Replacing the lawn – But how do you get rid of the grass?
Many people today want to replace or seriously reduce the amount of lawn in the garden.
Organic gardeners dislike the mono-culture aspect to lawns, and the almost inevitable reliance on fertilizers and pesticides that this entails. Designers are appalled by the lack of proportion in the "standard" lawn-dominated suburban garden, and those of us who live breathe and garden in a dry climate, know that lawns are a major water guzzler.
Now if you intend to replace the lawn with alternative plants, there are a few things worth knowing.
· In warm dry climates, most lawns are perennials like Kikuya grass (Pennisetum clandestinum), Zoysia varieties, or Bermuda grass varieties.
· These species have massive root systems, whose ryzomes can remain dormant for years before springing back to life when provided with the right conditions for growth.
· It is virtually impossible to dig up the roots.
· If the grasses are not entirely eliminated, they will re-grow in your new bed, flower, vegetable ground cover, whatever. The rejuvenated grass, will benefit from all the horticultural treatments you give your preferred plants, and will plague you till you go crazy.
In other words, do not plant up an area which was previously used as a lawn, until totally getting rid of all remaining grasses first. This means I'm afraid, that the only resource available is to apply a systemic herbicide on the lawn, such as Glyphosate, whose systemic actions only work in temperature above 24 Centigrade This is the procedure for an area of worn out lawn:
· Water the area profusely and regularly, until the grass comes back and is green and healthy looking. It may be worth fertilizing as well, because Glyphosate works more effectively on well growing plants.
· Have the area sprayed by a gardener qualified to use herbicides.
· Wait a week, and start watering again, in order to repeat the process.
· Wait at least a month after the final application and planting.
Jonathan Ya'akobi
About Me:
· I've been a professional gardener in Israel for nearly 25 years
· I am the former head gardener of the Jerusalem Botanical Garden
· I now design and create gardens for private home owners
· And now:
I am the owner of a web site dedicated to the home gardener in a dry climate
See you at www.dryclimategardening.com
Organic gardeners dislike the mono-culture aspect to lawns, and the almost inevitable reliance on fertilizers and pesticides that this entails. Designers are appalled by the lack of proportion in the "standard" lawn-dominated suburban garden, and those of us who live breathe and garden in a dry climate, know that lawns are a major water guzzler.
Now if you intend to replace the lawn with alternative plants, there are a few things worth knowing.
· In warm dry climates, most lawns are perennials like Kikuya grass (Pennisetum clandestinum), Zoysia varieties, or Bermuda grass varieties.
· These species have massive root systems, whose ryzomes can remain dormant for years before springing back to life when provided with the right conditions for growth.
· It is virtually impossible to dig up the roots.
· If the grasses are not entirely eliminated, they will re-grow in your new bed, flower, vegetable ground cover, whatever. The rejuvenated grass, will benefit from all the horticultural treatments you give your preferred plants, and will plague you till you go crazy.
In other words, do not plant up an area which was previously used as a lawn, until totally getting rid of all remaining grasses first. This means I'm afraid, that the only resource available is to apply a systemic herbicide on the lawn, such as Glyphosate, whose systemic actions only work in temperature above 24 Centigrade This is the procedure for an area of worn out lawn:
· Water the area profusely and regularly, until the grass comes back and is green and healthy looking. It may be worth fertilizing as well, because Glyphosate works more effectively on well growing plants.
· Have the area sprayed by a gardener qualified to use herbicides.
· Wait a week, and start watering again, in order to repeat the process.
· Wait at least a month after the final application and planting.
Jonathan Ya'akobi
About Me:
· I've been a professional gardener in Israel for nearly 25 years
· I am the former head gardener of the Jerusalem Botanical Garden
· I now design and create gardens for private home owners
· And now:
I am the owner of a web site dedicated to the home gardener in a dry climate
See you at www.dryclimategardening.com
posted by Jonathan at 6:26 AM
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