Preparing weeded area for turf.
 

Hello

I have an area of garden that I wish to turf and would be grateful for some help with how to prepare it.
The area is approx 30' x 30' and has lots of weeds.I keep digging them up and have put weedkiller on them many times (with little effect),then i dont get the time to complete the job and the weeds come back.

Can i dig out most of the weeds and turf straight over ? someone suggested putting black polythene over,waiting for the weeds to die and then turfing ?
Will the weeds grow thru the turf or will the turf prevent this happening ?
Can i rotavate the blighters over ?

I really know nothing about gardening (see my username for my speciality) and my back wont stand much more weeding.The end result just needs to be grass not an immaculate 'lawn'.

Here is a picture link to give you an idea.
http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e2...e/DSCN0004.jpg

Any help would be greatly appreciated.Regards

Rich.

oops link to pic not working ,try again

http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e2...e/DSCN0004.jpg

Rich

Preparing weeded area for turf.
 

The first problem is, in your area, now is far from the best time to be
trying to establish a lawn, unless you are doing it from sod. Now you
will have need to use a lot of water and will have competition from
weeds. So, you may want to consider waiting till very late
summer/early fall which is optimal.

When you do it, first, I'd mow down what you have there with the mower
set as high as possible. Then I'd wait a few days for the weeds to pop
back up a bit through the debris thats left from cutting. Then use a
tank sprayer with Roundup or another glyphosate weed killer to spray
everything. I'd make the solution relatively strong, about 3%, so
you'll be sure to kill eveything. In about a week to 10 days you can
mow it again, this time as low as possible. Then rake up any debris.
Rent a slice seeder and use that to seed it. Apply a starter
fertilizer and keep it constantly wet. I'd also check the PH now and
adjust if needed.

Preparing weeded area for turf.
 

richthesparky wrote:
have put weedkiller on them many times (with little effect)

Let me stop you right there. Something is very wrong with your recipe.

Preparing weeded area for turf.
 

"weed" is a very generic term.

A few weeks ago a hired landscaper for a local dollar type store sprayed
roundup on the general grounds and parking lot perimeter. It has/had all
kinds of "weeds". It killed the Johnson grass commonly called a "weed", but
none of the other "weeds".

You should not have to use a herbicide more than once. If it don't work the
first time, its not going to work.

If the ground is reasonably not rocky but fertile, just rent a rototiller.
Till up the first 3" or 4" of ground and let the sun and air kill the
foliage. Then rake out the foliage with a bow rake. Throw some sod on top
of the prepped soil. Keep it well watered every few days, not everyday,
don't drown it.
--
Jonny
"richthesparky" wrote in message
...

Hello

I have an area of garden that I wish to turf and would be grateful for
some help with how to prepare it.
The area is approx 30' x 30' and has lots of weeds.I keep digging them
up and have put weedkiller on them many times (with little effect),then
i dont get the time to complete the job and the weeds come back.

Can i dig out most of the weeds and turf straight over ? someone
suggested putting black polythene over,waiting for the weeds to die and
then turfing ?
Will the weeds grow thru the turf or will the turf prevent this
happening ?
Can i rotavate the blighters over ?

I really know nothing about gardening (see my username for my
speciality) and my back wont stand much more weeding.The end result
just needs to be grass not an immaculate 'lawn'.

Here is a picture link to give you an idea.
http://tinyurl.com/lrx2o

Any help would be greatly appreciated.Regards

Rich.


--
richthesparky

Preparing weeded area for turf.
 

Jonny wrote:
"weed" is a very generic term.

A few weeks ago a hired landscaper for a local dollar type store sprayed
roundup on the general grounds and parking lot perimeter. It has/had all
kinds of "weeds". It killed the Johnson grass commonly called a "weed", but
none of the other "weeds".


I agree with Steveo here. If a landscaper can only kill one type of
weed in a parking lot with an application of weed killer, I'd find a
new landscaper. Herbicides like Roundup kill a very broad range of
vegetation, are easy to use, and very effective.





You should not have to use a herbicide more than once. If it don't work the
first time, its not going to work.


A lot depends on the concentration of the herbicide. If you're
treating a large area, you typically use a mix strong enough to kill
just about anything that is there. However, it's not unusual to find
some weeds that are tougher to kill or areas where the spray was not
perfectly applied due to wind, etc. So, having to do a second pass 2
weeks later to get a few remaining weeds that have not been fully
killed is not unusual.




If the ground is reasonably not rocky but fertile, just rent a rototiller.
Till up the first 3" or 4" of ground and let the sun and air kill the
foliage. Then rake out the foliage with a bow rake.


Have you ever tried to rake after tilling two foot high weeds and
grass? Tilling it won't kill it all. You now have clumps of crap,
lots of weeds/grass still growing, and it's a real back braking mess.


Throw some sod on top
of the prepped soil. Keep it well watered every few days, not everyday,
don't drown it.
--
Jonny
"richthesparky" wrote in message
...

Hello

I have an area of garden that I wish to turf and would be grateful for
some help with how to prepare it.
The area is approx 30' x 30' and has lots of weeds.I keep digging them
up and have put weedkiller on them many times (with little effect),then
i dont get the time to complete the job and the weeds come back.

Can i dig out most of the weeds and turf straight over ? someone
suggested putting black polythene over,waiting for the weeds to die and
then turfing ?
Will the weeds grow thru the turf or will the turf prevent this
happening ?
Can i rotavate the blighters over ?

I really know nothing about gardening (see my username for my
speciality) and my back wont stand much more weeding.The end result
just needs to be grass not an immaculate 'lawn'.

Here is a picture link to give you an idea.
http://tinyurl.com/lrx2o

Any help would be greatly appreciated.Regards

Rich.


--
richthesparky

Preparing weeded area for turf.
 

wrote in message
ups.com...

Jonny wrote:
"weed" is a very generic term.

A few weeks ago a hired landscaper for a local dollar type store sprayed
roundup on the general grounds and parking lot perimeter. It has/had all
kinds of "weeds". It killed the Johnson grass commonly called a "weed",
but
none of the other "weeds".


I agree with Steveo here. If a landscaper can only kill one type of
weed in a parking lot with an application of weed killer, I'd find a
new landscaper. Herbicides like Roundup kill a very broad range of
vegetation, are easy to use, and very effective.


The plastic container with commercial label said "Roundup" on it. That's
what I saw. It just killed the Johnson grass.





You should not have to use a herbicide more than once. If it don't work
the
first time, its not going to work.


A lot depends on the concentration of the herbicide. If you're
treating a large area, you typically use a mix strong enough to kill
just about anything that is there. However, it's not unusual to find
some weeds that are tougher to kill or areas where the spray was not
perfectly applied due to wind, etc. So, having to do a second pass 2
weeks later to get a few remaining weeds that have not been fully
killed is not unusual.


Landscaper generally drowned the perimeter. This is what I saw.

I don't use herbicides period, myself.




If the ground is reasonably not rocky but fertile, just rent a
rototiller.
Till up the first 3" or 4" of ground and let the sun and air kill the
foliage. Then rake out the foliage with a bow rake.


Have you ever tried to rake after tilling two foot high weeds and
grass? Tilling it won't kill it all. You now have clumps of crap,
lots of weeds/grass still growing, and it's a real back braking mess.


Thought the OP would throw some common sense in, and wack the weeds first.
Rake, then till. At least that's what I intended. Don't think you like me,
taking potshots.

Initial good soil prep is backbreaking. But, worth it in the long run.
--
Jonny

Throw some sod on top
of the prepped soil. Keep it well watered every few days, not everyday,
don't drown it.
--
Jonny
"richthesparky" wrote in
message
...

Hello

I have an area of garden that I wish to turf and would be grateful for
some help with how to prepare it.
The area is approx 30' x 30' and has lots of weeds.I keep digging them
up and have put weedkiller on them many times (with little effect),then
i dont get the time to complete the job and the weeds come back.

Can i dig out most of the weeds and turf straight over ? someone
suggested putting black polythene over,waiting for the weeds to die and
then turfing ?
Will the weeds grow thru the turf or will the turf prevent this
happening ?
Can i rotavate the blighters over ?

I really know nothing about gardening (see my username for my
speciality) and my back wont stand much more weeding.The end result
just needs to be grass not an immaculate 'lawn'.

Here is a picture link to give you an idea.
http://tinyurl.com/lrx2o

Any help would be greatly appreciated.Regards

Rich.


--
richthesparky

Preparing weeded area for turf.
 

Jonny wrote:
wrote in message
ups.com...

Jonny wrote:
"weed" is a very generic term.

A few weeks ago a hired landscaper for a local dollar type store sprayed
roundup on the general grounds and parking lot perimeter. It has/had all
kinds of "weeds". It killed the Johnson grass commonly called a "weed",
but
none of the other "weeds".


I agree with Steveo here. If a landscaper can only kill one type of
weed in a parking lot with an application of weed killer, I'd find a
new landscaper. Herbicides like Roundup kill a very broad range of
vegetation, are easy to use, and very effective.


The plastic container with commercial label said "Roundup" on it. That's
what I saw. It just killed the Johnson grass.


So, the guy killing weeds in a parking lot was spraying it righto out
of container that said Roundup? That doesn;t sound right. And if
all it killed was Johnson grass, then he was ripping you off, as
Roundup is very effective against a broad spectrum of vegetation.







You should not have to use a herbicide more than once. If it don't work
the
first time, its not going to work.


A lot depends on the concentration of the herbicide. If you're
treating a large area, you typically use a mix strong enough to kill
just about anything that is there. However, it's not unusual to find
some weeds that are tougher to kill or areas where the spray was not
perfectly applied due to wind, etc. So, having to do a second pass 2
weeks later to get a few remaining weeds that have not been fully
killed is not unusual.


Landscaper generally drowned the perimeter. This is what I saw.

I don't use herbicides period, myself.



Yes, we can see that.






If the ground is reasonably not rocky but fertile, just rent a
rototiller.
Till up the first 3" or 4" of ground and let the sun and air kill the
foliage. Then rake out the foliage with a bow rake.


Have you ever tried to rake after tilling two foot high weeds and
grass? Tilling it won't kill it all. You now have clumps of crap,
lots of weeds/grass still growing, and it's a real back braking mess.


Thought the OP would throw some common sense in, and wack the weeds first.
Rake, then till. At least that's what I intended. Don't think you like me,
taking potshots.



I'm not taking pot shots, just pointing out that if he followed your
advice, he's in for a lot of unecessary work and it's not going to kill
many of the weeds.




Initial good soil prep is backbreaking. But, worth it in the long
run.



It's worth it, but it doesn't have to be backbreaking, if you know what
you're doing.






--
Jonny

Throw some sod on top
of the prepped soil. Keep it well watered every few days, not everyday,
don't drown it.
--
Jonny
"richthesparky" wrote in
message
...

Hello

I have an area of garden that I wish to turf and would be grateful for
some help with how to prepare it.
The area is approx 30' x 30' and has lots of weeds.I keep digging them
up and have put weedkiller on them many times (with little effect),then
i dont get the time to complete the job and the weeds come back.

Can i dig out most of the weeds and turf straight over ? someone
suggested putting black polythene over,waiting for the weeds to die and
then turfing ?
Will the weeds grow thru the turf or will the turf prevent this
happening ?
Can i rotavate the blighters over ?

I really know nothing about gardening (see my username for my
speciality) and my back wont stand much more weeding.The end result
just needs to be grass not an immaculate 'lawn'.

Here is a picture link to give you an idea.
http://tinyurl.com/lrx2o

Any help would be greatly appreciated.Regards

Rich.


--
richthesparky

Hello

Cheers for replys people.

So,its RoundUp (strongest recommended concentration),reapply to stubborn ones,roto it over when their dead,rake out all the debris,put the turf (sods) over it and water well.(oh...and keep me fingers crossed)

About right ?

Many thank for above (and further) advice.

Rich.