Best way to do this?
I want to remove all of the grass from the main part of my backyard. Why?
Ease of maintaince, mowing around stuff is getting time consuming and annoying.
Would allow me to have large pots anywhere without worrying about whether the lawn mower fits around them.
More space for plants in general.
Do I need to dig out the grass? Would laying down newspaper, cardboard and then landscape cloth smoother the grass eventually? I have time but not the money to hire help so the work will be done by me. How many inches of gravel do I need?
C
Removing Turf Grass
I've taken out roughly 1/2 of my backyard and converted it into flowerbeds. This is how I did it (not all at once, but over a couple of years, a bit at a time): spray the area with Roundup. Wait a few days and spray it again. Then lay down a thick layer of compost, shredded leaves, manure, coffee grounds, any kind of organic stuff. Then cover in thick cardboard and/or several layers of newspaper. Get boxes from liquor stores and rip them up. Ask your friends if they've bought a big screen TV recently, get the box and rip it up. Top off with a thick layer of mulch. Let it all sit for a few weeks or months and you've got a wonderful planting medium. Or an area of no-maintenance where you can sit planters, chairs, birdbaths, logs, rocks, bird feeders, etc etc.
Learn from my mistake and don't use landscape cloth. It doesn't erode and once weeds come through it, you'll be pulling your hair out along with the weeds. LOL!
I did it with newspaper and free tree mulch a little at a time also.
Josephine.
I don't want mulch, I want gravel. I think I am going to dig up the grass, put down the various materials then cover with gravel. I can't stand the thought of spraying with Roundup so that isn't an option.
Well then use gravel instead of mulch, the result can be the same, and you don't need to dig out the grass.
Don't waste time and effort digging up the grass. Pile on the newspaper and mulch, and smother it. I had to use Roundup because that area of my lawn was mostly Bermuda. After battling it for years, nothing (and I do mean NOTHING) kills Bermuda grass except Roundup. Battling Bermuda grass is where I learned the reasons why *not* to use landscape cloth.
Carla
Carla, have you tried vinegar? I used that (full strength) on bermuda, then followed it with cardboard/newspapers/mulch, and that got it all.
No, I never tried vinegar. Good to know, though, if I ever decide to expand my flowerbeds.
Carla