How to prepare ground for turf
Updated July 2026
Clear off the old grass and weeds, dig the soil over to about 150mm, add topsoil so the turf sits on at least 100mm of good depth, then level and firm it to a fine, even tilth. Only lay your turf once the ground is ready, and get it down within 24 hours of delivery.
Good turf laid on bad ground never looks right. The grass might green up for a few weeks, but if the soil underneath is compacted, full of weed roots or uneven, you end up with bumps, hollows, dry patches and weeds pushing back through. Nearly all of the work in a new lawn happens before a single roll goes down.
Start with the ground, not the grass
Turf is the easy bit. It arrives cut to order, you unroll it and it looks great on day one. The problems come later if the base was wrong. The two things that kill a new lawn are poor drainage from compacted soil, and weeds that were never dealt with before laying.
Aim for a firm, level bed of decent soil, free of perennial weed roots and large stones, raked to a fine crumbly tilth. Get that right and the turf knits in within two to three weeks. Rush it and you spend the next couple of years fighting bumps and weeds.
Clear the area and kill off weeds
Strip off any old turf, either with a spade or a hired turf cutter for larger areas. Take off the top 25mm to 40mm so you lift the thatch and most of the weed with it. Clear all debris, bricks, old slabs and roots while you are at it.
Perennial weeds like couch grass, bindweed and dandelion will grow straight back up through new turf if you leave the roots in. The reliable way to deal with them is a glyphosate weedkiller on actively growing weeds, then wait two to three weeks for it to work and dig out the dead growth. If you would rather not use chemicals, dig the roots out by hand and be thorough about it.
Dig over and check your topsoil depth
Dig or rotovate the whole area to about 150mm deep to break up compaction. If the ground has been driven over, used for a skip or is heavy clay, this is the single most important step for drainage. Break up any solid pan sitting below that as well.
Turf roots into the top 100mm to 150mm of soil, so that is the depth of decent topsoil you want it sitting on. If you already have that, good. If you have thin soil over rubble or subsoil, or you are building a level up, you will need to bring topsoil in.
For quantities, a bulk bag of topsoil is around 0.7 cubic metres and covers roughly 7 m2 at 100mm deep, or about 14 m2 at 50mm. Topsoil weighs around 1.5 tonnes per cubic metre. So a 50 m2 lawn needing a full 100mm of fresh topsoil works out at about 7 bulk bags. For lawns, screened topsoil is the easiest to work with because it is sieved free of big stones.
TopTurf sells screened topsoil at £70 a bulk bag, delivered from Leigh, so that 50 m2 lawn needing the full depth is about £490 in soil.
Level, then firm, then level again
Rake the soil roughly level, filling hollows and knocking down high spots. Work it back and forth until you cannot see obvious dips. A long straight timber or a scaffold board dragged across the surface helps you pick up unevenness you would miss by eye.
Then firm it. Air pockets left in loose soil settle once the turf is down and leave you with a lumpy, sinking lawn. Firm the whole area by treading it heel to toe, or use a light roller, then rake it level once more. It is worth doing that firm-and-rake cycle twice. The finished bed should be firm enough to walk on without sinking in, and fine enough to rake to a crumbly tilth.
Feed, then lay within 24 hours
A day or two before turfing, rake in a pre-turf or pre-seed fertiliser at the rate on the bag. That gives the new roots something to feed on straight away. Give the bed a final light rake to a fine tilth and you are ready.
Order your turf so it lands the day you are set to lay, not before. Fresh turf is a living product and should go down within 24 hours of delivery, sooner in hot weather, or it yellows on the pallet. TopTurf cuts turf to order for next-day delivery, with premium lawn turf at £4 per m2. Water the ground if it is dry, lay the rolls tight, stagger the joints like brickwork, then water the finished lawn right through.
Delivery from our Leigh base starts at £20, set by your postcode and how much you order. If you would rather not do the graft yourself, ask about supply-and-lay when you order.
Step by step
Clear the ground
Strip off the old turf, top 25mm to 40mm, with a spade or a hired turf cutter. Remove all weeds, roots, bricks, slabs and debris.
Kill off perennial weeds
Treat couch grass, bindweed and other perennials with glyphosate on active growth, wait two to three weeks, then dig out the dead roots. Or dig them out by hand if you prefer no chemicals.
Dig or rotovate the soil
Turn the whole area over to about 150mm deep to break up compaction and improve drainage. Break up any hard pan underneath as well.
Add topsoil where you are short on depth
Turf needs at least 100mm of good soil to root into. Bring in screened topsoil where the depth is thin. One bulk bag covers about 7 m2 at 100mm.
Level the surface
Rake back and forth to fill hollows and knock down high spots. Drag a straight board across the bed to spot any dips you have missed.
Firm the soil
Tread the whole area heel to toe, or use a light roller, to push out air pockets so the lawn will not sink later. Then rake level again, and repeat the firm-and-rake once more.
Feed and rake to a fine tilth
A day or two before laying, rake in a pre-turf fertiliser at the bag rate, then give a final light rake to a fine, crumbly finish.
Lay the turf within 24 hours
Order turf to arrive the day you are ready. Water the bed if dry, lay the rolls tight with staggered joints, then water the new lawn thoroughly.
Questions
How deep should topsoil be for turf?
Turf roots into the top 100mm to 150mm of soil, so aim for at least 100mm of good topsoil under it. On a poor or shallow site you will need to bring more in. As a guide, a bulk bag covers about 7 m2 at 100mm, so divide your lawn area by seven for a rough bag count.
Can I lay turf straight onto soil without preparing it?
You can, but it rarely lasts. Turf laid on compacted, weedy or uneven ground gives you bumps, dry patches and weeds coming back through within a season. The prep is what actually makes the lawn, so the day of work is worth it.
Do I need to remove old grass before laying new turf?
Yes. Laying new turf over old grass traps thatch and weeds underneath and leaves the surface uneven. Strip the top 25mm to 40mm off with a spade or a hired turf cutter first.
How long can turf sit before I lay it?
Lay it within 24 hours of delivery, and sooner in warm weather. Rolled turf heats up and yellows on the pallet quickly. Only order it once the ground is fully prepped and you can lay the same day.
How much topsoil do I need for my lawn?
Multiply the area in square metres by the depth you want to add. A bulk bag is around 0.7 cubic metres and covers roughly 7 m2 at 100mm or 14 m2 at 50mm, and topsoil weighs about 1.5 tonnes per cubic metre. For a 50 m2 lawn topped up 100mm you would need about 7 bulk bags.
Need the materials?
We supply lawn turf and topsoil across Leigh and Greater Manchester. Order by phone or email. Want it laid? Barrow Landscaping can prep the ground and lay it.