Turf or Seeds – which is better?

When it comes to growing the best quality grass, one of the oldest debates has to be which is better, turf or seed?

Whatever project you’re looking to carry out – be it transforming your back garden, landscaping a luxury lawn, or creating a wildflower meadow effect, answering this question will have a big impact on your chances of success.

But with so much contrasting information out there, it can be hard to know what to do for the best.

So, in this article we will look at both turf and seed and some of the pros and cons of each.

Turf

First of all, let’s define turf. It is a pre-grown grass or wildflower mix that's been cut from the ground with a slice of top soil. Think of it as an outside carpet ready to roll.

Just like you can get different patterned carpets, so there are a variety of different types of turf available, each designed to meet the many needs of the customer.

Turf has seen significant growth in popularity over recent years due to its many advantages, so let’s have a look at some of those.

Advantages of turf

Perhaps the biggest selling point for turf is that it is an instant visual transformation. Someone else has done the hard work for you – sowing the seeds and ensuring they establish – and within a few weeks after being laid, you can use your new space.

Turf is also very flexible, with different varieties being suitable for different uses. For example, rye grass species are known for being hard-wearing and durable so ideal for family gardens; meadow-grass turf brings flowers and plants and a valuable habitat for insects and pollinators; fescue grass is known for having a fine and dense texture which is sought after for golf-courses and luxury landscaping.

Also, turf can be laid at pretty much anytime of year. Of course, there are optimum times for laying turf, which are spring and autumn, but you can lay turf in summer and winter as well so your project can be carried out at a time to suit you.

It is also considered to be more resilient than grass seed. Turf doesn’t get washed away by rain downpours, it doesn’t get eaten by birds, and the prepped area doesn’t become a giant cat litter box for our feline friends!

Disadvantages to laying turf

There are few disadvantages of turf, but one is that the ground can require quite a lot of preparation before the turf can be laid. Jobs such as clearing out current plants and debris and levelling the area will need to be done. It can be physically intensive work and muddy, as can laying the rolls themselves.

Also, the timeline for dealing with turf is tight. Once you have ordered it, you need to be ready for it. Turf really needs to be laid on the same day that it is delivered as it is a living product and without water, nutrients, and light, it is in danger of dying before you even get it on the ground.

Finally, turf requires ongoing after-care to make sure that it can get established and thrive. You need to be prepared to water it every day in the first few weeks after it is laid.

Seed

It is likely that most green-fingered enthusiasts will have a box of this stuff stashed in their greenhouse somewhere.

Most grass seed for lawns and gardens is actually from Europe and given that there are thousands of varieties, it is highly likely you will find one to suit your needs.

The most obvious benefit to opting for grass seed over turf is cost, however seed does have other advantages too.

Advantages to using grass seed

Of course, grass seed is one of the most economical ways to transform your lawn with it costing just a few pounds for a box or bag.

Time is less of a concern with grass seed too – you can store it in the shed for years if you like before you get around to using it and it will still do the job.

Using grass seed isn’t as physically laborious as laying turf as you can spread by hand if you like so you don’t need an array of tools.

It is easy to fill in thin patches of lawn as and when you need to with grass seed, as well, and you can use it all year round.

Disadvantages to using grass seed?

Grass seed does have benefits but it doesn’t give you the instant lawn that you get with turf. It is an investment of time to get your grass looking top drawer if you’re starting with seeds and it can take a couple of months to grow before it replicates the appearance of turf.

Grass seed is also vulnerable to the elements. If it rains heavily shortly after you have sown it, it can easily get washed away and dislodged and you won’t get an even coverage.

It is also a favoured food source for a number of bird species too, so it is likely that a fair amount of the seed you have put down will get eaten.

For all these reasons, it is unlikely all the seeds will take so the quality of the new lawn may well differ in parts. This is something you will have to address once you see how well the grass has emerged.

Summary

As with most things there are pros and cons and this is the same when it comes to arguments around turf versus seeds.

Turf is an instant and more hardy option but requires a lot of care and maintenance once it has been laid. Seeds are less expensive but the results are not guaranteed due to being vulnerable to weather and birds.

A lawn grown from seeds also needs a lot of aftercare to ensure the plants emerge strongly and continue to grow into a healthy lawn.

So, whichever you choose will depend of what you are looking for from your garden project and how quick you want results. If you want less hassle and instant results, turf is definitely best.

Always choose plastic-free

As well as leading the way with quality turf, here at Lindum we are also leading the way on environmental issues as we always champion the use of plastic free turf.

Some turfs are grown using a plastic mesh to help it stay together when being harvested. However, that plastic mesh becomes buried in the soil once the turf is laid and over time will break down into microplastics that can pollute the local environment and even get into watercourses.