How To Kill Your Lawn in 2 Easy Steps

 

1. Mow the lawn as short as possible.

 

2. Top the area with 12 inches of small wood chips or chipped/shredded tree limbs.

In a few weeks, you should have soil suitable for planting something other than a lawn. Preferably, putting in plants that are a lot less work, are edible and/or use less water, fertilizer and pesticides.

According to Washington State University Horticulture professor Linda Chalker-Scott:

"Double digging the soil 12 inches isn't necessary," explains Chalker-Scott on her blogsite, The Garden Professors.  She goes on: "Double digging the soil 12 inches destroys soils structure...Sheet mulches impede water and air movement.  They're not needed to keep the grass from growing through. Wood chips do this just fine on their own. And don't worry about that initial 12 inches of chips. Within a few weeks it will settle to about 8 inches. Let it sit for several weeks. Then pull aside some of the chips and take a look. If the process is done, the grass and/or weeds will be dead and decomposing - a natural compost layer. You can then plant whatever you like. Reuse the chips somewhere else in your garden."

This is not an inexpensive process, costing about $1.30 per square foot of lawn area you want to cover. For a 12-inch layer of small bark to cover 100 square feet, you would need four cubic yards of bark. In our area, that would cost you about $130, plus taxes and delivery. And that's just to cover 100 square feet!

I would be inclined to leave that mulch in place for several months, if not a full year, to make sure the lawn is dead.

Other reasons to leave that mulch on as long as possible: those small wood chips/chipped-shredded tree limbs are slowly breaking down, feeding the soil, improving the tilth (a healthy combination of nutrient-rich soil and air pores) and increasing microbial activity in the growing zone. Plus, it isn't bad to look at, either.

There is another down side to this process: 12 inches?!? That's one hell of a first step UP to your former lawn. And then your shoes get buried.

Other ways to kill a lawn: soil solarization (limited to use during the summer); and, America's most popular method to kill unwanted plants: applying glyphosate (aka Roundup). But the more you read about glyphosate, using non-chemical means to rid yourself of a lawn looks better and better.

 

No matter which lawn-killing process you use, remember Farmer Fred Rule #7: Bermudagrass is forever.

Goodbye, Lawn!

 

Lawns can be a soothing, oasis of green. However, lawns can be a water hog and a time usurper (mowing, fertilizing, weeding). And time is something we all could use a bit more of. And frankly, if one has a large lawn, why not remove one-third of it and put it to a better purpose, while reducing water use and increasing free time?

This was our goal for 2009. And by Memorial Day weekend of 2010, Mission Accomplished! Here's what we did:

June-July 2009: Kill off 1600 square feet of our 5000 square foot lawn, an area dominated by every gardener's perennial nemesis, bermudagrass. Because of the surrounding trees and shrubs, as well as possible adverse health effects using an herbicide weed killer such as glyphosate (Roundup), we chose to organically rid ourselves of that lawn, using soil solarization (complete instructions at that website). 

A piece of advice, learned the hard way: yes, you could purchase a clear plastic drop cloth from the paint aisle at the big box store, and it would work...for a couple of weeks. After that, it deteriorates in the sun to the point where it becomes confetti-like, ripping and flying in the slightest breeze. Choose a clear plastic that has been treated to withstand UV rays.

September 2009 (hey, I never claimed to be a fast worker): After much discussion asking ourselves the question, "now what?", we bring in the professionals for design ideas. We would choose our own plants; design, though, is not our strong suit. Landscape Designer Colleen Hamilton from Bloomin' Landscape Designs drew up the plan, along with landscape contractor Dave Rhodes from Rhodes Landscape Design, who did the installation.

November 2009: The destruction/construction process begins. The crew from Rhodes Landscaping used a sod cutter to remove the root area of the bermudagrass. The pathways, brick patio, lighting and garden fountain are installed. 

After the crews left, we wheelbarrowed in 15 yards of compost, and topped that with 10 yards of an organic mulch, walk-on bark. And then we wait to see how the area drains after a heavy rainstorm.

February 2010: Glad we waited before planting. There were a couple of puddles still standing in the area, 24 hours after several days of heavy rain. Digging a sump (a deep hole, lined and filled with river rock) in those two small areas solved that dilemma.

March-April 2010: Retrofit the sprinkler irrigation system, and convert it to a drip irrigation system. Cap off three of the five sprinkler heads in the area; convert the remaining two with drip irrigation adapters. Lay half-inch drip line in the area where we plan to plant.

April-May 2010: Choose plants! Mostly edible ornamentals. An excellent resource for this information is Rosalind Creasy, who has written several books on the topic. For the blueberries, which required excellent drainage and very acidic soil, we brought in three cattle watering troughs, with large holes drilled in the bottoms of the containers. Several varieties of citrus were planted directly into the ground. Ground cover along the pool walkway included varieties of oregano.

June 2010: We watch it grow, while using a lot less water! Best of all, the bermudagrass hasn't showed its ugly head...yet.  Now, about that patio furniture...