Spongy lawn - unuseable

[Madame Mucksprout]

HI,

Im back, its been 2 weeks and 3 days since we layed the turf. Kept off it (bar a stumble) and today Ive been on it to spot kill some bindweed. I stepped on only to find it is as squidgy as it ever was!!!! OH no. Literally leaves footprints when my feet sink in.

I can only think it wasnt firmed up enough before I layed it, but what can I do? I have 92m2 of unusable grass..........

Pannic is building, what do I do?

Many thanks
Mucksprout

[nickdub]

I'm by no means a lawn expert but I think it will settle over time - you see the same process with any dug area of ground as the soil compacts with weathering etc - as long as you keep the grass growing and give it a mow from time to time, I reckon it will be fine.

[bikermike]

would a bit of *light* rolling help it settle evenly?
(ie heavy enough to push it down, but not heavy enough to cut it up)

[ESBkevin]

I'd be tempted to use the old gardeners trampling method evenly all over. You probably should have done it before raking the surface to lay the turf. It will give some stability and if you end up with a few dips (after waiting a few weeks) then simply fill them with a mix of sand/compost and the grass will grow through. Don't attempt to do that if you just let it settle naturally until next spring and a heavy winters rainy season else you'll fix holes that then become hills as the settling will be irratic and uneven.