Turf or seed, the result only lasts if what’s underneath it is right first. On ground that was orchard land a few years ago, most of the job happens before a single strip of grass goes down — and sometimes the honest answer is that you don’t need a new lawn at all.
Tell us the street and we’ll give you a fixed price. Free, no obligation.
All three happen before the grass arrives. Skip one and it shows within a season.
Volcanic ash soil holds moisture well, but a lot of Ōmokoroa building sites have subsoil compacted during earthworks, which changes how water moves. Getting the fall right before anything’s laid means it moves off the surface instead of sitting in a corner and drowning the new roots.
A lot of new sections here were levelled straight off orchard land, leaving compacted subsoil close to the surface with only a thin layer of topsoil over it. Proper topsoil worked through the top 100–150mm gives new roots something to actually establish into.
Full sun and an open, exposed new-build section suit kikuyu’s vigour. A shaded, sheltered corner under established shelter planting on an older section often does better with a softer, shade-tolerant blend that won’t out-compete itself in low light.
Neither is the better option. They suit different timelines and budgets.
Turf is instant. Rolls go down, the section looks finished the same afternoon, and it can be walked on lightly within days. It costs more per square metre and it still needs careful watering for the first few weeks while roots knit into the new soil underneath.
Hydroseed — a sprayed slurry of seed, mulch and fertiliser — costs noticeably less and covers awkward or sloped ground well, but it needs two to three weeks of consistent watering before it can be walked on at all, and longer again before it takes normal use.
The deciding factor is usually timeline, not preference. A property going on the market in six weeks needs turf. A section with no deadline and a tighter budget is well served by hydroseed, particularly over a larger area where the per-square-metre saving adds up fast.
Either way, the soil prep underneath doesn’t change. That’s where the job actually lives.
From existing ground to a lawn you can plan a schedule around.
We’ll say if you don’t need this. A tired lawn is often a mowing and dethatching job away from looking new, at a fraction of the cost — see below.
A new lawn is at its most vulnerable in its first month, and a fresh subdivision asks something different of it than an older, settled property.
A new lawn going down on freshly graded, ex-orchard ground is establishing into different conditions than one going in to replace a tired lawn on an older section. Which one you’re dealing with changes what that first month needs.
We’ll tell you what watering commitment to expect for your specific site before you commit to turf or hydroseed — a new lawn on freshly graded ex-orchard ground needs a genuinely different watering routine to one replacing an established lawn.
Fixed once we’ve looked. Green waste and GST are both already in it.
Small courtyard, turf
Prep and lay, ready to walk on
Standard section, turf
Front and back, full prep included
Standard section, hydroseed
Same area, lower cost, slower establishment
Larger or established section
Bigger blocks, either method
Hydroseed on a larger section is usually the better-value option if there’s no deadline to work to — the per-square-metre saving grows with area. Turf earns its cost back on a tight timeline or a high-traffic section that needs to handle use immediately.
Timing affects how much watering the establishment period actually needs.
Spring and autumn ask the least of a new lawn. Moderate temperatures and reliable rain mean less watering falls on you to make up, and less risk of losing seedlings to a hot, dry stretch before roots are down.
Told us straight our tired lawn on the old part of the section wasn’t worth replacing — a dethatch and a proper mowing schedule sorted it for about a tenth of what a new lawn would’ve cost. Appreciated getting talked out of spending money rather than into it.
Mostly about the job rather than about us, which is how it should be.
Turf if you need the lawn usable within days or you’re working to a deadline; hydroseed if cost matters more than timeline and you can hold off using the area for two to three weeks. Both need the same soil prep underneath, so neither is the cheap shortcut on that front.
Turf can take light foot traffic within days and normal use within a few weeks once rooted. Hydroseed needs two to three weeks before any foot traffic at all, and closer to six to eight weeks before it handles regular use.
Not always the best first move. A lot of tired lawns are a dethatch, a proper mowing height and a season of consistent care away from looking genuinely good again, at a fraction of a full replacement’s cost. We’ll check and tell you honestly which situation is yours.
For most sun-exposed new-build sections, yes — it establishes fast and handles disturbed ground well. Shaded sections under established shelter planting on older properties sometimes do better with a softer shade-tolerant blend instead.
Nothing beyond clearing access for materials — topsoil and turf pallets both need somewhere to be dropped and a path to the work area. We handle the strip-out, grading and prep.
Area first, then soil condition. A section with compacted ex-orchard subsoil needs more topsoil brought in than a worn existing lawn that already has some soil structure to build on.
The old surface is fully cleared and any weed growth removed before grading, so the new lawn isn’t germinating alongside weed seed already in the ground.
Technically yes, though summer and deep winter both ask more of the establishment period. Spring and autumn need the least intervention from you to get a good result.
Most people add one or two of these, since we’re already on the property.
