Brighton Reticulation

Why You Should Use a Compactor When Laying Lawn

If you’re going to lay turf then be sure and do it right by compacting it at the end.

Yesterday it rained heavily and I was laying some wintergreen turf. The rain was washing away a lot of the soil on the rolls of turf making them lay unevenly and look lumpy.

I had screeded it carefully but the lumps concerned me – so before I has finished I ran the compactor over it and wammo! It looked sensational.

The compactor is used for pressing the roots into the soil, but truth is that your lawn will ‘take’ even if you don’t compact. However if you want to get a smooth, sharp appearance then a compactor is a must. You can hire them for $65/day and it’s worth every cent.

1 Comment

  1. Lisal
    February 2, 2012

    Its a known fact that compacting will diminish the grass’ roots ability to penetrate the soil, creating a shallow rooted turf. Soils compact over time, so unless you are intending on an intensive renovation of turf for the following two years, compacting a lawn results shallow rooted lawn which requires more water in, because it isn’t deep rooted.
    A steel pitch roller is the ‘technically correct’ approach to compacting, as this allows the roots to come into contact with the soil. It removes air pockets- which is all you need to do. Topdressing is the follow up procedure to correct any lumps at a later stage, depending on the seasonal growth rate (3-6 months). 🙂

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