Killing grass

[swimmer_spe]

Is there an easy way to kill off the grass in a particular area? I want to put a garden in. I was thinking leaving a tarp down for a week or more. Would it be that easy?

 

[Jeff Handy]

Give many more details about your project and situation.

Ortho Grass B Gon is a spray which will only kill grass.

Other herbicides like RoundUp will also kill grass, and will break down in about a week, allowing you to plant a garden.

 

[bud16415]

I use roundup quite a bit on the gravel driveway and around trees and such. I know all the farmers spray and then come right back in and plant. It kills by preventing water uptake into the plant if I remember correctly and has a limited life. You have to be careful as all the weed killing products are in the garden section together and some have long killing residuals. Those are the types actually made for driveways and such.



Blocking the sunlight is the method I use. In the fall after I pull all my dead plants up I collect all the leaves from the yard and just pile them on the garden. All summer I collect grass clippings and use them around the plants for mulch and weed control. I also made a compost bin from a piece of that old swimming pool I tore down it had a steel ring that was 54” high all around the pool. I cut off a piece of it and made a 4’ dia ring and staked it down. All our veggie waste and egg shells and coffee grounds go in there and each week I add a layer of grass clippings and some lime here and there. In the spring I move the ring and there is about a 3-4’ pile I shovel off the top foot back into the ring. I rototill the rotted leaves and grass in and then I spread the rich black rotted compost around and then till it again. I have already done it this year and in about a week or two I will till it again and then plant. Her dad has cows so I might go get a 55 gallon barrel of manure and add that in before the last tilling also.



The hard part of converting lawn to garden is the first year getting the soil worked up and the grass out and keeping the soil loose. Once you get it going and feed it organic stuff it just gets better.



That’s the old school method the new school is put down black plastic and cut holes for plants and then fertilizer. Kind of a home garden no till approach.

Killing the grass by blocking the sun will take a couple weeks and some tarps let light thru.

 

[Jeff Handy]

If you are talking about killing off a section of lawn to create a garden, then spraying with Roundup is the way to go.
The grass should look withered in about a week.
I suggest spraying twice, a few days apart, so you don’t miss any grass, it will be a weed in your garden.

Only use regular Roundup, not any long term, ground clearing, or season long formulas.
Just glyphosate, and any generic type is also ok.

And then you can also optionally cover the area with a clear tarp, and weigh down the edges with bricks or dirt, or buy some nice bagged compost and use those bags to hold down the tarp edges.
You do this after you turn over the dead grass, about a week or two after you spray.
You can turn over the soil with a garden fork or a rototiller.
Do not ever rototill live grass, it will be coming back up for years like a weed.

The tarp will heat the soil, this is called solarizing, it kills weed seeds that would otherwise sprout in your garden.

 

[swimmer_spe]

I'd rather not spray. Either I dig it up, or I kill it and then dig it up.

 

[Jeff Handy]

Water the area fairly well.
This helps weed seeds to sprout under the tarp.
Then put down clear tarps for at least two weeks.
Put boards around the edges and weigh them down.
Then turn over the dirt after two weeks.

 

[swimmer_spe]

Water the area fairly well.
This helps weed seeds to sprout under the tarp.
Then put down clear tarps for at least two weeks.
Put boards around the edges and weigh them down.
Then turn over the dirt after two weeks.

That sounds easy enough..

 

[Sparky617]

Vinegar will kill the grass. Load a garden sprayer up with straight white vinegar and spray away. Then cover with plastic for a couple of weeks.

 

[Jeff Handy]

Yes, straight cheap generic vinegar is good, spray it heavy. Do not dilute.
And make sure to use clear tarps, not colored, you want any weeds or seeds to get sunlight so they try to grow, then get fried.

 

[Flyover]

When we did this (kill a bunch of grass to make a garden) we just laid cardboard down over the grass and covered that with a couple inches of compost from our compost bin, then covered that with another inch or two of dead leaves. A month later it was good to go.