landscape HELP kill grass with tarp or remove it with a edging shovel?

5 years ago

Look at picture for reference.

The garden area we are doing the lasagna method to get rid of grass/weeds.

The fruit trees will be dwarf

But the area across that, in the backyard it’s brown and says “plants” is shade and we want to cover the ground (eventually) with lots of shade loving plants, kinda woodland style. This spring we want to prep it so we can plant next year. What is the best way? I was thinking a tarp to kill grass and weeds and then pull it back next spring but I don’t know if that will work.
the lasagna method seems like a waste of money on compost, but I also don’t have the tarps yet so I would need to buy those.

If anything else in the yard looks like it’s needs some touch up let me know.

Featured Answer

B T

5 years ago

A tarp will prevent water from reaching the soil.
Are you thinking of using mulch (shredded bark perhaps ... ) in between your plants? If so, I did this in my garden. We got big pieces of cardboard, watered them, and then covered them with 4-6 inches of mulch. Alternatively, you can use layers of newspaper. This has killed the grass and weeds that used to lie beneath. The only problem places are where we didn’t place enough mulch. When I want to plant something, I pull back the mulch and dig a hole. It is a “woodland style” ... not a manicured formal garden. We love it. So do the birds who forage for bugs, etc.

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (9)

seabornman
5 years ago
I've had great success with black plastic. Just lay down and weigh with whatever you have on hand. Next spring you'll have bare soil. It doesn't seem to dry out even with a 10' x40' area. Careful when you pull the plastic up. I've found some critters like it.
Related Discussions
Removing Edging--A Sin?
Q
Comments (11)
Redthistle- It's not a sin. It's also not a sin to consider quicklyÂor slowlyÂwhatever speed feels "Right"Âto dismantle this bed. You and your husband probably had a goal in mind when he built this bed. It added something to the aesthetic of your home. It "fit" with your neighbors. Perhaps he, or both of you, enjoyed the gardening to keep it up. ButÂit is no longer working for you. It gets overgrown and it will keep getting overgrown, year end and year out. If your desire is for it to look better, then you have these choices: a. Keep doing the work yourself. b. pay for someone else to do the work--maybe just two major clean-ups each year? c. Pay for professional landscape work or DIY, according to some of the plans offered above, understanding, of course, that bermuda diligence will still be needed no matter what you do. d. Resolve to remove the 100' x 10' bed and let it be lawn. My advice would be to get rid of this maintenance challenge. Let it be bermuda grass. Then, focus your energy and creativity on something with a maintenance level that you do enjoy. The answer I suggest won't be perfect, but I promise it will be less work and, I think, a burden lifted off of you. AndÂyes, it is okay. A landscape design works to your goals, not the other way around. Sure, it may lose something aesthetically, but only if you are thinking of the way this "used to look". Right now, grass would look better and that is fine. If the design functions well for you, then it's "Good design". Two years ago we got rid of an island bed in the middle of our front yard. Unlike yours, ours--here when we bought the house--was always ugly. It was a constant weeding nightmare. Because I have no vision, I constantly tripped over the edge. Even so, I felt a little odd taking the audacious step of removing something that was "there". I discovered something. There is no rule in the rulebook that requires us to keep things the sameÂ Now I have tons more time to spend on my patio area which I've recreated into a container haven. It's cool. There are places to sit. My son just told me tonight, "Mom, your plants are amazing. The whole patio looks really fantastic." Hope my musings are helpful in some way. Wellspring
...See More
Grass Growing Thru Landscape Fabric...HELP!
Q
Comments (7)
Prolly not. Do you know what kind of grass? I have Bermuda, but fortunately it is a not-too mutant strain and does die with Roundup. You may have created a paradox of sorts--the landscape fabric of course can't really kill the grass, but protects it from your Roundup. So all the healthy roots are just there waiting to poke up here and there. Either you will have to be super aggressive with the Roundup and spray each twig as it appears, every day for weeks, and even then you may have lots going on underneath and just waiting for the right moment to grow, so you may have to re-prepare the entire bed. You're hoping, I guess, you can smother it. There aren't any real smothering products for sale for your purpose. Depending on what you've got planted, you might be able to remove (and save) the mulch, remove the fabric, Roundup what you can see, place thick layers of cardboard or newspaper over the grassy areas, and mulch over that, and hope it is not the super-aggressive Bermuda or something that grows through wood! So you can read and search about smothering grass, lasagna gardening, no-till gardening and lots of related things. People will tell you things will work or not work, but it all depends on what your actual garden area, plants, grass and so forth are like. So, I have no idea whether you've got a grass disaster or something salvagable. And it depends on whether you just missed a few roots or whether you just put your stuff over living sod of an aggressive grass. How did you actually prepare the bed?
...See More
What is safe for killing grass where a citrus tree sits?
Q
Comments (25)
Surflan has NO mode of action as a contact or systemic killer of vegetation. It is, however, often used as a herbicide soup in combination with RoundUp (or other contact killer), a tank mix applied to kill existing vegetation and prevent germinating seeds, as well. Not something I would recommend to anyone who doesn't know what they are doing. Herbicides are the most misunderstood and misapplied pesticides in the world. And the most dangerous to the environment and the inhabitants of that environment (including us).
...See More
What Next? Do I remove all dead weeds after killing them?
Q
Comments (9)
Spectracide Weed Stop is a common broadleaf plant killer containing 2,4,D, Dicambra, and something else that does not come to mind right off. While it is not a really good product to use and while it can also kill plants you want to keep if due care in use is not observed, it is not quite as bad as some others mainly becasue the formulation is not really very strong. It is not quite as bad as maifleur makes the stuff out to be, and the manufacturer will simply tell you there is no problem. The most bestest way to control "weeds" in your lawn is to get that lawn into a good, healthy condition and that starts with a good, reliable soil test. Contact your counties office of your Colorado State University Cooperative Extension Service about having that done and also dig in with these simple soil tests, 1) Structure. From that soil sample put enough of the rest to make a 4 inch level in a clear 1 quart jar, with a tight fitting lid. Fill that jar with water and replace the lid, tightly. Shake the jar vigorously and then let it stand for 24 hours. Your soil will settle out according to soil particle size and weight. A good loam will have about 1-3/4 inch (about 45%) of sand on the bottom. about 1 inch (about 25%) of silt next, about 1 inch (25%) of clay above that, and about 1/4 inch (about 5%) of organic matter on the top. Drainage. Dig a hole 1 foot square and 1 foot deep and fill that with water. After that water drains away refill the hole with more water and time how long it takes that to drain away. Anything less than 2 hours and your soil drainsÂ too quickly and needs more organic matter to slow that drainage down. Anything over 6 hours and the soil drains too slowly and needs lots of organic matter to speed it up. 3) Tilth. Take a handful of your slightly damp soil and squeeze it tightly. When the pressure is released the soil should hold together in that clump, but when poked with a finger that clump should fall apart. 4) Smell. What does your soil smell like? A pleasant, rich earthy odor? Putrid, offensive, repugnant odor? The more organic matter in your soil the more active the soil bacteria will be and the nicer your soil will smell. 5) Life. How many earthworms per shovel full were there? 5 or more indicates a pretty healthy soil. Fewer than 5, according to the Natural Resources Conservation Service, indicates a soil that is not healthy. which can guide you toward a good, healthy soil that will grow a good, healthy lawn that will crowd out "weed" growth so you don't need those poisons. Here is a link that might be useful: CSU CES
...See More
Phloxy
5 years ago
One of the worst mistakes I made when I first started gardening was to put down landscaping fabric in the front of our flower beds, and my husband put down some sort of tarp around the blueberry bushes in the back. BIG MISTAKE. It will look great at first as, of course, you will see no weeds. After a while though, the weeds will just grow right over the landscape fabric and tarp. Now, you will have to destroy not only the weeds, but the landscape fabric/tarp too. It makes planting and digging a pain later. I am slowly but surely eliminating the landscape fabric every time I plant something else. The tarp just got pulled up.

It's better to place something down that will disintegrate into the soil overtime. Cardboard or Newspaper works great. Just water the Newspaper or cardboard, place it where you want it, and proceed. You won't have a headache a year later than if you put landscape fabric or plastic down.
ashgreenpa7a
5 years ago
Seconding btaylor's suggestion. Since you're planning to put a garden in that area, I'd order a big load of mulch and smother the grass that way (cover with a depth of at least 5", if not putting a paper/cardboard weed block layer down first--I find that dandelions and wild onions will still grow through, but they're easy enough to remove). The mulch will help to build good soil, and you won't have to mulch next year (or even the year after that, depending on your tolerance for fading).

Do you have plants in the area already? One caveat about sheet mulching--don't bury the things you want to keep!
gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)
5 years ago
Removing the sod allows for almost immediate planting. Smothering, whether with a plastic tarp (wouldn't recommend) or by layering with cardboard, mulch, etc. , requires time to be properly effective. At least a growing season or if done in fall, through the winter months.
floral_uk z.8/9 SW UK
5 years ago
last modified: 5 years ago
I think the OP is talking about tarp/plastic just to kill the grass, Phloxy. Then it will be removed. It isn't the same thing as putting down permanent landscaping fabric.

I've used black plastic, landscape fabric, old carpet and cardboard to clear ground. They all worked and the soil below did not dry out in my climate. Old carpet is not encouraged nowadays in case chemicals leach into the ground.
Chance DeBoor
Original Author
5 years ago
Thank you guys so much! Yes the tarp would be used to just get rid of the grass, but I’d rather put my money towards mulch. So if you guys have used the method of cardboard and 4-5 inches of mulch and it works I will do that. I will plant next spring.

Appreciate it!
And yes I hate landscape fabric too!
But I’m planting blueberries so if you have any tips Pholxy let me know! Lol
gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)
5 years ago
Blueberries are not shade lovers if that is your intention to plant in a mostly shady area. Especially if you wish to harvest much in the way of the fruit :-)
B T
5 years ago
Chance ... if you have an IKEA nearby, you may be able to get cardboard there. This is what we did. Each day, installers head out to install Pax units. Later, they bring back the boxes to the store. If you can get there before they throw the boxes in the compactor, then you have a source of big cardboard boxes ... with no staples or plastic to remove. (I think we spoke to the folks at the Delivery desk.) We also found that our local Cabella’s was happy to give us cardboard boxes.

landscape HELP kill grass with tarp or remove it with a edging shovel?

B T

Comments (9)

seabornman

Related Discussions

Phloxy

ashgreenpa7a

gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)

floral_uk z.8/9 SW UK

Chance DeBoor
Original Author

gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)

B T

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

landscape HELP kill grass with tarp or remove it with a edging shovel?

Comments (9)

Related Discussions

Chance DeBoorOriginal Author

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

Chance DeBoor
Original Author