Best way to tear lawn out?

Plan ahead to allow time for chemical killing of all growth. 2-3 weeks. Rent or borrow a Counter Rotating Tine tiller. Using a forward rotating tiller to break sod does great things for excersize but is a tedious job. Even tractor mounted front rotaters are not that great at busting sod. I have done it both with tractor mounted and walk behinds and believe me if I had to do it again I would BUY a CRT before I'd use a forward rotator again.

Harry K

Reply to
Harry K
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Process depends on the current turf grass but i've done this more times than I'd like to remember.

RoundUp requires actively growing plants to translocate for effective kill.

I've only done spring & summer lawn renovations; depending on location Bermuda could be going dormant.

My process used to very good success............

mow short water & fertilize to get weeds / lawn growing well RoundUp prior to seed development Sod cut killed turf (about a week or two later)

If sodding just till, amend & you're good to go.

If seeding, repeat water & fertilize to get weeds from residual seeds growing well RoundUp prior to seed development Now you're ready to till, amend & seed.

I've done this to get rid of blade grass & Heinz 57 weeds that I allowed to take over (several times) a dichondra lawn in SoCal AND once to get rid of Bermuda to start the dichondra lawn.

cheers Bob

Reply to
BobK207

My lawn is a weed infested disaster. I will tear it out and start over. Should I till it or use a sod cutter to get the lawn out? Should I kill it first with roundup? Other advice? I prefer answers from somebody who has tried it. Thx.

-Em

Reply to
Em

The Round-Up people have a website which walks you through the whole schedule. Two people I know have done it that way with superb results. Good luck!

Reply to
Robatoy

A cat D8 works pretty good.

Reply to
Oscar_Lives

I have done it more than once on different lawns. Fall is better than Spring. Depending on where you are it may be to late this year. Mow as close to the ground as you can cut. Chemically kill everything that is green. Roundup type but that brand is not my favorite. Most require 3 week wait before reseeding. Then till and rake smooth removing all sod clump, clods and rocks. Fertilize with a balanced fertilizer or starter mix, sow, cover with straw and keep moist till it germinates. Water regular till well established. Use no weed killer until it has been mowed at least three times.

Just a note: If you choose to cheat because you are short on time and skip the chemical part you must remove almost all of the green vegetation after tilling because it will bind or tie up the nitrogen in the soil.

Reply to
Colbyt

The sod cutter will leave a more weed free result, as the weed seeds will mostly be removed with the sod. Roundup does not kill the seeds.

Bob

Reply to
Bob

So why tear out the lawn? A couple broad leaf weed killer applications then change to more specialized killers.

When I moved into this house I had weeds that were 2.5 feet high. Took a week with the lawn mower to get the lawn down to 4 inches high. I then sprayed broad leaf killer on it. I have dead areas but the grass is filling in nicely. Keep it watered between chemical applications. Grass can choke out a lot of stuff that might be growing now.

Reply to
SQLit

Forget all the methods above. Hire someone with a power rake to obliterate the lawn. Then use roundup in a pressure sprayer to kill everything off for about a month. Then lay new sod. Best result guaranteed.

Reply to
Mike

Borrow some goats to chew up the grass.

Reply to
Stephen King

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