Area plus waste
Turf is sold by the square metre and laid in rolls, so the order is the area plus enough for the cuts. A rectangular lawn wastes little, 5 percent covers it. A lawn with curved beds, paths and a clothesline in the middle wastes more, because every roll that meets a curve loses a wedge, and 10 percent is safer. Round up to whole square metres and, if the farm sells by the pallet, to whole pallets.
turf (m²) = area × (1 + waste), rounded up pallets = turf ÷ m² per pallet, rounded up
For an odd-shaped lawn, break it into rectangles and triangles, add them up, and put the total in as the additional area. The area calculator does the shapes.
What goes under it
New turf grows into whatever is under it, so the soil is the job. Over reasonable ground, 100 mm of screened topsoil or a sandy loam turf underlay, raked level and lightly consolidated, gives the roots somewhere to go. Over heavy clay, 150 mm, and it is worth working gypsum into the clay first. The old lawn and weeds come off before the soil goes on; turf laid over living kikuyu is kikuyu within a season. The calculator adds 15 percent to the soil for settlement and for the low spots that always appear once you start raking.
| Lawn | Area | Turf with 5% | Soil at 100 mm | Soil weight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Courtyard 6 × 5 m | 30 m² | 32 m² | 3.5 m³ | 4.5 t |
| Backyard 12 × 8 m | 96 m² | 101 m² | 11.0 m³ | 14.4 t |
| Front and back, 180 m² | 180 m² | 189 m² | 20.7 m³ | 26.9 t |
Laying and watering
Lay the rolls in a brick pattern so the joints do not line up, butt them tight without stretching, and roll or tamp the lawn so the roots touch the soil. Water immediately and deeply, then every day, twice a day in hot weather, for the first week or two until you cannot lift a corner. After that, water less often but for longer to push the roots down. Keep off it for two to three weeks and mow high the first few times. Spring and autumn are the easiest seasons in Victoria; summer works with a hose in hand, winter is slow but fine.
Choosing a variety
Soft-leaf buffalo varieties are the default for Melbourne and the coast: they tolerate part shade, hold colour through winter and recover from wear. Kikuyu is cheaper and tougher but spreads into every garden bed it can reach. Couch loves full sun and hard wear, goes brown in winter, and hates shade. Tall fescue is a cool-season grass that stays green all winter and needs more water in summer. Match the grass to the shade and the traffic, not the price per square metre.
Worked example
A 12 × 8 m backyard, straight edges. Area 96 m², turf 101 m² with 5 percent, which is three 40 m² pallets or two 50s plus a part pallet. Topsoil at 100 mm: 96 × 0.1 × 1.15 = 11 m³, about 14 tonnes, which is a truck delivery rather than eighteen trailer loads. Starter fertiliser at 40 m² per kilogram is 2.4 kg.
Common questions
How much turf do I need?
Area plus 5 percent for a rectangle or 10 percent for curves, in whole square metres.
How much soil under turf?
100 mm over decent ground, 150 mm over clay, plus 15 percent for settlement.
How much does turf weigh?
15 to 25 kg a roll, so a 50 m² pallet is close to a tonne.
Best turf for Victoria?
Soft-leaf buffalo for most yards; couch for full sun and wear; fescue for winter colour; kikuyu if you must.
Quantities only. Roll sizes, pallet quantities and fertiliser rates vary by supplier; use their figures.