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Clearance into turfing is the most common combination we are asked for, and the one where the handover between the two stages matters most. A garden that has been cleared is not the same as a garden that is ready for turf.
The Three Levels, Again
- Cut down and tidied — growth removed, roots left in the ground. Not ready for turf
- Cleared to soil — surface growth off, ground visible. Still not ready for turf
- Cleared and cultivated — roots grubbed out, ground turned, levelled, firmed, raked. This is turf-ready
Most quotations for “clearance” describe the first. Most people planning a lawn are picturing the third. That gap is worth closing on paper before the work rather than on the day the turf arrives.
What Turf-Ready Actually Requires
- Perennial weed roots out. Bramble, bindweed, couch, ground elder, nettle. Cutting the tops off achieves nothing — they come straight through new turf and are then almost impossible to deal with without lifting it
- Stumps and major roots removed, and the holes backfilled with clean soil rather than grindings
- Rubble and debris out of the top 15 centimetres or so
- Enough depth of decent topsoil. Neglected gardens frequently have very little, and importing some is often the difference between a lawn and a disappointment
- Levels established and firmed. Firming matters as much as levelling — soft spots become dips within a season
- A fine, raked surface for the turf to make contact with
The Things a Clearance Uncovers That Affect the Lawn
Clearing an overgrown garden is when you find out whether a lawn is actually the right answer for that area. Heavy shade from a mature tree, ground that sits wet all winter, a buried slab or path a few centimetres down — none of these are visible under ten years of bramble, and all of them decide whether turf will hold. We would rather say so at that point than lay turf over them.
- Shade — the commonest. An area shaded most of the day will not hold a lawn whatever is done to the soil
- Drainage — ground that floods in winter needs sorting first, not turfing over
- Buried hard surfaces — a patio or path under the growth, which either comes out or the lawn goes elsewhere
- Bamboo or knotweed — must be fully dealt with before turf, not during
Doing Both in One Visit
It works well and it saves a mobilisation, with one caveat about timing: turf is perishable and has to go down within a day or so of being cut, so it is ordered for the day the ground will actually be ready. On a clearance where the extent of the work is uncertain, that is a reason to leave a short gap between the two stages rather than having pallets of turf waiting on a driveway.
Where bamboo has been removed as part of the clearance, a season between the excavation and the turf is worth having if you can, so anything missed shows itself in open ground.
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If turf is going down afterwards, say so at the quotation. It changes how far the clearance goes and whether we bring topsoil.
Tell us what needs doing across Hertfordshire and we will quote for the work. Call 07388 094829, message us on WhatsApp or use the form below.