Dumping soil on top of grass ???
 

Just finished a retaining wall and will be putting about 12 - 14 " of
soil on top of an area 10' x 20'. currently filled with grass.

Question ??? Can I just put weed block down and dump 14" of
soil on top of the existing grass. Will this kill the grass
completely. Or should I use Round-Up or a herbicide first to kill
the grass.

I'd like to finish the job quickly, and hate to wait for the round-up
to work... if the grass dies under the load of soil that's good
enough for me.

Your advice???

Dumping soil on top of grass ???
 

Hi Peter,

On Wed, 18 Jun 2003 16:06:08 -0400, Peter wrote:
Question ??? Can I just put weed block down and dump 14" of
soil on top of the existing grass. Will this kill the grass
completely. Or should I use Round-Up or a herbicide first to kill
the grass.

Oh, that should kill it alright.

The grass would be hard pressed to survive when buried beneath 14
solid inches of dirt. With the weedblock added in for good measure,
you should be good to go.

If concerned, you could always do the round-up anyways. No need to
wait for it to kill the grass entirely. Spray, leave overnight to dry
and to be absorbed, then dump away.

Doug.

Dumping soil on top of grass ???
 

On Wed, 18 Jun 2003 16:06:08 -0400, Peter wrote:

Just finished a retaining wall and will be putting about 12 - 14 " of
soil on top of an area 10' x 20'. currently filled with grass.

Question ??? Can I just put weed block down and dump 14" of
soil on top of the existing grass. Will this kill the grass
completely. Or should I use Round-Up or a herbicide first to kill
the grass.

I'd like to finish the job quickly, and hate to wait for the round-up
to work... if the grass dies under the load of soil that's good
enough for me.

Your advice???


I doubt most lawn grasses can survive a foot of soil on top. Mow the
area short, then cover with soil. The weed block won't do much good.

Dumping soil on top of grass ???
 

Peter wrote in message ...
Just finished a retaining wall and will be putting about 12 - 14 " of
soil on top of an area 10' x 20'. currently filled with grass.

Question ??? Can I just put weed block down and dump 14" of
soil on top of the existing grass. Will this kill the grass
completely. Or should I use Round-Up or a herbicide first to kill
the grass.

I'd like to finish the job quickly, and hate to wait for the round-up
to work... if the grass dies under the load of soil that's good
enough for me.

Your advice???



Depends on the grass species. Bermuda will survive and bedevil you with new
runners sent up for years to come. It will sometimes survive spraying with
Roundup too. Even "extra strength" Roundup. It is evil.

Sunflower
MS 7b

Dumping soil on top of grass ???
 

Just finished a retaining wall and will be putting about 12 - 14 " of
soil on top of an area 10' x 20'. currently filled with grass.

Question ??? Can I just put weed block down and dump 14" of
soil on top of the existing grass. Will this kill the grass
completely. Or should I use Round-Up or a herbicide first to kill
the grass.

I'd like to finish the job quickly, and hate to wait for the round-up
to work... if the grass dies under the load of soil that's good
enough for me.

Your advice???

Chuckle With 12"-14" of soil going over top of it, I sincerely doubt you
have much to worry about unless if you haven't cut the lawn yet this year.
:) On the off chance that there's something else a little more aggressive
growing in there, cut it short, cover the area with 5-10 pages of newspaper
(only the regular section, not the glossy) then fill it in -- this will add
to the soil as well.

FWIW, as you fill this area in you may want to add organic material (i.e.,
compost) in with the new topsoil. This will help build healthy soil for
planting purposes. What will you be planting over the area? If it's a
vegetable garden now would be an excellent time to prep the perfect planting
soil. :)

James

Dumping soil on top of grass ???
 

I use the weedblock material and dump soil on top when building raised beds
for myself and my customers. It works beautifully. The grass decomposes
and I've never had a reoccurrence of grass coming up. I own a flower
planting service in Raleigh, NC and this area has very hard orange clay, so
digging is not always the easiest approach.

Penny
Zone 7b - North Carolina
Peter wrote in message ...
Just finished a retaining wall and will be putting about 12 - 14 " of
soil on top of an area 10' x 20'. currently filled with grass.

Question ??? Can I just put weed block down and dump 14" of
soil on top of the existing grass. Will this kill the grass
completely. Or should I use Round-Up or a herbicide first to kill
the grass.

I'd like to finish the job quickly, and hate to wait for the round-up
to work... if the grass dies under the load of soil that's good
enough for me.

Your advice???

Dumping soil on top of grass ???
 

Thanks to all for your advice. I've still got a couple of good hours
of sunlight left... time to lay down the weed block.........some
paper for good measure... and then a few dozen wheelbarrows from the
compost heap.

Thanks again for your help, I really didn't want to waste the time
with round up, needlessly. (esp with ornamentals in the area) Off to
work I go !!!!

Thanks again !!!

Dumping soil on top of grass ???
 

"Sunflower" , if you're frightened, you
can be frightened, it's okay:

Depends on the grass species. Bermuda will survive and bedevil you with new
runners sent up for years to come. It will sometimes survive spraying with
Roundup too. Even "extra strength" Roundup. It is evil.

Aye, Johnson grass as well. Putting down cardboard overlapping and
putting dirt on top of that or several layers of newspaper (thick, not
a thin layer that a runner will easily poke through) might handle
bermuda, but I haven't tried that. I actually intend to try it soon
though as I want to terrace a hillside and I also wish to do it the
easy way. The bermuda is rampant here and so is the Johnson grass,
although I have been slowly but surely eliminated the latter since I
moved into this house.