The decision to remove a lawn, often termed “de-turfing,” is a common choice motivated by a desire for reduced maintenance, lower water consumption, or the creation of new garden space. Traditional turfgrasses require significant resources, making their removal an important step toward creating a more sustainable landscape. This process involves either the immediate physical removal of the grass layer or a slower, passive smothering method. Understanding the preparation and techniques involved is key to a successful landscape conversion.
Essential Preparation Before Starting
Before any digging or covering begins, careful planning is necessary to ensure safety and project success. The first step involves contacting the national call-before-you-dig line, often designated as 811 in the United States, to have underground utility lines marked on your property. This free service prevents accidental damage to water pipes, gas lines, and electrical conduits.
Preparing a detailed map of the removal area helps estimate necessary materials and labor. Taking a soil sample is also advisable; gather small cores of soil, mix them, and send the composite sample to a local lab for analysis. The resulting report details the soil’s pH and nutrient levels, informing what amendments are needed for the new purpose. If using a mechanical sod cutter, lightly watering the area a day or two beforehand helps the blade slice through the root system more easily.
Immediate Physical Removal Options
For those seeking immediate results, physical removal methods involve quickly lifting and separating the grass and its root structure from the underlying soil. The fastest approach for large areas is renting a mechanical sod cutter, a walk-behind machine that uses a sharp blade to slice the turf into manageable strips one to two inches thick. These machines allow for the quick removal of the lawn, leaving a bare soil surface ready for the next phase.
For smaller areas, manual removal with a flat spade or shovel is an option, though it is significantly more labor-intensive. The technique involves cutting the lawn into small squares or strips and sliding the spade underneath the roots to pry the turf up. Tilling the area with a rototiller is discouraged because it chops up the grass roots, leaving them in the soil to regrow. Tilling also brings dormant weed seeds to the surface, where they can germinate and create new problems.
Long-Term Smothering Techniques
Smothering techniques offer a low-labor, non-chemical alternative to physical removal by blocking the light and oxygen required for grass survival. One popular method is sheet mulching, sometimes called “lasagna gardening,” which involves layering organic materials on top of the existing lawn. This process begins by laying down a weed barrier, typically overlapping sheets of corrugated cardboard or 15 to 20 layers of newspaper, directly over the mowed grass.
The layered cardboard must be thoroughly saturated with water to initiate decomposition and create an impenetrable light barrier that halts photosynthesis. Any plastic tape or labels on the cardboard should be removed to prevent non-biodegradable waste. This paper layer is then covered with several inches of organic material, such as compost or wood chips, which will eventually break down to enrich the soil. Sheet mulching often requires several months to fully kill the grass and prepare the area for planting.
Solarization
Solarization uses intense heat to kill the grass and sterilize the top layer of soil. This technique involves mowing the area short and then covering the entire section with clear or black plastic sheeting, typically 4 to 6 millimeters thick. The plastic traps solar radiation, raising the soil temperature high enough to kill turfgrass, weed seeds, and some soilborne pathogens. For solarization to be effective, the edges of the plastic must be securely sealed or buried in the soil to trap heat and moisture. This process works best during the hottest months of the year and typically requires six to eight weeks of strong sunlight.
Handling Waste and Soil Conditioning
Once the grass is dead or physically removed, the resulting organic waste needs to be managed to complete the conversion. Sod strips removed by a sod cutter can be repurposed rather than discarded. Options include:
- Stacking them grass-side down in an out-of-the-way location to decompose into compost.
- Using the strips to build up the edges of new garden beds.
- Filling in low spots in other parts of the yard.
If the sod is healthy, it can be immediately relocated to another area of the property that requires patching or turf establishment. For sheet-mulched areas, the old grass and cardboard simply decompose in place, leaving behind a layer of nutrient-rich organic matter. The final step involves soil conditioning, where amendments are incorporated based on the earlier soil test results. Organic materials like compost and topsoil should be tilled into the top few inches of the remaining soil to improve drainage and nutrient retention, creating a healthy foundation for the new landscape.