stripped the remaining turf off, what next?

[sacbina]

post building works the lawn was mud so this weekend removed what was left whilst there was still a skip

so now what? rotivate? but what happens to the little roots of weeds? our lawn was mostly moss, clover and dandelions

have to raise level anyway to meet new patio so new top soil will do that job

help

Leave it alone for a bit as it is too cold to re turf at the mo.
I would advise not rotivating it as it chops up weeds and roots and can make matters worse.

Dig it over, remove any boulders and bricks then apply new topsoil ( get from local merchants, a couple of inches would do. To work out how much you need you'll need to work out the size of the area. One tonne should cover 16 square metres at a depth of 2.5 cm. So if your lawn is 32 square metres you would need 4 tonnes or bulk bags, to cover it by 5 cm.

Level it by tamping it with a scaffold plank/s and never use a heavy roller or it will become compacted.

In the spring use weedkiller such as glyphosate and wait a few weeks for the weeds to die back to die back.

Rake the area and turf using a good quality meadow turf ( it's cheaper, fresher and more durable than the stuff you can buy in say Homebase.

thanks for that. we are in London, so not currently in the grips of these freezing conditions, does that make a difference?

I would wait a while TBH. We used to sell turf for most of the year but it is not possible to cut it when it is frozen or very wet so it unlikely there will be any available at the moment.

Yes, agree BBB advice.

But also, when you do get top soil make sure it is good quality. I have seen so-called top soil that was more sand and stones. And some organic matter, peat substitute would probably be good, mixed with top soil.

Yes, there is a lot of poor soil out there, it varies a lot depending on where it has been collected. I'd go to see it first.

me again
happened to be in homebase yesterday and looked at the weedkillers - which one/type do I need? some were for killing weeds in lawns, and some seemed to cover everything, ie it would all be killed

I'm mystified!!

anyone? can't wait until proper spring to lay lawn as have 2 young dc and a cat. need outside access!

seeing as I've already stripped lawn and there are no leaves to take in any weedkiller is there any point in applying any????

Apply weed killer when the weeds actually appear or it wont work. It has to actually land on the leaves IYSWIM.
Use wilkos own glyphosate, just the same as Roundup but a fraction of the price.

Dig out the weeds s they start to grow back, and save your money? Then once spring comes, sow your lovely weed-free and more importantly herbicide-free lawn.

ok. stupid question, when will the weeds grow? springtime I presume

Yes, mostly in spring, though some are managing to grow right now in our garden - particularly cleavers, speedwell, and hairy bitter cress that can have little white flowers, and its seeds 'POP' everywhere in a few months. And pearlwort is terrible if it gets established.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galium_aparine

www.downgardenservices.org.uk/pearlwort.htm

Hopefully you won't have any of those!

Rake in organic material, or peat-free compost to improve soil quality, ready for turf, but don't trample on soil when it's wet.

Yes, don't trample, leave well alone until well established. Use 4 in 1 after 6 months to rid lawn of moss and weeds and apart from occasional mowing do not feed for another 6 months.

thank you all.

forked over area today, removed stones, and quite a few bricks! and what weeds and roots I could see. using scaff planks to walk around.