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I have 2/3 of my lawn bare and plan to redo it. The soil is compacted and most of the bare area is shaded.

I was thinking of turning the soil over with a rotovator and adding fertilizer before turfing with shade tolerant grass. The area is 32"x16'. I am looking to do the job with the minimum of effort and expenditure. Is it necessary to add fresh topsoil? I am based in London, U.K.

Bence Kaulics
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Jean-Pierre Aubertin
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No, it's not necessary to add new topsoil, you just need to prepare the area properly by turning it over, removing any weeds by the root and extracting any large pebbles/rocks, level of, walk all over it closely on your heels to get out soft spots, then re rake and re level. Cover the whole area with plenty of Growmmore granules, lightly rake those in, then lay your turf.

There is one caveat though - if the area is shaded most of the day, even shade tolerant grass won't give a thick, lush lawn over time - regular overseeding as time goes on will be necessary, and moss treatments periodically will likely be necessary.

Bamboo
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  • a problem with shady areas is not mosses as much as always mowing very low but also removing clippings so that there is no food for the worms. – flowerbug Apr 25 '20 at 14:09
  • if you can add some compost during the turning that will help with compaction. – flowerbug Apr 25 '20 at 14:10
  • Hi, Thank you for your response. – Jean-Pierre Aubertin Apr 25 '20 at 14:32
  • @flowerbug- the OP is in the UK like me ; trust me, there will be moss growth – Bamboo Apr 25 '20 at 14:35
  • Hi, I was wondering if l can add the compost before turning the lawn over? I could spread it evenly on the lawn then turn it! I don't want to add too much as the grass is already level with the patio. Is 1 cubic meter sufficient? Thanks for your input – Jean-Pierre Aubertin Apr 25 '20 at 16:12
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    @Jean-PierreAubertin - I assume your query is directed at flowerbug, not me... you might want to tag it so flowerbug sees it – Bamboo Apr 25 '20 at 16:41
  • @flowerbug can I spread the compost before turning the soil and is 1 cubic meter enough for my lawn? I don't want to raise the ground if I can avoid it as the existing grass is level with the patio. Thanks – Jean-Pierre Aubertin Apr 25 '20 at 20:53
  • it depends upon the total area as to how much i would add, above i'm not sure if you've confused the marks on the question as one says 32" which here means 32 inches. i wonder if you mean 32 feet instead? now you are asking me about cubic meters lol. i am trying to practice my meters and centimeters here on this forum so if you catch me using other units smack me. :) – flowerbug Apr 27 '20 at 01:29
  • i agree @bamboo that there will be some moss, but to help keep it from taking over it will help to mow longer and to leave clippings for the worms to digest. we live in a fairly moist climate here too and our lawn has no moss troubles but it does get fair amount of sunlight. my brother lives about an hour from here to the north and he has more shade, but he also has compacted soil that he's removed the clippings from for many years and mowed it too short. – flowerbug Apr 27 '20 at 01:32
  • @flowerbug certainly leaving the grass a bit longer than one would in sun will help - as for letting the clippings remain, depends on the mower.If its a hover they tend to leave clumps of wet grass behind, but otherwise, there is a an old adage here - 'when the weather is dry, let the clippings lie' which means when its wet,they should be collected., otherwise, in our damp maritime climate, lawn problems may occur.. – Bamboo Apr 27 '20 at 10:41
  • @bamboo and @ flowerbug let use metric: the lawn is roughly 9x5 metre I have found a local supplier that can provide compost in 75 litre bag. He is saying that a bag cover a metre square with 5cm of compost I was thinking of ordering 15 bags since that I don't want to raise the lawn by too much – Jean-Pierre Aubertin Apr 27 '20 at 15:00
  • As far as I'm concerned I would not add compost anyway, as its for a lawn, but one question - what type of compost is the 75 litre bag (potting, multi purpose, soil conditioning, composted animal manure are all options)? – Bamboo Apr 27 '20 at 15:08
  • @bamboo It is horse manure – Jean-Pierre Aubertin Apr 27 '20 at 15:48
  • ok, composted horse manure I hope....checking flowerbug's profile, he/she is in Michigan USA - which might explain the difficulty with the metric system.. – Bamboo Apr 27 '20 at 16:26