What is the Best Lawn Turf to Buy?

Buying turf can be confusing. With the number of varieties online, it can be difficult to find the type that will best suit your needs. Thankfully, there are lawn types for everyone’s requirements, whether you’d prefer a designer garden or a hardier lawn for your whole family to enjoy. Over the course of the article, we’ll give you all the information you’ll need to decide on the best turf to buy.

So, if you:

Read on!

How to choose the best turf for your lawn

First, let’s consider what type of turf you want. Depending on how you use your lawn, the amount of foot traffic it receives, and how much maintenance you’re willing to put into it, some turf types might be more suited to you than others. Below, we’ll list all of the options found in the UK, so that you can weigh up the best fit for you.

Trident turf

Trident turf is among the most popular turf types in the UK. It’s easy to see why; it’s both versatile and hardy, and simple to establish and root in your garden. Trident turf is usually made with a mixture of perennial ryegrass, meaning it’s also highly resistant to disease too. The ryegrass also helps it to thrive in colder, drizzly temperatures, providing a strong healthy colour throughout the whole year.

Because of its versatility, it’s used domestically and on golf courses. Generally, it’s the best turf for your lawn if you want a hard-wearing garden perfect for families. Trident is able to handle whatever you throw at it.

Shade-tolerant turf

As you can guess from the name, this particular turf does better than others in more shaded areas. Most shade-tolerant turfs in the UK are made up of fescue grasses (creeping red) or bluegrass, like the Kentucky variety which thrives particularly well in the British climate.

ST turf is relatively easy to maintain, with high shoot density which gives it durability. Granted, ST turfs require regular waterings, though this is offset by the fact it doesn’t need as much fertiliser treatment compared to other varieties.

Wildflower turf

The main characteristic of this turf is that it encourages the growth of wildflowers, giving you your own personal meadow. Wildflowers can be difficult to seed, as they will only successfully germinate about 30% of the time. The turf, as long as it’s established properly, will always flower successfully, year after year.

Wildflower turf doesn’t require much maintenance, just a healthy supply of water during the hot months of the year and a tidy up in winter.

Wildflower turf is perfect for those who want a beautiful garden, without the hassle of traditional gardening. Plus, they are a perfect choice for those who want to help the environment and create a bee-friendly garden, amongst other insects and small mammals.

Rhizomatous tall fescue

Due to the mouthful of a name, we’ll be calling it RTF turf from here on out. RTF is a new generation of grass that can survive waterlogging and drought, due to its deep roots. This in turn makes it easy to maintain, even with irregular watering schedules.

It is on the more expensive end, but you’ll be paying for its ruggedness and durability. If your lawn will be subject to a lot of movement (like kids playing football), this lawn will be the choice for you.

RTF might be a good choice if you want to improve clay soil too. Because of its deep roots, it should be able to break down clumps in the subsurface of the soil and prevent compaction. This is most likely the best lawn turf to buy if you’re in London, where clay soil is common.

Fine-textured turf

While this turf is amazing, we don’t recommend using it unless you’ve got a golf course or a luxury garden. That’s because it is tediously high maintenance, requiring time devotion from you, or a gardening team. That being said, they can make for an aesthetically pleasing garden design, as the density and the 3mm length it can be cut to can look stunning in the right conditions.

It is expensive and can be damaged by excessive movement, so we only recommend getting this turf if you’re able to maintain it regularly.

Establishing turf

You should be aware that turf will need some time to establish and root. Generally, it takes around 9 months for turf to fully establish, though you’ll need to give your turf some TLC to make sure it does:

Need help installing your new turf?

Why not have Fantastic Services help with the turfing? We can provide you with the experts needed to give you the lawn of your dreams. The professionals come with all the experience and tools required to give you a beautiful garden space.

They’ll make sure the surface is level (applying new soil if needed) and edge it so it doesn’t interrupt any flowerbeds. Plus, there is no need to clear your garden for the service, as the professional will take care of that for you.

So, why waste your time on an arduous, messy task, when we can take care of it for you? You can get around to enjoying a lush, green new lawn, without any of the hard work.

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Header Image Source: Shutterstock / By SpeedKingz