When it comes to driving on lawns the best recommendation is to try and avoid it if at all possible. Understandably, there will be times when it can be unavoidable; a backyard shed with minimal access, or extra parking when you’ve got a crowd over. The boat, caravan and box trailer as well may all get to run over the lawn on occasions.
Compaction
Compaction is one the most critical things when it comes to lawn health.
Trying to relieve compaction is one of the biggest jobs commercial and professional green-keepers deal with on a regular basis. Looking at the design of your yard and the area needing to be traversed by vehicles is a good place to start. Keep in mind a vehicle parked for any lengthy period will likely kill the grass underneath. Look at pavers or stone-flagging work, stepping stone arrangements into the lawn can work well. Even bricks or broken pavers in a mosaic-type pattern can look good – certainly better than bare dirt. Keep in mind any oil leaks or other fuel spills will also spell the end of a good-looking lawn in those areas. Paving is worth considering for these areas.
Temporary solutions
If it’s a temporary solution you’re after, there are a number of new turf-reinforcing-type products on the market, without having to go the stadium reinforcement degree. Most stadiums are built on a hard base, even concrete, with drainage the main consideration. Gravel, geotech-membranes, sand and a special reinforced layer of proprietary brand-name configurations then go over the top before the turf. Netlon, or Strathayr plastic fibres are usually mixed into the top layer the turf roots grow and bind into. They provide a surface that will take a lot of punishment – think monster trucks. These systems can run into hundreds of dollars per square metre and would be a bit of overkill for most home yard situations. But, there are a number of alternative products that work on the same type of principle to help prevent compaction. Concrete reinforcement blocks, plastic grating, and newer plastic expanded mesh products available from landscape suppliers all work to some degree. It is important to keep in mind they are for temporary parking or access.
Permanent solutions
If you want to look for a permanent parking solution, it’s a sad thing to say, but you’ll probably need to look at some other surface covering other than turf.
