Low-cost Landscaping: Jazz up your old paving slabs with some turf
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Now that there are so many decorative paving slabs to choose from, the old grey 2 x 2 paving slabs really only have a place on driveways, beneath sheds and in areas like bin stores where they won't be seen. If you're tired of your old 2 x 2 but don't want to spend money on expensive decorative replacements, you can give them a little lift by borrowing an idea from the Americans and running turf through the slabs.
You can use this method to swap a lawn for a wide pathway as in the image on the right or you can use it to replace your old patio with something a bit more colourful or, on a smaller scale, beneath a bench area. Wherever you choose to introduce your turf and slabs design, preparation of the soil beneath is important if you want the turf in between to stay healthy.
Preparation
Because you will be laying turf alongside the paving its best to prepare the soil beneath the paving so that the grass growing in between will be happy there and won't go yellow through lack of nutrients. This means that, if you're lifting and replacing a patio, you will need to replace what's underneath with a good layer of topsoil. Dig some compost into the soil to allow for a slow-release of fertiliser.
Only after you have done your soil prep for turfing can you then go ahead and prepare the whole for laying the slabs. This means you'll have to go back over your lovely prepared topsoil and flatten it. If you're only expecting foot traffic, you can do this by treading it two or three times as you might if you were laying turf. Next, you cover the whole thing with a layer of sharp, concreting sand - a little bit gritty is best since this will stand up to the weight of the slabs a lot easier.
Laying the slabs
If you're using traditional 2 x 2 paving slabs, these will be 50mm thick so, because they are heavier, you can lay them directly onto screeded sand. Use two heavy poles at right angles to your workspace and set them into the sand so that they are level with each other. Then, throw some sand in between and drag a long piece of wood across the two poles until the sand in between is flat with no gaps or holes.
Every so often, go back and check the slabs you have laid by applying pressure to the corners. The slabs shouldn't rock at all when you do this. If they do, either remove some sand or add sand underneath the slab until there is no movement.
Continue screeding a bit at a time and laying your slabs on top until you have finished the whole path or patio.
After you've laid all the paving you need to fill all the gaps in between the paving with topsoil.
Brush the topsoil in until it's level with the top of the paving. Using the edge of a piece of wood, apply a little pressure to the soil to compact it and then top up with more soil. Compacting the soil in between means that the level of your turf won't drop after you have laid it.
Laying the turf
It is really important that the turf sits slightly above the top of the paving otherwise you will have difficulty mowing it. You want your lawnmower to run across the path or patio and cut only the turf without catching the blades on the edges of the slabs. This is why you have brought the level of the soil right up to the top of the paving.
Lay the turf using the back of a rake to push it down onto the soil and cut it to size with a knife. This job is a bit time-consuming so give yourself plenty of time to do it depending on the size of the project.
Now you need to water the turf in extremely well and keep it well watered until its established.
Aftercare
In time the grass roots should be able to reach down through the sand into the topsoil below in order to get its nutrients but you should supplement its diet with a good liquid lawn feed every now and then during the growing season. A hover mower is your best bet for cutting the turf as this will glide over the top but sweep the slabs well before you mow in case there are small stones and debris on top. You shouldn't have to edge the turf as the mower should catch the turf edges as well.
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