Replacing Old Lawn - Best Way To Do It?
 

Hi,

I want to replace the lawn (mostly weeds and moss) in my front garden
with a new layout consisting of low-maintenance shrubs and low
conifers, areas with pebbles, etc. Should I dig out the old lawn
entirely and put some of that perforated sheeting that stops weeds and
new topsoil? Or is there another way?

Any ideas welcome, I know nothing!

Thanks

O.C.

Replacing Old Lawn - Best Way To Do It?
 

On 5 Jul 2006 04:17:35 -0700, "Old Codger"
wrote:

Hi,

I want to replace the lawn (mostly weeds and moss) in my front garden
with a new layout consisting of low-maintenance shrubs and low
conifers, areas with pebbles, etc. Should I dig out the old lawn
entirely and put some of that perforated sheeting that stops weeds and
new topsoil? Or is there another way?

Any ideas welcome, I know nothing!

Thanks

O.C.

Some suggestions:

Cover with a light-impermeable barrier such as old carpet, cardboard
packaging or black polythene, all weighted down to stop the wind
blowing it away. Leave for a few months and the grass and weeds
underneath will all be dead and ready for digging over, planting etc.

Spray with glyphosate. Grass etc. will all be dead in a couple of
weeks and ready for digging over, planting etc.

Cover with light-impermeable horticultural fabric (keeps light out,
suppresses weeds but lets water through). Cut holes for conifers and
other shrubs. Put down pebbles etc where wanted and cover remainder
with 5 cm minimum thickness of shredded bark mulch.


--
Chris

E-mail: christopher[dot]hogg[at]virgin[dot]net

Replacing Old Lawn - Best Way To Do It?
 

Chris Hogg wrote:
On 5 Jul 2006 04:17:35 -0700, "Old Codger"
wrote:

Hi,

I want to replace the lawn (mostly weeds and moss) in my front garden
with a new layout consisting of low-maintenance shrubs and low
conifers, areas with pebbles, etc. Should I dig out the old lawn
entirely and put some of that perforated sheeting that stops weeds and
new topsoil? Or is there another way?

Any ideas welcome, I know nothing!

Thanks

O.C.

Some suggestions:

Cover with a light-impermeable barrier such as old carpet, cardboard
packaging or black polythene, all weighted down to stop the wind
blowing it away. Leave for a few months and the grass and weeds
underneath will all be dead and ready for digging over, planting etc.

Spray with glyphosate. Grass etc. will all be dead in a couple of
weeks and ready for digging over, planting etc.

Cover with light-impermeable horticultural fabric (keeps light out,
suppresses weeds but lets water through). Cut holes for conifers and
other shrubs. Put down pebbles etc where wanted and cover remainder
with 5 cm minimum thickness of shredded bark mulch.


--
Chris

E-mail: christopher[dot]hogg[at]virgin[dot]net

Excellent! Thank you.

I have looked up glyphosate and there appears to be some problem with
it's retention in the soil. I want to plant shrubs etc after
application, will this be a problem?

All being OK I will try something like that and then, when the ground
has been turned over, apply the horticultural fabric to prevent any
future weed growth, perhaps a layer of topsoil on top will improve the
appearance as well.

Thanks for your help

O.C.

Replacing Old Lawn - Best Way To Do It?
 

Old Codger wrote:
Chris Hogg wrote:
On 5 Jul 2006 04:17:35 -0700, "Old Codger"
wrote:
I want to replace the lawn (mostly weeds and moss) in my front garden
with a new layout consisting of low-maintenance shrubs and low
conifers, areas with pebbles, etc. Should I dig out the old lawn
entirely and put some of that perforated sheeting that stops weeds and
new topsoil? Or is there another way?

Any ideas welcome, I know nothing!

Some suggestions:

Cover with a light-impermeable barrier such as old carpet, cardboard
packaging or black polythene, all weighted down to stop the wind
blowing it away. Leave for a few months and the grass and weeds
underneath will all be dead and ready for digging over, planting etc.

Spray with glyphosate. Grass etc. will all be dead in a couple of
weeks and ready for digging over, planting etc.

Cover with light-impermeable horticultural fabric (keeps light out,
suppresses weeds but lets water through). Cut holes for conifers and
other shrubs. Put down pebbles etc where wanted and cover remainder
with 5 cm minimum thickness of shredded bark mulch.

Excellent! Thank you.

I have looked up glyphosate and there appears to be some problem with
it's retention in the soil. I want to plant shrubs etc after
application, will this be a problem?

All being OK I will try something like that and then, when the ground
has been turned over, apply the horticultural fabric to prevent any
future weed growth, perhaps a layer of topsoil on top will improve the
appearance as well.

Glyphosate isn't persistent as a herbicide in the soil, so no worries
the it's deactivated by contact with clay particles. Better
gardening practice, though, is to dig the whole patch over, turning the
turf in: if you get it a spit (spade's depth) under, it'll die without
any extra expense. Even if you kill it off with a herbicide, you'll
still have to dig it in anyway. You can just stick shrubs in without
preparation, but it's not a good idea: they appreciate a good bed just
as much as other plants.

If it isn't going to lead to drainage problems by creating a sink, you
could strip the turf from your planned pebbly areas and dig that into
the shrubbery too. That way, there'll be less subsidence on the
plant-free areas, which will save work and expense later on. You'll
also get a variation in levels, which nearly always looks better.

You don't need an anti-weed membrane in shrub beds. An immature
shrubbery looks pretty lame at first, so if you want to fill the bare
patches with bulbs and things for the early years, the membrane will be
a hindrance.

--
Mike.

Replacing Old Lawn - Best Way To Do It?
 

Mike Lyle wrote:
Old Codger wrote:
Chris Hogg wrote:
On 5 Jul 2006 04:17:35 -0700, "Old Codger"
wrote:
I want to replace the lawn (mostly weeds and moss) in my front garden
with a new layout consisting of low-maintenance shrubs and low
conifers, areas with pebbles, etc. Should I dig out the old lawn
entirely and put some of that perforated sheeting that stops weeds and
new topsoil? Or is there another way?

Any ideas welcome, I know nothing!

Some suggestions:

Cover with a light-impermeable barrier such as old carpet, cardboard
packaging or black polythene, all weighted down to stop the wind
blowing it away. Leave for a few months and the grass and weeds
underneath will all be dead and ready for digging over, planting etc.

Spray with glyphosate. Grass etc. will all be dead in a couple of
weeks and ready for digging over, planting etc.

Cover with light-impermeable horticultural fabric (keeps light out,
suppresses weeds but lets water through). Cut holes for conifers and
other shrubs. Put down pebbles etc where wanted and cover remainder
with 5 cm minimum thickness of shredded bark mulch.

Excellent! Thank you.

I have looked up glyphosate and there appears to be some problem with
it's retention in the soil. I want to plant shrubs etc after
application, will this be a problem?

All being OK I will try something like that and then, when the ground
has been turned over, apply the horticultural fabric to prevent any
future weed growth, perhaps a layer of topsoil on top will improve the
appearance as well.

Glyphosate isn't persistent as a herbicide in the soil, so no worries
the it's deactivated by contact with clay particles. Better
gardening practice, though, is to dig the whole patch over, turning the
turf in: if you get it a spit (spade's depth) under, it'll die without
any extra expense. Even if you kill it off with a herbicide, you'll
still have to dig it in anyway. You can just stick shrubs in without
preparation, but it's not a good idea: they appreciate a good bed just
as much as other plants.

If it isn't going to lead to drainage problems by creating a sink, you
could strip the turf from your planned pebbly areas and dig that into
the shrubbery too. That way, there'll be less subsidence on the
plant-free areas, which will save work and expense later on. You'll
also get a variation in levels, which nearly always looks better.

You don't need an anti-weed membrane in shrub beds. An immature
shrubbery looks pretty lame at first, so if you want to fill the bare
patches with bulbs and things for the early years, the membrane will be
a hindrance.

--
Mike.

Thanks, glyphosate went on at the weekend.

O.C.

Replacing Old Lawn - Best Way To Do It?
 

Old Codger wrote:
Mike Lyle wrote:
Old Codger wrote:
Chris Hogg wrote:
On 5 Jul 2006 04:17:35 -0700, "Old Codger"
wrote:
I want to replace the lawn (mostly weeds and moss) in my front garden
with a new layout consisting of low-maintenance shrubs and low
conifers, areas with pebbles, etc. Should I dig out the old lawn
entirely and put some of that perforated sheeting that stops weeds and
new topsoil? Or is there another way?

Any ideas welcome, I know nothing!

Some suggestions:

Cover with a light-impermeable barrier such as old carpet, cardboard
packaging or black polythene, all weighted down to stop the wind
blowing it away. Leave for a few months and the grass and weeds
underneath will all be dead and ready for digging over, planting etc.

Spray with glyphosate. Grass etc. will all be dead in a couple of
weeks and ready for digging over, planting etc.

Cover with light-impermeable horticultural fabric (keeps light out,
suppresses weeds but lets water through). Cut holes for conifers and
other shrubs. Put down pebbles etc where wanted and cover remainder
with 5 cm minimum thickness of shredded bark mulch.

Excellent! Thank you.

I have looked up glyphosate and there appears to be some problem with
it's retention in the soil. I want to plant shrubs etc after
application, will this be a problem?

All being OK I will try something like that and then, when the ground
has been turned over, apply the horticultural fabric to prevent any
future weed growth, perhaps a layer of topsoil on top will improve the
appearance as well.

Glyphosate isn't persistent as a herbicide in the soil, so no worries
the it's deactivated by contact with clay particles. Better
gardening practice, though, is to dig the whole patch over, turning the
turf in: if you get it a spit (spade's depth) under, it'll die without
any extra expense. Even if you kill it off with a herbicide, you'll
still have to dig it in anyway. You can just stick shrubs in without
preparation, but it's not a good idea: they appreciate a good bed just
as much as other plants.

If it isn't going to lead to drainage problems by creating a sink, you
could strip the turf from your planned pebbly areas and dig that into
the shrubbery too. That way, there'll be less subsidence on the
plant-free areas, which will save work and expense later on. You'll
also get a variation in levels, which nearly always looks better.

You don't need an anti-weed membrane in shrub beds. An immature
shrubbery looks pretty lame at first, so if you want to fill the bare
patches with bulbs and things for the early years, the membrane will be
a hindrance.

--
Mike.

Thanks, glyphosate went on at the weekend.

O.C.

Well, it's been down for 10 days now and the grass is still looking
good!

Replacing Old Lawn - Best Way To Do It?
 

Old Codger wrote:
Old Codger wrote:
[...]
Thanks, glyphosate went on at the weekend.

O.C.

Well, it's been down for 10 days now and the grass is still looking
good!

It's early days yet: even properly applied, it can take a few weeks. It
doesn't so much "poison" plants as upset their growth-hormone balance,
so the dry weather could be slowing down the effect by making the
plants go slightly dormant -- but there are people here who know more
about it than I've ever forgotten. I did suggest good old-fashioned
spade work, though!

--
Mike.