This spring, we are taking the plunge and getting rid of our front
lawn, or what's left of it. It covers about 200 square feet. It will be
a lot of work for me (older female) to dig out the sod. After I dig it
out, I will have to put it in the garbage. (We have a small urban lot
and there is absolutely no place to compost the sold or hide it.)

So, will using Round-up kill the grass in a satisfactory manner? Will
it leave soil in which I can plant new plants in a month or so after
the grass is dead? Will the Round-up hurt the dogwood tree that is
under the grass? Will it hurt the birds who visit my garden?

Normally, I am not a fan of Round-up, but it does seem like a good
alternative to digging out all that sod.

Thanks for any help.

DD,

There's no need to dig it out. Presuming that you're planting in mulched
beds, wait the proscribed amount of time as noted in the directions (10-14
days as I recall) and then plant right in through the sod. Once you've
planted your larger trees/shrubs, cover everything in thick sheets of
newspaper or cardboard and mulch in... you'll be amazed at the fertility of
your soil next season. All that sod will decompose and leach downwards,
while the newspaper provides a great biodegradable weed barrier.

Dave

"dd" wrote in message
...
This spring, we are taking the plunge and getting rid of our front
lawn, or what's left of it. It covers about 200 square feet. It will be
a lot of work for me (older female) to dig out the sod. After I dig it
out, I will have to put it in the garbage. (We have a small urban lot
and there is absolutely no place to compost the sold or hide it.)

So, will using Round-up kill the grass in a satisfactory manner? Will
it leave soil in which I can plant new plants in a month or so after
the grass is dead? Will the Round-up hurt the dogwood tree that is
under the grass? Will it hurt the birds who visit my garden?

Normally, I am not a fan of Round-up, but it does seem like a good
alternative to digging out all that sod.

Thanks for any help.

Dave, thanks for the advice!

I won't be planting any trees or shrubs, just a lot of small
plants--many of which will be rock-garden plants. Will this method
still work with them?




In article , David J Bockman
wrote:

DD,

There's no need to dig it out. Presuming that you're planting in mulched
beds, wait the proscribed amount of time as noted in the directions (10-14
days as I recall) and then plant right in through the sod. Once you've
planted your larger trees/shrubs, cover everything in thick sheets of
newspaper or cardboard and mulch in... you'll be amazed at the fertility of
your soil next season. All that sod will decompose and leach downwards,
while the newspaper provides a great biodegradable weed barrier.

Dave

"dd" wrote in message
...
This spring, we are taking the plunge and getting rid of our front
lawn, or what's left of it. It covers about 200 square feet. It will be
a lot of work for me (older female) to dig out the sod. After I dig it
out, I will have to put it in the garbage. (We have a small urban lot
and there is absolutely no place to compost the sold or hide it.)

So, will using Round-up kill the grass in a satisfactory manner? Will
it leave soil in which I can plant new plants in a month or so after
the grass is dead? Will the Round-up hurt the dogwood tree that is
under the grass? Will it hurt the birds who visit my garden?

Normally, I am not a fan of Round-up, but it does seem like a good
alternative to digging out all that sod.

Thanks for any help.

Something else that works well is "solarizing" the grass by covering
with black plastic that is well anchored down over it. The grass dies
and decomposes due to worm action and you aven't lost any of the
beneficial bacteria that has built up in the soil.

http://www.hal-pc.org/~garden/weststreet1.jpg
http://www.hal-pc.org/~garden/cornereast.jpg
http://www.hal-pc.org/~garden/eastgarden2.jpg
http://www.hal-pc.org/~garden/negarden.jpg

JK



dd wrote:
=

Dave, thanks for the advice!
=

I won't be planting any trees or shrubs, just a lot of small
plants--many of which will be rock-garden plants. Will this method
still work with them?
=

In article , David J Bockman
wrote:
=

DD,

There's no need to dig it out. Presuming that you're planting in mulc=
hed
beds, wait the proscribed amount of time as noted in the directions (=
10-14
days as I recall) and then plant right in through the sod. Once you'v=
e
planted your larger trees/shrubs, cover everything in thick sheets of=

newspaper or cardboard and mulch in... you'll be amazed at the fertil=
ity of
your soil next season. All that sod will decompose and leach downward=
s,
while the newspaper provides a great biodegradable weed barrier.

Dave

"dd" wrote in message
...
This spring, we are taking the plunge and getting rid of our front
lawn, or what's left of it. It covers about 200 square feet. It wil=
l be
a lot of work for me (older female) to dig out the sod. After I dig=
it
out, I will have to put it in the garbage. (We have a small urban l=
ot
and there is absolutely no place to compost the sold or hide it.)

So, will using Round-up kill the grass in a satisfactory manner? Wi=
ll
it leave soil in which I can plant new plants in a month or so afte=
r
the grass is dead? Will the Round-up hurt the dogwood tree that is
under the grass? Will it hurt the birds who visit my garden?

Normally, I am not a fan of Round-up, but it does seem like a good
alternative to digging out all that sod.

Thanks for any help.



-- =

Celestial Habitats by J. Kolenovsky
2003 Honorable Mention Award, Keep Houston Beautiful
=F4=BF=F4 - http://www.celestialhabitats.com - business
=F4=BF=F4 - http://www.hal-pc.org/~garden/personal.html - personal

"dd" wrote in message
...
Dave, thanks for the advice!

I won't be planting any trees or shrubs, just a lot of small
plants--many of which will be rock-garden plants. Will this method
still work with them?

Like Dave said, wait the 2 weeks after you spray and then if you are doing a
rock garden, put down a weed barrier (ground cloth) that will still allow
for proper drainage. If you put the rocks on top of the dead grass you'll
have them start to sink very quickly. You can cut holes in the weed barrier
to dig holes so that the plants have contact with the soil below.

On a design note...

Small plants with big rocks, big plants with small rocks. Use at least 3
different sizes of rocks but don't mix too many colors. Home Depot sells
river rock (or egg rock) that has a nice mix of colors and sizes. Your local
garden center should be able to provide you with 3 large boulders (have them
deliver them!) Use them to create a grouping and surround them with smaller
rocks. Avoid the urge to put a pink flamingo in the middle.

"dd" wrote in message
...
Dave, thanks for the advice!

I won't be planting any trees or shrubs, just a lot of small
plants--many of which will be rock-garden plants. Will this method
still work with them?

Like Dave said, wait the 2 weeks after you spray and then if you are doing a
rock garden, put down a weed barrier (ground cloth) that will still allow
for proper drainage. If you put the rocks on top of the dead grass you'll
have them start to sink very quickly. You can cut holes in the weed barrier
to dig holes so that the plants have contact with the soil below.

On a design note...

Small plants with big rocks, big plants with small rocks. Use at least 3
different sizes of rocks but don't mix too many colors. Home Depot sells
river rock (or egg rock) that has a nice mix of colors and sizes. Your local
garden center should be able to provide you with 3 large boulders (have them
deliver them!) Use them to create a grouping and surround them with smaller
rocks. Avoid the urge to put a pink flamingo in the middle.

On Tue, 03 Feb 2004 12:23:46 +0000, dd wrote:

This spring, we are taking the plunge and getting rid of our front lawn,
or what's left of it. It covers about 200 square feet. It will be a lot of
work for me (older female) to dig out the sod. After I dig it out, I will
have to put it in the garbage. (We have a small urban lot and there is
absolutely no place to compost the sold or hide it.)

So, will using Round-up kill the grass in a satisfactory manner? Will it
leave soil in which I can plant new plants in a month or so after the
grass is dead? Will the Round-up hurt the dogwood tree that is under the
grass? Will it hurt the birds who visit my garden?

Normally, I am not a fan of Round-up, but it does seem like a good
alternative to digging out all that sod.

Thanks for any help.

I have used Roundup. It works quite nicely. Once everything is dead and
the 2-3 week wait is done, till the soil 8-12" deep. Add peat by
spreading 2" over the tilled area. Retill to incorporate the peat into
the soil. Now the bed is ready for planting.

It's always a good idea to get the soil tested for the type of gardening
you plan to do. vegetables, annuals and perennials all have different
needs.

If you are planting perennials, the extra time, effort and cost you invest
today will pay back in the years to come. Poorly prepared soils and beds
will only disappoint in 2-3 years as plant production begins to wane.

On Tue, 03 Feb 2004 08:47:41 -0500, Ricky wrote:

"dd" wrote in message
...
Dave, thanks for the advice!

I won't be planting any trees or shrubs, just a lot of small
plants--many of which will be rock-garden plants. Will this method
still work with them?

Like Dave said, wait the 2 weeks after you spray and then if you are doing
a rock garden, put down a weed barrier (ground cloth) that will still
allow for proper drainage. If you put the rocks on top of the dead grass
you'll have them start to sink very quickly. You can cut holes in the weed
barrier to dig holes so that the plants have contact with the soil below.

On a design note...

Small plants with big rocks, big plants with small rocks. Use at least 3
different sizes of rocks but don't mix too many colors. Home Depot sells
river rock (or egg rock) that has a nice mix of colors and sizes. Your
local garden center should be able to provide you with 3 large boulders
(have them deliver them!) Use them to create a grouping and surround them
with smaller rocks. Avoid the urge to put a pink flamingo in the middle.


Weed barrier fabric makes gardening difficult. When plants need to be
relocated, the fabric always gets in the way. Weeds still will find a way
to root.

On Tue, 03 Feb 2004 12:23:46 +0000, dd wrote:

This spring, we are taking the plunge and getting rid of our front lawn,
or what's left of it. It covers about 200 square feet. It will be a lot of
work for me (older female) to dig out the sod. After I dig it out, I will
have to put it in the garbage. (We have a small urban lot and there is
absolutely no place to compost the sold or hide it.)

So, will using Round-up kill the grass in a satisfactory manner? Will it
leave soil in which I can plant new plants in a month or so after the
grass is dead? Will the Round-up hurt the dogwood tree that is under the
grass? Will it hurt the birds who visit my garden?

Normally, I am not a fan of Round-up, but it does seem like a good
alternative to digging out all that sod.

Thanks for any help.

I have used Roundup. It works quite nicely. Once everything is dead and
the 2-3 week wait is done, till the soil 8-12" deep. Add peat by
spreading 2" over the tilled area. Retill to incorporate the peat into
the soil. Now the bed is ready for planting.

It's always a good idea to get the soil tested for the type of gardening
you plan to do. vegetables, annuals and perennials all have different
needs.

If you are planting perennials, the extra time, effort and cost you invest
today will pay back in the years to come. Poorly prepared soils and beds
will only disappoint in 2-3 years as plant production begins to wane.

On Tue, 03 Feb 2004 08:47:41 -0500, Ricky wrote:

"dd" wrote in message
...
Dave, thanks for the advice!

I won't be planting any trees or shrubs, just a lot of small
plants--many of which will be rock-garden plants. Will this method
still work with them?

Like Dave said, wait the 2 weeks after you spray and then if you are doing
a rock garden, put down a weed barrier (ground cloth) that will still
allow for proper drainage. If you put the rocks on top of the dead grass
you'll have them start to sink very quickly. You can cut holes in the weed
barrier to dig holes so that the plants have contact with the soil below.

On a design note...

Small plants with big rocks, big plants with small rocks. Use at least 3
different sizes of rocks but don't mix too many colors. Home Depot sells
river rock (or egg rock) that has a nice mix of colors and sizes. Your
local garden center should be able to provide you with 3 large boulders
(have them deliver them!) Use them to create a grouping and surround them
with smaller rocks. Avoid the urge to put a pink flamingo in the middle.


Weed barrier fabric makes gardening difficult. When plants need to be
relocated, the fabric always gets in the way. Weeds still will find a way
to root.

On Tue, 03 Feb 2004 08:15:33 -0600, J Kolenovsky wrote:

Something else that works well is "solarizing" the grass by covering with
black plastic that is well anchored down over it. The grass dies and
decomposes due to worm action and you aven't lost any of the beneficial
bacteria that has built up in the soil.


This works great but takes an inordinate amount of time. You could easily
spend an entire season waiting for the grass to die and be reduced by worm
action.

On Tue, 03 Feb 2004 08:15:33 -0600, J Kolenovsky wrote:

Something else that works well is "solarizing" the grass by covering with
black plastic that is well anchored down over it. The grass dies and
decomposes due to worm action and you aven't lost any of the beneficial
bacteria that has built up in the soil.


This works great but takes an inordinate amount of time. You could easily
spend an entire season waiting for the grass to die and be reduced by worm
action.

On Tue, 03 Feb 2004 08:15:33 -0600, J Kolenovsky wrote:

Something else that works well is "solarizing" the grass by covering with
black plastic that is well anchored down over it. The grass dies and
decomposes due to worm action and you aven't lost any of the beneficial
bacteria that has built up in the soil.


This works great but takes an inordinate amount of time. You could easily
spend an entire season waiting for the grass to die and be reduced by worm
action.

"WiGard" wrote in message
news
Weed barrier fabric makes gardening difficult. When plants need to be
relocated, the fabric always gets in the way. Weeds still will find a way
to root.

True. I never use weed barrier to prevent weeds. It's only real use is to
prevent rocks from sinking into the soil. You can always cut through it
plant something with a sharp knife. Remember our soil in S. Florida is
mostly sand so small rocks tend to disappear over time and foot traffic.

"WiGard" wrote in message
news
Weed barrier fabric makes gardening difficult. When plants need to be
relocated, the fabric always gets in the way. Weeds still will find a way
to root.

True. I never use weed barrier to prevent weeds. It's only real use is to
prevent rocks from sinking into the soil. You can always cut through it
plant something with a sharp knife. Remember our soil in S. Florida is
mostly sand so small rocks tend to disappear over time and foot traffic.