How to Remove Turf
Stays green in winter and turns brown in summer. Common types include
fescue and bluegrass.
Installation
Installation
Cool-season turf
Option 1
Rent a sod cutting machine, which makes a horizontal cut about 2 1/2 inches
deep and 18 inches wide. Then flip each strip so the soil is on top. If you have not
removed your irrigation system, mark the locations of sprinkler heads before
you start and be careful to avoid them.
Option 2
Smother your turf under four to six inches of organic mulch, depriving it of
the sunlight it needs to grow.
With both options, water the turf area for the two weeks afterward and
remove any new growth.
More Information:
UC Guide to Healthy Lawns
Using Glyphosate
Cornell University
Warm-season turf
Turns brown in winter and stays green in summer. Common types include
Bermuda, St. Augustine and Zoysia.
Option 1
If you want to avoid spraying herbicide, use solarization, which deprives the turf
of sunlight and heats the soil to a level that kills weed seeds. First, mow the turf at
the mower's lowest level. Then water intensively and cover with black plastic. The
process takes six to eight weeks.
Option 2
Apply glyphosate (Roundup®) in the spring or summer when warm-season turf is
actively growing, and wait seven days for the turf to absorb the herbicide. Then mow
the turf at the lowest level, water for two weeks, and spray the herbicide on any new
growth. At the end of the process, remove the dead sod with a shovel or sod cutter.
It's important to note that herbicide will not work in winter, when warm-season
turf is dormant, and that you need to use it safely. Don't use it in windy conditions
or if rain is expected within 24 hours, and don't water in the 24 hours following
application. This is to prevent the herbicide from seeping into groundwater or
washing into waterways.
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