If you’re passionate about gardening, whether that be as a DIY gardener or professional landscaper. You probably want to learn how to stack turf correctly for one of the following reasons:
- You want an environmentally-friendly way to dispose of unwanted turf;
- You’re keen to create new habitats for wildlife in your garden;
- You like the idea or creating your own compost to encourage soil and plant growth;
- A combination of everything above!
Regardless of whether you’ve started to remove the old turf, you can begin creating your own pile of unwanted turf rolls by following this handy guide.
How to Build a Turf Stack – How to Stack Turf Step by Step
To build your turf stack, follow these simple steps and you’ll be on your way to building your own compost heap – which is a great alternative to hiring a skip:
- Identify an area of your garden where you can begin to stack the unwanted grass turf side down. Ideally this should be in a sunny section of the garden;
- You can then begin stacking the turf. Start by laying the first few pieces grass side down tightly together;
- You’ll then want to apply a good amount of water with a hose the newly stacked grass;
- Repeat step #2 by adding the next layer if turf, again grass side down and remembering to keep the pieces tight together;
- Again, apply a generous amount of water;
- You can then continue this exact process for building a turf stack. Keep repeating this until you have a pile that is roughly 2 metres high;
- Apply a large black plastic sheet over the stack. You need to block out all of the sunlight, so weighing the plastic down a little may be useful here;
- You can then leave the stack undisturbed in an area of the garden so that it can decompose. This may well take a while, so we recommend leaving it until at least Spring;
- Come back and remove the sheet after a few months and then voila! You have youe own compost ready to use and apply to raised beds and vegetable patches in your garden. You’ll even have the added bonus of knowing you did it recycling your old turf.
Environmentally Friendly: A Great Way to Use Old Turf to Make Compost
If you’ve never done it before, turf composting is a great way to dispose of your unwanted grass. Learning how to stack turf by stacking it grass side down you’re able to create an incredibly nutrient-rich homemade compost that is perfect for raised beds, and potentially even to use when laying new turf rolls.
Your old turf isn’t just a pile of dead grass – it’s a potential nutrient rich goldmine for plants and vegetation, that’s just waiting to be unleashed. If you’re worried about a pile of old grass that’s just waiting to rot, don’t panic. It’s not going to become an eye-sore. This green waste will transform into a feast for your plants in a matter of months.
How Long Does Turf Take to Become Compost?
When you remove the grass from your lawn to create a turf stack, you should expect it to take a few months at the very least (we know, not a timeline that you would expect if you are learning how to stack turf for the first time). This is for a number of reasons, but mainly to allow for time to pass so that the nutrients can build up. But also, so that the grass can decompose and turn into that beautiful, nutrient-rich feed for your garden, raised beds and vegetables.
What are the alternatives to stacking turf?
If you’re not sure on how to stack turf, then finding alternative methods for getting rid of excess product includes hiring a skip and simply throwing what you don’t need away. On the other hand, finding a local charity that could use the excess that you would otherwise throw out is a great option and is much more sustainable.
What are green waste facilities?
Green waste facilities are run by your local council and are another great option instead of simply throwing out your old lawn. They essentially do what you would be doing in your garden when stacking, but at a much greater scale.
When is the best time to start building a turf stack?
To get the maximum goodness from your old lawn when stacking, the best time to start to learn how to stack turf would be when you would start to lay new turf – so around late Spring time or even early Autumn. These months provide much cooler weather which will prevent the grass from drying out too quickly and becoming dehydrated.
