New build turf nightmare

[Jasmine75]

Hi, I'm hoping you lovely folks can help me... We've just moved into our first house and are total gardening virgins! The builders put turf down onto what looks like clay soil (?) it seems really uneven across the whole garden and is dry at the top but sopping and squishy at the bottom.

Does anyone have any suggestions how to help it dry out please?

Thanks

Oh dear. I'm afraid this is the downside with a new build, but it isn't insurmountable.

You've probably got a whole range of problems. There will be a lot of subsoil with low fertility that's been brought to the top by the digging process, covering up the high fertility top soil. You'll also have a lot of compaction

I believe that the best thing to take the turf off again (stack it up in a corner and keep it watered, perhaps?) and then you probably need to dig over or rotavate the whole garden. Then you probably need to buy in plenty of new top soil to replace the soil you've lost. Then you can put the turf back on and it will start to flourish!

The RHS has some helpful advice on this:
apps.rhs.org.uk/advicesearch/Profile.aspx?pid=632

I'm afraid builders hate gardens.

Funnily enough if you're not in Scotland, on iPlayer ATM there is a Scottish garden programme that has a feature on new builds and what you are faced with. The programme is called Beechgrove Garden. There are two episodes on iPlayer and I can't recall which one has that feature.

I agree with Grendelsmum, it is worth taking up the turf, sticking it and looking after it then prepping the ground properly, or you will always be annoyed by it.

I agree with Bearleigh and GrendelsMum plus the turf will not have had a chance to grow so will be easy to roll, lift and stack. Once you prepare the ground like GrendelsMum says (and I would add that a top layer of sharp sand should be added), lay the turf of a very wet day.

The only tools you will need for laying are a half moon cutter plus a plank of wood to stand on - so you don't stand directly on the turf-
Turf has a 'direction' plus the edge is shaped for ease of butting it together the correct direction.

Once it has been laid, water it well then lightly roll it after six to eight weeks paying attention to the edges where the turf buts together.