? It's growing in tall tufts, can I turn this into a lawn somehow?

Is this normal for turf lawn? Will it basically regrow from the roots even after it seemed quite dead, maybe after summer? Should I sprinkle lawn grass seed? If so, when and how?

I'm also considering the possibility of leaving it wild. On other, established lawns on the estate, I have set aside some areas to grow long and seeded wildflowers, which looks nice. But I fear if I leave this area alone it will look like a vacant lot and just make everyone sad.

posted by snarfois to Home & Garden (7 answers total)

Response by poster: Oh, this is in London, UK, where we are currently experiencing a heat wave.
posted by snarfois at 11:03 AM on July 24, 2019

Lawns can go dormant in the heat. This article may be of use. Note that it says if it's been longer than a month, it most likely maybe dead.

Can you contact the company that laid the turf and ask them to come out and look at it?
posted by Marie Mon Dieu at 11:27 AM on July 24, 2019

Best answer: It is likely dead and will not regrow, since it was never watered and had no chance to establish itself. You could try lifting up some of the sod, you'll probably see that the roots did not push further down into the dirt. Which means it's the same as if you'd put that sod on top of macadam and then never watered it — it would die without chance of recovery later.

Seeding is certainly an option — better to wait until September, and then water very regularly, keeping it all moist throughout the fall.
posted by beagle at 11:27 AM on July 24, 2019 [3 favorites]

It might be prudent to investigate different species of grass. Some are more drought and heat tolerant than others. Do you know what kind of grass was installed?

Our condo complex in North Carolina uses Kentucky Blue Grass or something like that. We don't water it. Sometimes it looks better than others, but it lives.
posted by amtho at 1:08 PM on July 24, 2019

It's unlikey to be dead; it's more likely to have just browned in the heat. I'd do nothing and see if it revives in the autumn with rain and an absence of heat. I would not water it; like a green or a common, it should be self-sustaining.
posted by DarlingBri at 1:41 PM on July 24, 2019

Best answer: While it should be self sustaining once it sets, every turf that I’ve ever seen laid has needed a bunch of water at the beginning to help the roots set. If they haven’t set, it should be obvious. Can you still pull the turf back up in a sheet? If so, it’s probably dead. If not, I’d wait until summer is over to worry too much.
posted by Weeping_angel at 2:12 PM on July 24, 2019

Response by poster: Yes, the turf lifts up easily as a brown sheet, so I think it's dead. I'll get the council to follow up with the contractors. Personally I think this is shoddy work, but it's fairly typical for local government. There may be money for planting a tree or lawn, but none for maintenance, so then it dies and the money is wasted.
posted by snarfois at 7:38 AM on July 25, 2019