RAKING

The ground should be raked until a smooth, level surface is produced. Move soil around to form any landscaping contours at this stage. Lightly roll or tread the surface by foot to reveal any soft patches and then re-rake the surface again.

The smoother the surface, the better the new lawn will be. An uneven surface will be hard to mow and result in 'scalped' areas which will turn brown. Varied grass heights caused by an uneven surface will result in a variation of lawn colour.

PRE-TURF FERTILIZER

Apply some granular fertilizer evenly over the area. This can be spread by hand if the ground is crossed several times to get an even distribution, or hire or buy a small fertilizer spreader.

Fertilizer can be purchased from any garden centre and we recommend a compound fertilizer containing Nitrogen (N), Phosphates (P) and Potash (K) Buy one with a lower Nitrogen content (N) and a higher P and K content. For example, 5 - 24 - 24 or 11 - 25 - 11. Apply at the manufacturers recommended rate for pre-seeding or turfing.

Rake the surface lightly once more to incorporate the fertilizer.