How to Lay Meadowmat Wildflower Turf

If you’ve decided to revamp your garden with TurfOnline’s Meadowmat wildflower turf, first of all, you’ve made a great choice. Wildflowers not only look wonderful but have been proven to improve soil health, prevent erosion, improve water quality and are excellent for wildlife. And with Meadowmat turf, you get all these benefits far more quickly.

To lay your wildflower-friendly meadow area with Meadowmat turf, there are four simple steps, which we will take you through in this article:

• Preparing the ground
• Ordering your Meadowmat
• Laying your wildflower turf
• Making sure the plants establish

How to Prepare the Ground for Meadowmat Wildflower Turf

Just like any other project in the home or garden, the success of a wildflower meadow depends largely on the preparation.

1. First, dig out and remove any existing plants or weeds – including the roots
2. Check the nutrient levels of your soil. Wildflowers thrive in impoverished soil.
3. Dig or rotovate the soil to a depth of at least 15cm
4. Rake the soil to a firm tilth
5. Firm the soil with your feet and then rake it again to loosen up the top
6. DO NOT add compost, fertiliser, plant food or soil improver of any kind. Wildflowers like low nutrient soil

Follow these steps and your garden will be best prepped to have wildflowers added to it.

How to Order your Meadowmat

Ordering Meadowmat from TurfOnline couldn’t be easier:

1. First, measure the area and work out how much Meadowmat you will need. Use our handy online wildflower turf calculator to help with the maths.
2. Do you need any low-nutrient soil? This will add to the cost of the project but it’s a worthwhile investment if you want your wildflower turf meadow to be the best it can be. For the recommended depth of 15cm of low-nutrient topsoil, simply multiply the area of wildflower meadow in metres by 0.15 and round it up to the nearest 0.8m³. Better still, use our soil calculator.
3. Choose which Meadowmat variety is your favourite.
4. Order online from our secure website or telephone us to make arrangements. Our phone lines are open from 7:30am to 5pm on weekdays. Call us on 01832 777111
5. Choose a delivery day on which you’ll be able to lay your Meadowmat immediately – it’s very perishable!

How to Lay Meadowmat Wildflower Turf

Your Meadowmat will be delivered in slabs stacked on a pallet. These must be laid as soon as possible after they arrive, and we strongly advise all live products are laid on the day of delivery with another person to help. Here’s how to lay down your wildflower turf:

1. Lift the Meadowmat slabs into position. Be careful, they can be heavy! This is a two-person job.
2. Gently press your Meadowmat down so that the roots have good contact with the soil beneath.
3. Lay the next piece in the same way, butting it up close to its neighbour.
4. Trim pieces to size using a sharp knife or a handsaw.
5. Avoid stepping on newly-laid Meadowmat and use turf laying boards to walk or kneel on.
6. When all the Meadowmat is in place, water it thoroughly.
7. Make sure that the water has soaked right through to the soil beneath. You can lift a corner to check.

How to Establish Wildflower Turf

Now that you have laid your wildflower turf, it’s important to look after it until the roots are well established:

1. Water your wildflower turf every day for the first two weeks after it is laid. Ideally, watering should be done in the early morning or late evening.
2. After 2 weeks, check to see if your wildflower turf has rooted into your soil.
3. Once the roots are growing strongly, gradually reduce the frequency of water until the plants are self-sufficient.