This site has been so helpful!
I am digging up my grass (or shall I say weeds) in the backyard of my new (new to me) house. I would like to have a grass path with flagstone eventually but right now there are just really old bricks (not nice ones) with weeds growing between them...so up they come. Every night I go home and annally dig up the grass, shake out the dirt, put aside and mix new soil with what I have salvaged. I now have a nice pile of grass & weeds. My neighbors last night told me to just turn the grass upside down and put soil on top. I have heard of this but am afraid the grass will grow again after all my hard work.
Any advice?
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I know boiling salted water work too. Lots of salt.
The latest Rona flyer says you can kill grass (specifically that between patio stones) with a water/vinegar mixture. Alas, they give no mixture ratio...maybe someone out there knows???
[B]This site has been so helpful!
I am digging up my grass (or shall I say weeds) in the backyard of my new (new to me) house. I would like to have a grass path with flagstone eventually but right now there are just really old bricks (not nice ones) with weeds growing between them...so up they come. Every night I go home and annally dig up the grass, shake out the dirt, put aside and mix new soil with what I have salvaged. I now have a nice pile of grass & weeds. My neighbors last night told me to just turn the grass upside down and put soil on top. I have heard of this but am afraid the grass will grow again after all my hard work.
Any advice? [/B]
All the responses you got were terrific. This called making a berm and you'll like having this rise of land if you have a flat garden. If you turn the whole mess over and cover with newspapers and then soil, cut small holes as planting pockets and you'll be starting a whole new section. Make sure you have the berm in the right spot because you'll never change it once all this work is done.
yrs marjorie
Ok, I'm sold. I have a nice big pile of dug-up grass in the middle of my yard. I think I can dig down at least a food, put the grass in roots up, cover with wet newpaper and then cover.
Thanks!
I am making a new veg. garden where sod once was. The sod is pulled up now, so should I layer newspaper, wet it down with the hose and then cover with the 4" -6" of new top soil before planting the seeds ? Have I got it right this time ? LOL
I dug up my front lawn over the past two years and DIDN'T do what everyone here has suggested. Not too smart. I just covered everything with mulch and started to plant what I wanted. I'm still pulling out weeds (espec. dandilions). The worst part is the area next to the sidewalk. I know of the newspaper thing (but against my more knowledgeable inner child) I didn't use it. I will now!
It is an inexpensive, ecologically friendly way of creating a weed barrier. Just like the cloth stuff -- blocking out the light. The paper will breakdown and then can be mulched into the soil. Just make sure that you don't use the glossy/colour stuff. Only B&W newsprint. You can anchor the paper down with mulch, rocks/stone, or whatever you like.
Have fun!
I have wondered how to do this the right way. What purpose does the paper serve> compost?
Really? Ok, I'll try it. How far down did you dig? How much covereage did you have?
Your neighbour is right, but I would lay several layers of wet newspaper before I put the soil or compost over. I did all my front and back yard this way with no problem. It works!