Landscaping/Laying turf advice

[Blackhawk42]

Hey, I was wondering if there were any people on here who know their way around the yard and can possible help me!

I've been in the process of removing a bunch of stones from my backyard over the last year. Bought my first home with my wife and as much as it was great value, we knew we'd be getting rid of the pesky rocks that were clearly included when the place was built 12 years ago to 'lower the maintenance requirements'. We will be having our first child soon and we want him to grow up with a big yard that we enjoyed in our youth!

Anyway, my main question is about dirt. I'm trenching the ground to meet the already existing grass (kikuyu) in preparation for the new turf to be laid. After 12 years of stones and concrete (now removed) being on top, the ground underneath looks pretty dead. Upon digging it up i've discovered the soil underneath looks pretty moist and decent. Now, the main reason for starting this thread is to ask if that soil is spread out and evened, would it be good enough with the added fertiliser to avoid needing to purchase a bunch of fresh, new soil??

Apologies if this is a stupid question. First time attempting anything like this.

 

[wadistance]

My best advice is to find Lawn pr0n on Facebook and send them a message. They’re genius’


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Hawk Dork]

Hey, I was wondering if there were any people on here who know their way around the yard and can possible help me!

I've been in the process of removing a bunch of stones from my backyard over the last year. Bought my first home with my wife and as much as it was great value, we knew we'd be getting rid of the pesky rocks that were clearly included when the place was built 12 years ago to 'lower the maintenance requirements'. We will be having our first child soon and we want him to grow up with a big yard that we enjoyed in our youth!

Anyway, my main question is about dirt. I'm trenching the ground to meet the already existing grass (kikuyu) in preparation for the new turf to be laid. After 12 years of stones and concrete (now removed) being on top, the ground underneath looks pretty dead. Upon digging it up i've discovered the soil underneath looks pretty moist and decent. Now, the main reason for starting this thread is to ask if that soil is spread out and evened, would it be good enough with the added fertiliser to avoid needing to purchase a bunch of fresh, new soil??

Apologies if this is a stupid question. First time attempting anything like this.

Lets start with
Were the rocks a mulch ?

Got a photo of your dirt ?
Is it just lawn you want on top when its finnished ?

 

[Deliverance]

As long as you can get it smooth, it will be fine. I did a knockdown/rebuild last year. The front was a mess after the build. I cleared any obvious crap, added some sand and gypsum and rooster booster, turned it over with a rotary hoe, raked it smooth and laid the turf. 12 months on, looks as good as the guy up the road who had his landscaped professionally.