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Today's Gardens Project Planner

How to prepare ground for turf

https://todaysgardens.org/ground-preparation-planner/ Planning estimate — generated in your browser and not stored.

Clear the weeds, cultivate to depth, level, firm, rake to a fine tilth — and only then order the turf. The guidance we cite is explicit that site preparation is finished before delivery, so this planner puts the steps in that order.

What are you starting from?

If you are unsure, the weed-removal step stays in the plan. It is the cheapest step to do and the most expensive to skip.

What is the ground like?

Site and timing

Calculations run in your browser. Enable JavaScript to use this calculator.

Your estimate

Worked example — not your result

Weedy rough ground with perennial weeds, some compaction, minor level variation, 50–250 m², good access.

9-step preparation plan

Rule that fired
GPC-4
Steps included
9
Steps left out
3
Assumptions in this example
Current surface weedy rough ground
Perennial weeds yes
Compaction some
Area size 50–250 m²

This is an example, not your result. It matches golden vector GP-a in the calculation methodology. Enter your own measurements and select Calculate.

How to prepare ground for turf

The order matters more than the effort. Clear the perennial weeds first, cultivate to depth, work in well-rotted organic matter, grade, firm, then rake to a fine tilth — and order the turf only once that is done. The guidance this site cites is explicit that site preparation is completed well before the turf is bought or delivered, and turf is perishable enough that the sequence is not negotiable.

Rotavator or tiller?

They are two names for the same class of machine: a powered cultivator with rotating blades or tines. In British usage "rotavator" is the more common word and "tiller" the more common American one, and the difference between individual machines — weight, tine depth, whether the tines pull the machine forward — matters far more than which word is on the label.

The decision is about the ground, not the terminology:

  • Area. Under about 50 m² of reasonable soil, hand digging is realistic and gives more control. Over 250 m², or with significant compaction, a powered cultivator is the practical choice.
  • Perennial weed roots. Rotavating ground that still holds couch grass or bindweed chops the roots into fragments, and each fragment regrows. That is why weed removal comes first in every plan this tool produces.
  • Stones and old roots. Heavy stone content makes powered cultivation harder and rougher, and can damage tines.
  • Access. A machine that cannot get to the ground is no help. Narrow or stepped access pushes small jobs back towards hand digging.
  • Depth. The target is the same either way: 20–25 cm, worked until there is no compacted layer left. Several passes at increasing depth beat one forced deep pass.

This page names no specific machine, no supplier and no cost, and links to none of them. It is a decision about your ground; where the tool comes from is your business.

How to level ground for turf

Grading, consolidation and final raking are the three steps that decide whether the finished lawn looks flat. Move soil from the high spots into the low ones rather than importing more than you need, working to a consistent fall away from buildings and checking across the area with a straight edge or a string line between pegs. Then firm the surface evenly — heel it over in short steps or use a light roller — so it does not settle into hollows under the new turf. Finally rake in alternating directions to a fine, firm, level tilth with no footprints and no clods.

Where grading leaves the level short, the topsoil calculator works out the volume, and the lawn levelling calculator handles filling individual dips. Once the ground is ready, the turf calculator turns the area and your supplier's roll size into a roll count.

What the plan leaves out, and why

The plan lists the steps that do not apply to your answers, with the reason for each, rather than hiding them. Bare, level, weed-free ground genuinely needs a shorter plan than weedy rough ground — but you should be able to see what was dropped and disagree with it.

Sources

SourceRHS — How to Lay Turf

https://www.rhs.org.uk/lawns/lawns-from-turf

checked 6 August 2026. Source key rhs-lay-turf.

  • Complete the site preparation well before buying or having the turf delivered.
  • Get rid of perennial weeds such as couch grass and bindweed first, forking out the roots.
  • Dig or rotovate the soil to a depth of 20–25cm so there is no compaction.
  • Incorporate plenty of well-rotted manure or other organic matter, especially on sandy soil — and only well-rotted material, because undecomposed matter shrinks and makes the surface sink unevenly.
  • Measure the area and check the dimensions of the turf pieces carefully before buying.
  • Lay turf within 24 hours of delivery if possible; if laying is delayed more than a few days, unroll it flat and water it if dry.
  • Stand on boards to avoid making footprints, stagger the joints like bricks in a wall, and push the pieces together tightly.
  • Turf is best laid in mid-autumn and can be laid from mid-autumn to early spring whenever the soil is not too wet or frosty; laying from mid-spring to early autumn is best avoided.

SourceRHS — Organic Matter: How to Use in the Garden

https://www.rhs.org.uk/soil-composts-mulches/organic-matter-how-to-use-in-garden

checked 6 August 2026. Source key rhs-organic-matter.

  • To improve soil it is usual to apply about 5–10kg per square metre.
  • For weed control as a mulch, or as a surface application in no-dig gardening, at least 5cm is required, which amounts to about 50 litres per square metre.
  • In practice it is easier and more effective to apply 8cm, which needs about 50% more organic matter.
  • Check quantities by weight where you can, because wet manures and composts are much heavier than drier materials.
  • Only use well-rotted material when digging it in, to avoid depleting nitrogen from the soil.
  • The coarser the material, the longer it takes to break down.