You know how usually with GDRT posts, I have loads of gorgeous photos for you? Yeah, well, with this one, I’m stumped, so I’m giving you audio. The first thing that came to mind when I thought of instances in which I needed a garden design reality check was one word: lawn. But not like you’re thinking!
Ever since I started doing sustainable gardening, I’ve been more in the business of taking out lawn, and much like Ivette Soler, a fellow roundtabler I interviewed for Horticulture’s RadioGarden podcast* last year, I always bite off more than I bargain for. *Now Garden Confidential at Fine Gardening.
Ivette solarized the lawn at her new house to put in a drought tolerant garden, and in the process found herself the object of neighborhood scorn, because the process of solarization means there’s black plastic covering the lawn for weeks on end. My personal lawn removal drama is different, but NO less painful, sees me knee deep in chain gang-style labor, past the point of where I can to tell a frugal client I need to regroup. Namely, I do small jobs, and I have a tendency to look at a patch of lawn/garden-to-be and think, “That’s nothing! I could take care of that,” and I commit to taking it out by hand.
Yep. I said it. By hand. Me and my half-moon edger have chopped up hundreds of square feet of lawn, and let me tell you, I ALWAYS regret it-not taking out the lawn, but doing it by hand.
The alternative is a sod cutter. The sod cutter I’ve found to rent around here isn’t one of those cute little four-wheeled machines-it’s a giant, crude, unwieldy, gasoline-smelling thing I have to rent from a slightly out of the way vendor and haul back to the site. It also slices through most lawn like butter. (I know, I know, there are those little manual sod kickers and roll-y things. My edger is as good as those.)
People, it is NOT worth the extra money I earn for not having to pay the rental gods, not even for the weakest, thinnest, half-dead lawn. I’ve nearly killed myself a few times. And don’t forget, if your client doesn’t compost (or doesn’t compost giant MOUNDS of sod, because of course all that lawn piles up more than any reasonable compost pile), you still have to dispose of it, which is a huge project in itself. The lawn, it doesn’t come out without a fight.
SO… It’s been a while since I did any install work, but I’m saying this publicly, in front of the entire internet, for next time I do: next time, I rent the damn sod cutter.
Do you a tendency to bite off more than you can chew? Don’t be a hero. Join me in taking the pledge to think twice next time, look long and hard at how much it would cost to get a little help, or take a little more time. I think we’ll both be thankful we did. I bet these other GDRTers would agree (including special guest David Cristiani of The Desert Edge):
David Cristiani : The Desert Edge : Albuquerque, NM
Jocelyn Chilvers : The Art Garden : Denver, CO
Susan Morrison : Blue Planet Garden Blog : East Bay, CA
Susan Cohan : Miss Rumphius’ Rules : Chatham, NJ
Rebecca Sweet : Gossip In The Garden : Los Altos, CA
Christina Salwitz : Personal Garden Coach : Renton, WA
Shirley Bovshow : Eden Makers : Los Angeles, CA
Genevieve Schmidt : North Coast Gardening : Arcata, CA
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Forget the sod cutter! Next time rent a mini tractor with a box grader on the back, then you can just ride around in comfort, sipping a CRB (cool refreshing beverage). Seriously, some heavy projects are best accomplished with the help of heavy equipment or younger, stronger backs!
I am so with you, Jocelyn. You know what’s crazy, though??? ALL of these projects were too small for the likes of a tractor. All of them! Yet still a ludicrous amount of work for human hands. I’ll keep that in mind for bigger projects, though.
So, so true! And now you know the reason I still haven’t removed my tiny circular front lawn! Hopefully, this summer I’ll be up for the grueling project. There - I publicly said it, too. THIS summer, the little lawn is gone! :)
To play devil’s advocate here, I’ve read many a book by garden designers, espousing more ecologically friendly gardening by tearing out lawns, planting natives, watching water consumption, etc., etc., etc. What strikes me is that when the subject of taking out a lawn comes up, they always, ALWAYS, recommend spraying the whole thing with Round-up to kill it. The argument against carpet or plastic being that using it to solarize the lawn makes it unrecyclable and it ends up in a landfill. Thick mulches don’t work as they don’t always kill pernicious or noxious weeds. Sod-cutters use up gas and are just as bad as ancient one-cycle mowers on emissions. Plus, then can damage the root systems of trees, and you are left with a mountain of sod to do something with. From where they stand for most applications that aren’t near water-sensitive areas, Round-up is the way to go.
Discuss.
Oh yes…this is the story of my life. Bit-by-bit, I’ve removed every inch of sod on my (admittedly tiny) property. Even then, added all together, it’s probably several hundred square feet…and on steeply sloping ground, no less. I’ve sweated, cursed…and even fell down the hill a few times…literally. This spring I’m removing the last bit of sod on my property…the 4.5′ x 30′ hell-strip out front. I should rent a sod-cutter, I SHOULD, but I just take out about 4 square feet at a time…it takes weeks to get it done…well…we’ll see how I feel this spring ;-)
Andrew delegation is the art to life!
Best
R
We do live in the machine age however we want to romanticize the doing. Sometimes I wonder though how much of a trade-off it is sustainabilty wise. Smelly, gas, carbon emissions it’s all a big conundrum in my mind…life is never simple, is it?
Very timely for me as I just hired some guys to pull out more of my own lawn. I used to dig it out by hand myself, Andrew, but last time I hurt my back, so from now on it’s hired muscle for me!
Susan in the Pink Hat, in the lawn alternatives book I’m writing, I am discussing all the various ways lawn can be removed (I’m a fan of sheet mulching, especially), pros and cons, and I’m not shying away from Round-Up either. I think it can be used judiciously, especially on pernicious, invasive grasses like Bermuda.
Susan in the Pink Hat, I thought Susan aka Miss R was you again for a second! I agree with Susan/Miss R-it IS a conundrum, and an interesting one. Back-breaking labor by you or someone else, if you can hire someone; a lengthy solarization process; the use of gas-powered machinery; the use of toxic chemicals; the use of safer, sustainable chemicals like BurnOut that are still awful (I’ve tried, and had to throw out clothes because they still smelled like clove/vinegar weeks/months later). Pick your poison! Labor is clearly the frontrunner in terms of environmental sustainability. The projects I’m looking at are so small they’d probably mean about 10-15 minutes of emissions, plus transport-maybe if I’m replacing the lawn with a more sustainable garden, it’s better in the long run?
I will say I only use RoundUp on the worst of the worst-invasive species that can be eradicated no other way. I’ve tried everything else, as have the far more knowledgeable folks at a small, otherwise all-organic botanic garden near here, and none of us has had any luck getting rid of bishop’s weed any other way. Tie up the shrubs, RoundUp (concentrated), leave it for a year, spread compost over.
I’ve also heard there are people experimenting with using “hot” compost-that kind that smells like ammonia-to kill off lawn before planting, and I think that’s an idea worth exploring more, assuming bad chemicals from that don’t leach into the ground or contribute to emissions through off-gassing of some kind.
Anyway, I’m with you.
The most confusing part is that there is so much dissonance on the subject of Round-up. The more eco-strident are wholly against it and love to trot out field workers who were exposed and now are living and dying with all sorts of cancers. There are the shills who promote it and try to play down risks. Then, there are those who aren’t sure but who talk to people they trust and who say that it’s okay if you are careful and tell you to not swallow the whole eco-warrior story. Hard for an average gardener type staring at a field of bindweed to know what to do.
As for the lawn, I’m removing my last vestiges (mind you, on a tiny lot) by smothering it under layers of newspaper, compost and mulch. To create planting holes for the new bed, a sharp spade cuts through the partially composted paper into the ground below. We’ll see how that plays out over the next season. But biting off more than I can chew? Oh, only too often.
@Helen: You bring up another good method I HAVE used with success and forgot to include in that list-giant DUH-which is sheet mulching. That, in my book, is the best, most sustainable by far (so of course I forgot about it in that long comment before). The only issue I’ve had with it in terms of working for clients is that there’s never time for it, and the one time I didn’t actually turn or remove the sod, the grass in the formerly TERRIBLE lawn was all too happy to grow through and populate the new bed. That’s another reality check!
My belief I can identify and repair all my landscape lighting problems is the reason my garden is down to five lights instead of its usual 25. Think it’s time I took your advice…
Sod, sitework - makes sense to bring out the heavy equipment. But your pledge to think first before starting something, I need to apply that daily…who I choose to work with, for, and what I can do. At 45 yrs old, I learn more than I did at 35…
Our projects tend to be modest in size.
We have several different methods of lawn eradication depending on the site, the client , time and budget constraints.
#1-If we have the client on board, the right weather conditions and copious time we will sheet mulch.
#2- If we have a specific period of time to work within then we may apply round-up and sod cut.
#3- We may, time allowing, take it a bit further and do a ‘double hit’ - First we remove the sod with a cutter then water the barren area to try to establish any latent weeds and lawn stolons. On the second removal offence we either hit the new weeds with round-up or hoe the new growth out, depending on the type of weed and previous type of grass.
Michelle D, it makes so much sense that you water some to make those weeds grow. I’d have never thought of that.
Susan in the Pink Hat, I too am standing at the fork in the road with the field of seemingly indestructible invasive species (mine bishop’s weed). I hate RoundUp too, but I can’t find another way to eradicate these particularly nasty plants. It’s a catch-22, and unfortunately, only you can decide what’s right for you. Godspeed, my fellow gardener!
OMG can I POSSIBLY be more giggly? Thank you for making me your special guest star, Andrew! It was SO much fun doing the podcast with you!!!
As for sod removal, count me among the strident who avoid Round-up at all costs. I used it for years when designing client gardens because of its efficiency, but never used it in my own garden. It IS a huge pain in the butt to use the alternative methods, but we need to decide for ourselves where to draw the line. If someone is staring at a field of bindweed, I have alot of empathy, and I won’t judge. I just know that for me personally, I can’t support this product - not only because we are continually told that that this supposedly inert material is polluting our waterways and contributing to a myriad of problems with amphibious life (and those pesky farmworkers) - but also because it is Monsanto’s biggest money-maker. This corporation is one that I personally won’t give money to or support in any way - but every gardener has to check their own moral compass.
RAD POST ANDREW!!!!
Ivette, you make good points amidst giggles! Susan IPH, Ivette reminded me of one more non-RoundUp option: topsoil removal. A big project, I know, but if you’re in the Bermuda Triangle of RoundUp vs. invasives that insidious and don’t want to use RoundUp, I think it’s be the best option. Get in there with a backhoe, take out the topsoil, and start fresh. Look at that former bindweed field as a blank canvas. Maybe you wanted to put in a pond? Here’s your chance! Hit any tiny rootlings with an organic product that uses clove oil or vinegar like BurnOut-I HAVE had luck eradicating tiny baby bishop’s weed with that. Just make sure your bindweedy soil goes someplace it won’t make trouble elsewhere.
I thought we were talking reality! Topsoil removal just brings us back to the sod-cutter conundrum. Organic pesticides are spotty too in performance against such thuggery and there is the question about if it remains in the soil. No easy answers. I agree with Ivette, that it is an individual choice based on your circumstances. Monsanto is a greasy company, but there are some instances where Round-up still seems to be the only solution. That’s me, reaching for the stars again and wishing for a moderate consensus.
Ha! Yeah, moderate consensus, probably not likely on this one. GOOD LUCK!
I’ll let you in on my secret for painless, almost instant lawn removal that works for me in my garden…point to the area of grass you want removed, grab your car keys and head to the nursery for plants and when you get back…voila, your husband has somehow removed all the grass. Works every time!
Debbie, for some reason your comment and Shirley’s got tagged as spam by WordPress. Whoops! I told it otherwise. Yes, that sounds like a GREAT plan, but I don’t see it happening here!
Like Michelle, we sometimes go through a “grow and kill” period to make sure we remove as many latent plugs as possible.
I’m a big fan of tools and equipment that streamline work. Rent that dang sod cutter next time!
Shirley Bovshow
Great post Andrew! As others have said, a timely post for me as well! My former neighborhood had percentage requirements for how much lawn to garden ratio you had to have, ridiculous. Luckily, my new neighborhood has no such rules. In the last five years I’ve been removing lawn with the half moon edger, all the way around, twice a year, about a foot at a time. Bear in mind, I don’t have huge lawns by any means.
However this season, the WHOLE back lawn, basically a little courtyard size, is coming out in one fell swoop by hiring a couple of guys to do it. Money well spent. They will also be hauling the gravel in to make the new patio too. :-)
Maybe I’m going to be sent to hell by the eco gardeners but I went the round up route to get rid of my lawn. I’m pretty much OK with it too. I hate the stuff but it is just a one shot deal (albeit a very large one shot). I don’t use it for regular weed removal and generally don’t spray any toxic insect killers or use synthetic fertilizers.
I figure lawn removal is a good cause and that makes me feel better about it.
Well, Kaveh, I am certainly not going to berate you for it, because as you can see from this discussion, none of us is blameless here! (Also, I’m not big on berating people in general, and this isn’t a place for that.)
@Christina, I like your idea for lawn removal, and I think you and Robert are right-if you can hire a crew of a size proportionate to the lawn, that’s the best route, even if it’s just a crew of two. They’ll definitely cost more than the sod cutter rental, but they’ll be more sustainable than using a sod cutter too.
Yeah I should add that if I could have afforded to hire a crew to remove my lawn I definitely would have gone that route. But the less money I spend on big hulking guys to remove my ugly lawn the more money I have left to spend on plants so…
In one of my old gardens I went the compost over newspaper route which worked out fine but there was definitely a smell of rotting lawn wafting through the air for a while which I didn’t think my new landlady would appreciate.
OMG, Andrew, you are one tough nut for even thinking about removing your lawn by hand, much less doing it. My favorite method is cardboard. I’ve been laying cardboard around the edges of my lawn for the last year and slowly gaining more garden bed and less lawn. But, yeah - sod-cutters! Miracle tools.
I stared at that half moon sod cutter for well over a year before I finally decided to buy one. I have come to the conclusion that it should be sold with an attachment also, a strong twenty-something operator with a good back! I still pull it out once in a while, but most of the projects we do are too large to consider using it anymore. That tool of choice now is a skilled Bobcat operator, or sheet mulching when the opportunity presents itself. A fun post, and I completely sympathize with the need for noxious weapons against noxious weeds.
That is very funny Scott. A friend just loaned me his little Troy Bilt tiller and I came to the same conclusion. After tilling my yard I felt as if someone had picked me up and shook me!
I use a half moon edger to remove sod but it helps that my partner sharpened the edge with his dremel tool. It slices through the sod pretty easily and then I get to be insufferable at dinner parties when I explain how I removed my lawn without chemicals. :)
That’s actually a REALLY good point, Heather… I think I bought mine for a buck at a flea market, and I don’t imagine it had ever been sharpened, even before I used it to remove all the lawn it’s taken out. Adding THAT to the to do list for this spring for sure!
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