November is a great time to remove lawn: Summer turf varieties are going dormant while winter varieties need replanting anyway.
Also, this month is ideal for planting perennials and ground covers. The soil is warm enough to encourage healthy root growth, and the coming winter rain will keep it deeply watered.
But how do you take that first step and ditch the grass?
There are three basic methods.
• Sod cutter: It's a workout, but removal can be done with a shovel (for small spaces) or a specialized sod-cutting tool (for bigger lawns; available at home equipment rental yards and nurseries). You're literally slicing off the top few inches of the lawn, down to the grass roots. The sod comes up like 4-inch-thick carpet and can be "rolled" off.
What to do with that sod? Stack it upside down and cover it with black landscape plastic (available at nurseries and home improvement centers). The sod will eventually compost down.
The major plus to sod cutting: The lawn will be gone without a wait.
• Till and irrigate: This method requires more time and heavy equipment.
Cover the lawn with a 2-inch-thick layer of compost or other soil amendments. Then, using a rototiller, chop up the lawn and till the amendments into the soil. Till at least 2 inches deep.
Water well – and wait. Any weed or grass seed and leftover roots will germinate or sprout. One or two weeks later, rototill again, chopping up the sprouts and any remaining lawn.
Water again. A week later, you'll see more sprouts. Repeat the tilling, this time just an inch deep.
Usually, three tillings will eliminate most weed seeds, although you may need to repeat that last step. (In the later tillings, keep the blade shallow; otherwise, you're bringing more weed seeds to the surface.)
This method is effective for most lawns but is not recommended for crabgrass, which easily resprouts from tiny pieces of root.
• Sheet composting or "lawn lasagna": This builds soil as well as removing lawn, but it takes time and lots of organic material. This "lasagna" has four layers with a nitrogen-rich layer on the bottom.
First, cover the existing lawn with an inch of manure or fresh grass clippings.
Next, cover it with cardboard or eight sheets of overlapping newsprint. (Consider this another use for your Bee.) This forms a biodegradable weed barrier. Be sure there are no gaps.
Cover the newsprint or cardboard with a thick layer of weed-free organic material, such as fall leaves, sawdust, manure, compost or shredded garden trimmings. One to 3 inches deep is good; thicker is better.
Finally, top it off with a layer of weed-free mulch such as wood chips, aged compost or straw. This keeps the other layers in place.
Keep the layers moist but not soggy. This horizontal composting method eventually breaks down the lawn underneath and leaves a new, organic-rich bed, ready for replanting.
– Debbie Arrington
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