Budget turf vs premium turf: what the price difference means

What a low price usually means

The cheapest turf is often cut from fields that weren't grown as lawn turf. It can be thin, uneven, weedy or full of coarse grasses that look out of place once mown. It may still root, but you're likely to be weeding and patching sooner.

Lawn turf is grown, fed and mown for months before it's harvested, so it arrives dense, weed-free and consistent from roll to roll.

What 'premium' can mean

Premium is a sales label, not a standard. Sometimes it simply means well-grown lawn turf. Sometimes it means a very fine, delicate lawn that needs close mowing and little use, which doesn't suit a garden with children or dogs. Ask what you're actually getting rather than going by the name.

Why we lay one turf

We don't sell turf in grades. Every lawn we lay uses the same good-quality, hard-wearing turf, because it suits most gardens: it copes with children and pets, looks smart and recovers from wear. We don't use or carry low-grade turf, so there's no cheaper roll to swap in.

Where your money really goes

Preparation, topsoil and labour usually make up more of a turf laying quote than the turf itself. Saving a little on cheap rolls rarely makes sense when the ground work costs the same either way, and poor turf can undo good preparation. Our turf laying cost guide breaks a quote down.