Soil and lawn establishment

A beautiful lawn. From the ground up.

From your first soil test to your first barefoot steps.
Discover what happens below the surface.

Series · 7 parts 1 h 52 min read 2 calculators

Start with the soil

Chapter 01 · Understand your soil

Start with what
you cannot see.

A hand points into a small soil test pit in a lawn at a pale compacted layer beneath dark topsoil; the pit is about one and a half hand lengths deep.
Fig. 01 The best place to understand your soil is in your own garden.

Before you order sand or choose grass seed, pick up a spade. Your soil will tell you what your lawn needs.

  1. Feel it in your hand.

    Distinguish between clay, loam and sandy soil.

  2. Expose the soil profile.

    Look at the layers, roots and compaction.

  3. Let water tell its story.

    An infiltration test shows how water moves through your soil.

Chapter 02 · Match the mix to your soil

Every garden
starts differently.

Sand, biochar and zeolite each have a different role. A mix only makes sense when it suits your soil.

Choose a soil type to see what to look for. The exact mix should follow the results of your soil tests.

Soil type

RootPoresMineral particles
Fig. 02 Pores have space for both water and air. This particle diagram does not show how compacted your soil is.

Preserve what works

If your soil crumbles, drains well and does not dry out too quickly, you may not need to buy sand or amendments. Address specific problems and protect its structure.

Soil type and soil compaction are two different things. Tests in your own garden determine what needs to change.

Chapter 03 · From proportions to quantities

A few centimetres.
A lot of soil.

Area and depth determine volume. Before ordering materials, turn your garden plan into actual quantities.

Try changing the dimensions. The full calculator then breaks down the soil and amendments for your chosen mix.

Soil profile volume

30 m³

100 m² × 0.30 m

100 m²
30 cm

Soil profile volume, not amendment quantities.

Chapter 04 · Prepare the foundation

A good foundation
takes time.

Mix thoroughly to the required depth. Let it settle. Level the surface. Each step prepares the ground for the next.

A gardener in evening sunlight pulls a levelling rake across a spread mixture of soil and sand; a smooth strip remains behind it, with cloddy soil still on the left. Black irrigation pipe lies along the fence, with topsoil set aside on a sheet and a patio behind.
Fig. 03 From a loose mix to a firm seedbed: mixing, settling and final levelling.

Chapter 05 · Give your lawn a start

Now it is time
for the seed.

A gardener facing away waters freshly sown dark soil with a gentle spray from a hose; droplets shine in low evening sunlight, with a wooden fence and shrubs behind.
Fig. 04 Small seeds, a big beginning: even sowing, gentle incorporation and the first watering.

Choose the right time, grass seed and sowing rate. Then the small details at the surface make the difference.

Seeds need contact with the soil, moisture and a suitable temperature. Even sowing is the first step towards an even lawn.

Chapter 06 · Let it grow

Nothing in sight yet.
Plenty going on.

The first root grows before the first leaf appears above the surface.

Adjust moisture to the stage of growth. Give your young lawn its first mow when it is ready, judging its condition as well as the calendar.

Soil surface
  1. Water awakens the seed.
  2. The first root grows.
  3. The first leaf appears.
Fig. 05 The order of growth matters. Its speed depends on the seed and the conditions.

A garden you understand

Then simply
go barefoot.

A lawn you can enjoy starts with a series of small decisions. Find them explained clearly, step by step, in our magazine.

Explore the magazine

Series · 7 parts · from soil to the first mow

Bare feet on a dense, healthy lawn in low evening sunlight.