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New turf soon but currently weeds problem

phildigphildig Posts: 55
in Problem solving
Hello and thank you for reading this message.
I'd like to put new turf on soon on the back garden of a home we recently moved into which was empty for five years. The garden was very overgrown at first. We've pruned back but the lawn is covered in weeds including bind weed. We've been trying to kill off the weeds with Roundup / Weedol etc with some success. But there are still numerous weeds.
How does a lawn / garden in this condition get treated so that it can be made ready for new turf and so that existing weeds do not grow through the new turf?
Thank you for reading.

Posts

  • hogweedhogweed Posts: 4,053
    Persistence is the key. Regular hoeing (every few days if it is dry) of annual weeds and either digging out or weedkilling perennial weeds. There is no easy answer but vigilance. 
    'Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement' - Helen Keller
  • phildigphildig Posts: 55
    Thank you for your reply Hogweed.
  • JennyJJennyJ Posts: 9,556
    For perennial weeds, once they've been weedkillered, give it a while to make sure they're really truly dead.  Some things need more than one dose.
    Doncaster, South Yorkshire. Soil type: sandy, well-drained
  • phildigphildig Posts: 55
    Hello JennyJ, the weeds keep coming back. Especially bind weed out of the ground.
  • JennyJJennyJ Posts: 9,556
    edited July 2019
    Bindweed is a toughie.  The roots go down for miles (seems like, anyway).  If you use a systemic weedkiller (the usual one is glyphosate, and an own-brand one from somewhere like Wilko, B&Q etc will be just as good as a brand-name) and reapply every time it grows back, you should beat it eventually. 
    PS be patient and let the regrowth grow for a couple of weeks - it needs some actively growing foliage to take the weedkiller down into the roots.
    Doncaster, South Yorkshire. Soil type: sandy, well-drained
  • glasgowdanglasgowdan Posts: 632
    Rotovate the area, get it level a d prepared. Then do a weed treatment in a couple of weeks, wait a week then turf. 

    Any weeds that appear through the turf after this can be easily treated. 
  • hogweedhogweed Posts: 4,053
    Not sure I would do that if bindweed is a persistent weed. I'd rather try and kill as much of it as possible before turfing. 
    'Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement' - Helen Keller
  • glasgowdanglasgowdan Posts: 632
    edited July 2019
    Bindweed won't have a chance against regular mowing and an annual weed treatment. It doesn't spread on regularly cut lawns. 
  • phildigphildig Posts: 55
    Thank you for the tips glasgowdan and hogweed.
    There isn't a time pressure to put down new turf so I will treat the existing weeds for sometime then say how it's going. Apparently turf can be put down anytime, but if Spring is best, for example, then the project can wait until then.
    Thank you again.
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