Ready Lawn Wellington

Locally grown Wellington ready lawn is the quickest way to achieve that new lawn. Seeing as it is essentially an instant lawn there is no germination period waiting for the lawn to come through. Once the installation is done your lawn is essentially finished. With a good watering schedule for a couple of weeks post-installation, your new ready lawn will serve you well for years to come.

It is often the last phase of landscaping and is what ties together our Wellington landscaping projects. If you are looking to install your own ready lawn, this DIY guide is for you. If you are looking to get the install done for you, get in touch with The Decksmiths for a free quote.

Although ready lawn is one of the more expensive options for a new lawn, it is in reality quite cost-efficient when comparing the husbandry required to nurture a hand sown lawn. Hand sowed lawns can look great but need someone available to water the lawn twice a day for at least a few weeks.

Where does ready lawn come from?

We work with a number of local suppliers. All lawn used is grown in the Wellington or Manawatu area so you know it is suitable for the local Wellington conditions, no matter where you live there is a lawn variety that will suit your landscape. 

Should I use fake grass?

Fake grasses are a viable option in many landscaping plans. However, they do come at a premium cost due to the installation and material cost. The base for artificial lawn is constructed of base rock compared to organic soils used for lawns. So material has to be removed and the base prepared in all cases with fake grass lawns.

Environmentally, fake grasses aren’t any worse for the environment than real lawns, although some consumers may be more conscious in terms of introducing more plastics and synthetic materials into the environment.

Lawn edging

Having some sort of lawn edging, whether it is a concrete moving strip or wooden garden edging is important for maintaining clean lines in your lawn and makes maintenance a breeze. Lawn edging prevents the need for line trimming or weed spraying areas where lawn mowers can’t get to. Retaining wall design should also be considered if planning having a lawn above or below a retaining wall.

Step 1: Kill existing lawn growth with herbicide

Unless you are starting with a clean slate like a new build without any existing lawn you have will need to be killed off to start fresh without any lawn growth and weeds. We need to do this to ensure the ready lawn has the best chance for survival and does not have to compete with any other weeds trying to grow through the lawn which can choke sections of the lawn and prevents the lawn from looking contaminated with weeds.

A good general-purpose weed killer is a glyphosate-based herbicide. This is a common off the shelf herbicide that can be found in most hardware or garden centers. Round-up is the most well known.

To apply the herbicide you will need a garden sprayer. A simple 10 litre garden weed sprayer can be picked up for less than $20 at most hardware and garden centers. When applying herbicide make sure to only do it on a day when there is little to no wind as the mist from the weed sprayer can travel a long way on the wind and settle on plants or neighbors’ lawns that will be killed by the herbicide.

Consider the weather forecast too, as rain within 2 hours of applying herbicides can wash it off and leave an undesirable result. When applied correctly die-off should be visible within 2 weeks. Although, you only have to wait 48 hours before continuing preparation for your ready lawn.

Step 2: Determine the quality of the existing topsoil

Depending on the type of ground you currently have will decide what you need to do next in preparation for your new ready lawn. We can’t just roll it out on top of the old lawn so it will need some new lawn mix topsoil too but how much will depend on the condition of the existing topsoil.

If the ground is struggling to grow due to a lack of nutrient-rich soil you will need at least 60mm of lawn mix topsoil as a base before laying any ready lawn.

Step 5: Add 40-60mm of lawn mix topsoil

Once the site is set to a nice grade you can go ahead and lay the lawn mix topsoil. If you are on a tight budget, regular topsoil will work fine, but adding a lawn start fertilizer before laying the ready lawn will yield better results. Be sure to level the topsoil evenly to match the grade set in the previous step.

Remove any large stones and break up any large clumps of soil that will prevent a smooth finish to the site as these will be reflected in the ready lawn when laid over top.

Step 6: Compact with a roller

Now that the topsoil is in, we need to roll it with a roller to compact the soil so that the ready lawn has a firm surface to be laid on. Also, this stage will highlight and low spots that may be on the site that we can fill to achieve a flat grade.

Lawn rollers can be hired from garden centers and many hardware stores.

Step 7: Lay the ready lawn

Your ready lawn almost always comes in rolls ready to be laid. Depending on the time of year depends on how long the rolls can stay on the pallet before being laid. If it’s winter the rolls can sit for a few days without too much attention. If you are laying the ready lawn in summer be aware that the lawn can dry out quickly, especially when exposed to the sun.

If you are working on your own consider having a place out of the way where the rolls of ready lawn are shaded for most of the day. If there is no natural shade around, consider erecting a tarpaulin or similar to shade the ready lawn. Make sure the tarpaulin is not touching the ready lawn so that it doesn’t overheat and is readily accessible.

during the summer months, it is a good idea to lightly water the rolls in the stack. Not too heavily that they become unstable but enough so that the rolls remain damp. During summer the rolls should be laid within 48 hours of being delivered.

When laying the ready lawn unroll the rolls so that the end of a roll finishes halfway along with the roll in the next roll. It should follow a similar pattern to brickwork.

The ends and sides of the rolls should be snug up against each other, but don’t try to push them together too tightly otherwise bulges can appear.

Edges can be cut to match the contour of curbs etc with a sharp knife. This can be done effectively by folding the excess lawn back on itself to find the edge and then cutting from the grass side of the roll to cut the correct shape.

Once all your ready lawn is rolled out go over it again with the lawn roller to help bed the lawn into the newly laid topsoil beneath.

Getting Help

Here at The Decksmiths we install ready lawn from planning to completion. Although many of our clients are capable and willing to be involved in creating their own new lawns but require help in the areas they cannot complete alone. A common situation is homeowners don’t have the means to grade or move large amounts of topsoil but are keen to install the ready lawn themselves, so they engage with us to complete the heavy lifting work.

If you are interested in installing your own ready lawn feel free to get in touch for advice or a free no-obligation quote.