Grass seed or turf?

[JoJoYorkshire]

I am looking at options for a small lawn - I want to use most of the space for flowers/wild flowers/fruit/veg etc, but I do love a bit of grass to sit on! Plus I am potentially looking to get a dog in the future and in my experience they do like a bit of grass to lounge around on too.

I was thinking about turf, as obviously it's quicker, but apart from it being more expensive I recently discovered there is also a lot of chemical/pesticide use associated with it's production. Does anyone else know anything about it? I'm kind of swaying more towards grass seed now, and possibly picking a mix suited to the area/useage as I think you get a bit more choice with seed.

 

[Ian]

I guess it depends on time and money - as that's the main difference. We ended up going for the turf route towards the end of last year, as we wanted something to establish quickly and we've only got a small garden to cover. If I wasn't in a rush or had loads of grass to go, I'd probably just go for seed as it's so much cheaper .

 

[Gardener]

If you compare the two, you will find that on a sunny day, real grass tends to be cooler compared to turf grass (which just heats up). You mentioned that you would want to sit on the grass. In that case, I'd recommend getting real grass, since you wouldn't want to lay down on warm grass when it's already warm for the summer heat. Just my two cents, something I would do.

 

[dim]

seed ..cheaper than turfing .... if you prepare the soil proper, seed then cover the seed with a thin layer of good heavy topsoil/compost .... and keep it damp/watered, you will have a lawn in under 2 weeks (thin, and not suitable for walking on), but it will soon thicken

wait till it grows five to six inches tall before the 1st mowing, and only mow the top 2 inches, and make sure that your lawnmower blade is sharp

you can buy specialist seed to suit your application (here in the UK, I have received seed that is used on sports stadiums, but you can also buy seed that is used on golf courses etc) .... if you buy turf, you don't have much choice

 

[limcid]

Definitely keep that lawnmower blade sharp. You can mess up a great lawn otherwise.

With seeding, is it best to cover them with straw or topsoil? I would think the straw give the birds easier access to the seeds.