SEED VS TURF

When you are looking to grow a new lawn, you will need to decide which option you are going to opt for - seed or turf. Each of these options have their own merits and downsides, so pick the option which is best for you. For most people, the cost will be the most influential factor when making their decision, but this shouldn’t be the only factor you consider. 

Cost

The cost between seed and turf is going to be drastic, with turf being much more expensive than seed. 

Your rough costs per square metre (depending on the quantity that you buy) are going to be:

• Turf - £4 to £6
• Seed - £0.30 to £0.50

As you can see, the price difference is pretty comprehensive and seed is going to cost roughly 10% of turf. But that doesn’t mean that seed is always going to be the best option for you and it is well worth considering the other factors. 

Timeframe

Depending on which you opt for, there will be a disparity in the appearance of what you could consider a lawn. 

When laying turf, you will instantly get something that resembles a lawn. You will have the visible gaps between the turf for a couple of weeks and you won’t be able to use it for 2-4 weeks, but visually it will look nice from the day it is laid. 

Seed is going to take roughly 7-14 days to germinate and start seeing the first shoots. Once you see the first shoots, it is still going to be another couple of weeks at least until it looks more like a lawn rather than grass shoots. 

So, if you are looking for something more timely, then turf is undoubtedly the option for you

Time of Year

Turf can be laid pretty much all year round, other than the coldest winter months when we experience frosts. So, this is the most flexible option in relation to the time of year. 

Whereas, seed should only be sown during the growing season, as you require temperatures of over 8 degrees celsius - although you do need to be careful during the summer, as it can be difficult to get the necessary moisture for the lawn.

Area

If you are looking to re-grow a large area, this is going to be a tough task with seed. Seed can be patchy and require a lot of attention, so turf is normally a better option if you are looking to cover a larger area (anything 10sqm or more)

However, using seed and some new top soil can be a really good option if you are just looking at doing some patching work. Whereas, trying to cut down turf into small patches can be rather difficult and fiddly, and generally not worth the effort. 

Blending

If you order good quality turf, then your new lawn is going to look brilliant. However, if you are looking to extend or add to a current lawn, you need to pay attention to the condition of the current lawn. If that lawn is not looking its best, then laying some new turf next to it is only going to make the existing lawn look worse. 

So if this is the case for you, you could either look to repair your existing lawn or opt for using grass seed. Using seed will give you time to repair your existing lawn and it also gives you the option to blend in the new seed with the existing lawn, rather than having an obvious and distinct line between the old and new turf. 

Aftercare

Once you have laid your turf, it is generally lower maintenance than seed. The only real aftercare is to heavily water it for a couple of weeks and then keep an eye on it. Whereas, seed will need to be carefully nurtured and looked after for weeks and months. 

Planning

Seed can be bought well in advance of sowing it. If kept dry, you shall be able to store seed for months and even years, so planning ahead when sowing new seed is very simple. 

On the other hand, turf needs to be laid as soon as possible. From the time that turf arrives at your house, the longer the turf is left rolled up, the less chance you have of your turf taking. You can normally get away with a day or two of having it rolled up, but this can make planning a little difficult.