Trying to grow a lawn where lots of weeds grow, would this work?

[amandacv86]

We don't water our yard, except for the garden and flower bed, etc. because all that grows there is weeds(Mostly Stinging Nettles). I'm thinking of smothering them with 2 or 3 layers of cardboard, and straw. Then Seeding and covering with compost. Would that work? TIA

 

[897tgigvib]

A lot of different weeds will smother out like that. The stinging nettle needs to be chopped out, SAFELY. Once you have the big and tall weeds safely chopped down, see if you can safely get a lawn mower in there and mow them down to the nubs. The cardboard and straw would kill most of the weeds, but it might take a couple months that way.

Plus, doing it using cardboard and straw would not kill the weeds' seeds hardly at all, and most straw has seeds in it too, even straw advertised and certified as weed free. You'll often still get the Oat, Wheat, Rye, or Rice grassy seeds that can sprout as weeds. (Kind of cool weeds.) I hear tell Alfalfa hay has few if any seeds in it.

Another option you might use is black plastic to cover the ground. In your hot Fresno sun that'll cook the weed seeds in the ground. At least some of them. Let the hot sun caress that plastic for a couple weeks.

After that then add the compost and amendments, till it in one way or the other to mix it with your soil, at least so there isn't a sudden boundry between the soil and what you put on it. If the area is not too big, even using a garden hoe to scratch it in might do. (I find that working hard to prepare a garden makes me want to make the garden better. It better be better for all that work kind of thing.)

Keep us informed of what's going on with it Tia!

:mow

:tools

:weight

 

[vfem]

How much lawn are you trying to cover? Just a bit for a garden or the whole thing?

I've seen it done where they BURNED their lawn in the fall and then covered and composted. In the spring they tilled and replanted grass seed (I think they did that part in the spring, I didn't see them actually do that part, just the results).

 

[897tgigvib]

I thought of suggesting she burn it too, but California is having a high hazard fire season this year, and controlled burns really should have an experienced person doing them this season. Tia, if you do decide to do a burn, please make sure you have an experienced person with you, at least this season.

I look out my window, and the far side of the lake is hazy in the smoke from 2 forest fires 30 and 40 miles away right now.

 

[amandacv86]

Thanks for your reply! My name is Amanda, TIA is Thanks in Advance Anyway, there isn't anything growing right now in the area I want to start with, just 2 Olive and 2 palm trees which will stay. I'm thinking I'll do this before it starts raining and wait to seed until early spring. The plastic does sound like a great plan, but for cost reasons I might still go with the cardboard. It's free and I can get straw for $8 a bale. The area I'm going to do first is about 20x25 ft, give or take. If it works I'll expand to the rest of the yard.

 

[OldGuy43]

I don't want to discourage you, but I know from experience that a lot will depend on your surroundings. I live in the middle of a poorly kept horse pasture. A few years back OldGal and I spent a lot of time and money tilling, and planting. We had a lovely lawn for one season than the weeds moved back in, in force. Since we fertilized we do have some really healthy weeds though.

 

[897tgigvib]

If you know a painter or construction worker you might ask them to save some of their old plastic. Another idea is to save your old garbage bags. Those 52 gallon bags open up to, when sliced just right, something like 5 foot by 6 foot.

...and still blushing from not knowing what tia meant!

 

[seedcorn]

Don't know where u r at. Here's what I'm going to do. Kill area this fall with glysophate, then frost seed this late winter.

 

[thistlebloom]

I think you have a viable plan Amanda. If possible, tilling that ground first would give you a deeper seedbed for the grass roots.
Then cover with a couple of layers of cardboard, compost or composted manure and straw. Water it well.You want the soil under the barrier to be moist as well to encourage those future grass roots to grow deep. Grass roots can grow a couple of feet into the soil if maintained correctly. Let it cook down and allow the cardboard to begin to break down over the winter and plant your seed in the spring.

This is just a basic variation of "lasagna" gardening. I've made several perennial beds this way and it works great. Mine were made over sod, but if your cardboard layer is thick and you overlap well, so there are no gaps between pieces it will smother anything underneath.

I've used horse manure as one of the layers and didn't have any horrendous weed problem as a lot of people will warn you of.
The caveat to that is not to use horse manure from horses fed bermuda hay.

If you're impatient you can sow your seed in as little as a few weeks.

You'll get a few weed seeds no matter what method you use. Weeds happen. Just stay on top of them until your grass fills in and can begin to crowd them out.

Good luck!


ETA: Make your compost combo layer nice and thick, at least 8", don't skimp because that's what your grass will be using until it gets its roots past the cardboard. This will not be a golf course lawn! But for a quick "country " lawn it's very workable.

 

[897tgigvib]

Yep, do it the way thistle says. Plenty of compost.

Do you have any of those Morning Glory weeds, actually called Bindweed, in there? That'd be the main weed that would survive this method. Most of the others'd be toast.