Turf

Each roll supplies roughly one yard square (0.85 m2) and measures 81" by 16" (2.05m x 0.40m), costing £2.99 per roll.

Contents:

Which to Choose – Turf or Lawn Seed
How to Choose Turf
How to Choose Lawn Seed
Lawnmowers

Turf – advantages and disadvantages

1. Quicker results, a mature looking lawn can be achieved in weeks.

2. During initial stages less prone to damage by animals and weeds.

3. The base to lay the turf on does not have to be as well prepared, the turf can hide some imperfections in levels.

4. Turf can be laid all year round, however frosty conditions should be avoided and laying turf in extended periods of hot and dry weather will require additional care and attention

5. Turf is more expensive.

6. Some turf on sale can be of a poor quality.

7. Once purchased turf must be laid quickly, certainly unrolled and watered.

Seed – advantages and disadvantages

1. Good quality lawn seed is cheap.

2. More variety of lawn seed available to suit your lawn requirements.

3. Much lighter work, no heavy turf to lift.

4. Crucial to prepare the base well to remove weeds and to get the site level.

5. The results are not instant and several months must pass before the area will look like a lawn.

How to Choose Turf

1. Buy only from a well known source. Gordale selects its turf from long established local companies.

2. Ensure the turf is good quality. Gordale uses only Sports Turf which is suitable for high traffic areas, such as gardens with children.

3. Buy a size which is easier to handle. Gordale’s turf is 16” by 81” (approx 1 squ yard  ) so not too difficult to lift.

4. Unroll a turf to check on the quality, look for a good uniform colour, plenty of roots and weed free. Gordale is delighted for you to unroll a turf, just ask a staff member for help.

5. Buy your turf as near to the day that you intend to use it. Gordale staff will help you put your turf into your car, or for larger amounts Gordale can deliver, usually within one or two days and can arrange your delivery after a new delivery of turf, which occurs once a week or more often in peak season.

An ideal book for gardeners intending to start a new lawn or maintain an existing lawn is:

The Lawn Expert by Dr D.G. Hessayon available in the book section at Gordale ( £7.99 )

How to Choose Lawn Seed

The shelves in the lawn seed department can be daunting if you are not sure what you should be looking for. Firstly decide what you want to achieve with your lawn, what do you want it to look like how do you want to use it. Obviously, if you want it to act as a football pitch you need to think differently to a show lawn of bowling green appearance. It is best to sow lawn seed from March to October.

Luxury Lawn ( Johnsons Luxury Lawn Seed £4.99 for 10m2, £6.99 for 20m2 or £16.99 for 60m2)

A fine bladed grass. No rye grass content*, Fescues and Bents give a rich green colour and needs regular mowing. A high maintenance lawn requiring a regular routine of lawn management. Slow to develop from sowing.

General Purpose ( Johnsons General Purpose £3.49 for 10m2, £4.99 for 25m2 or £15.99 for 60m2)

A mix of fine leaved and coarser grasses, contains rye grass*, it grows quickly after sowing and is hard wearing for heavy family use.

Low Maintenance / Shady Place  (Johnsons Shady Place £3.99 for 10m2, £5.99 for 20m2 or £15.99 for 60m2)

A mix of grasses such as fescue and Bent, tolerant to growing in the shade and with a degree of drought tolerance. Ideal for under trees and by high walls and hedges. Not particularly hard wearing.

Multi Purpose Grass Seed ( Evergreen £5.99 for 16m2 )

A large mix of grass varieties including rye grass, establishes quickly, giving a dense hard wearing lawn, ideal for the family garden .

Full details of how to prepare your base and how to sow grass seed are usually printed on the box, if in any doubt please ask Dave or Mark for information.

*Rye grass is a hard wearing grass, tolerant of heavy soils and quick to establish, grows quickly but can die if cut very short. It is best to buy if the packet specifies a low growing, fine leaved variety has been used as this is better quality than a broader leaved variety and will tolerate being more closely mowed.

Lawnmowers  

Once your lawn is established it will need mowing and Gordale has a selection of mowers ready for the job. We are the leading stockists of Gardena/flymo in the North West and have chosen their lawnmowers for their reliability, quality and price. All you need to decide is which is the best size for your needs.

All Gardena/flymo mains powered mowers have:

1. Rear Rollers making edge cutting easy

2. Easy empty grassboxes

3. Grab and lift handle on top of mower casing

4. Solid one piece blades

Flymo Rollermo £64.99 Ideal for smaller lawns up to 100m2

Features – 32cm cut, 1000watt motor, 10m cable
 

Multimo 340XC £125.00 Ideal for small/medium lawns 100 to 150m2

Features – 34cm cut, 1500watt motor, vision window allows view into grass box, 15m cable with storage reel built into top of grass box, single action height adjuster.
 

Multimow 420XC £180.00 

Powerful 1700Watt motor.

Rechargeable battery mowers are also available for lawns in areas without easy access to mains power. For full details of this mower please ask for David.