Killing the grass and planting there

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swimmer_spe

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I have a chunk of grass about 4 feet by 10 feet that is under my AC unit.

I have some raspberry bushes and a cherry bush that I want to move from where they are(They are in the way of me putting up a fence) and plant them there with some other flowers.

Without using any power equipment, is there a way to remove the grass and make the soil ready for planting?

http://i1279.photobucket.com/albums...B-E14B-4CD7-8A9B-4B511601C7E5_zps9n4p9yej.jpg
 
You can kill the grass with vinegar and then turn it under then you will have to add lime later to counter the acid of the vinegar.
 
No way do you want to plant anything around an HVAC unit.
It needs air flow and access for service.
 
Its's not wise to plant bushes near AC unit. The heat will affect the plants. For removing the grass, you can use Vigoro weed killer. it's cheap and effective.
 
Under your AC unit? Is it a window unit or a central unit that is mounted up off the ground?
 
Unless this is on the south side of your house I'm not sure they'd get enough sun to thrive under the unit with it only 3' off the ground. I'd go with a ground cover like Liriope so I didn't have cut the grass on a regular basis.
 
Unless this is on the south side of your house I'm not sure they'd get enough sun to thrive under the unit with it only 3' off the ground. I'd go with a ground cover like Liriope so I didn't have cut the grass on a regular basis.

It is the south side of the house.
 
It is the south side of the house.

With how crazy raspberries can get I wouldn't put them under the ac unit even though it is 3 feet off the ground. Id just cut the grass way down lay out some landscaping material and cover it with rock. It will get rid of a lot of headaches.

If you feel you have to have something there for astetics then maybe mix in some sand with the rock and put in some small succulents.
 
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With how crazy raspberries can get I wouldn't put them under the ac unit even though it is 3 feet off the ground. Id just cut the grass way down lay out some landscaping material and cover it with rock. It will get rid of a lot of headaches.

If you feel you have to have something there for astetics then maybe mix in some sand with the rock and put in some small succulents.[/QUOTE]

In Ontario?
 
Yup. There are many succulents that grow in very cold climates. Take Opuntia fragilis for example. They can withstand temps as low as -40 F.
 
I'm actually doing something like this now. No power equipment, just time, moisture and sun.

I bought 6 mil black plastic sheeting (it came 10'x100' for about $60). I used weed block staples to fasten it down. Then, duct-taped over each staple to keep out the light. I let the sheeting hang over the sides by about 1.25 feet, so that nothing can grow under and out, and put cinderblocks down in some places to keep the overhangs from blowing up.

Before you lay the sheeting make sure to spray down the lawn. So far, it's been about two weeks. I peeked, and the lawn is yellowed, dying and breaking down. Turns out the 92˚ heat is good for something after all. I'm out here in LA. I'll probably give it another couple weeks at least. Maybe do two months total.

Previously, I ripped out 1200 sq ft of turf with hand tools. That was back-breaking work. I'll never do that again. I thought about using a sod cutter this time around, but figured I'd give this a try first. So far it looks like it's working.

The ground will eventually be ready for whatever you want to grow next. I think I read that you'll need to let it re-oxygenate or something first and do a little amendment, but you won't have to worry about any harsh chemicals.
 

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