Turf is one garden product that people find they love once they purchase it. Turf affords you the opportunity to have an 'instant garden' that does not require the tremendous effort of manual seeding. However, make no mistake; somebody has to grow and maintain the grass. So how do they do it?
Turf is grown, or 'cultivated' as it were, on specialised farms that usually do nothing else. The high maintenance required for turf cultivation makes it such that growing operations really do not want to dedicate resources elsewhere. Cultivating operations are located all across the UK, by the way.
Traditional Cultivation
The traditional approach to cultivating turf is to divide a parcel of land into individual sections that will produce specific species of grass. Some companies dedicate themselves to a single species only. In either case, the soil has to be prepared and, when necessary, enriched to accommodate the specific species being grown.
With the soil prepared, specialised machines will lay down grass seed and sow it into the soil. A second machine follows to lay down an initial layer of fertiliser. Then it's time to water. Throughout the next several days and weeks the fields will be regularly watered and fertilised. They will also be watched for any pests that could potentially hurt the new grass.
Once the grass is matured, it undergoes regular mowing and vacuuming. The purpose of vacuuming is to clean up the clippings so they don't choke the grass. Rather than allowing the clippings to self-fertilise, cultivators prefer to use specialised fertilisers.
On average, a typical turf farm will allow grass to grow for between 10 and 18 months before harvesting. When it is time to harvest, another specialised machine uses very sharp blades to loosen the turf so it can be rolled into what looks a lot like soil and grass carpets. When the grass reaches its destination, it can be unrolled in place.
Hydroponic Cultivation
There is a new approach to turf cultivation that utilises hydroponics instead of traditional soil. This type of cultivation is not widely practiced in the UK, but it is becoming more popular among American cultivators who ship their products overseas. Hydroponic cultivation is lighter and easier to ship.
Hydroponic cultivation is achieved by growing the grass directly in nutrient-rich water. It's a system that actually works quite well for all types of plants, fruits, and vegetables. Where the grass is concerned, it can be shipped and planted in soil when it reaches its permanent destination.
Turf Shipping
It is not unusual for a turf cultivation operation to limit local shipping to within 100 miles. Doing so eliminates the potential damage that turf could suffer during the shipping process. Turf is usually shipped in large roles on the back of a flatbed truck. It is rolled with the soil side up in order to protect the grass and its roots.
Cultivating turf for commercial purposes is fairly straightforward in principle. However, it takes many years of practice and experience to get it just right. The best cultivating operations are those that have been in in business for generations, providing high-quality turf to their loyal customers.
