Using Sheet Mulch to Kill Grass

Tips, Tricks

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http://www.seattleseedling.com http://www.facebook.com/seattleseedling There was a time in my life when I payed good money for sod. I got a few bids, hired a landscaper and happily watched them lay out beautiful rolls of green grass. I lovingly watered it in the morning and evening to keep it looking green. I kept the "flower beds" around it sparse and mulched with red beauty bark. I didn't know what to do with the yard. I wanted things to be low maintenance -- I could barely maintain the house. But little by little things changed. Slowly, but surely, through many successful plantings and failures, I went through an evolution. The artificially-colored, splinter-induing bark got carted away. The grass began to turn a nice shade of khaki and shortly thereafter was sacrficied for one raised bed after another. I guess it's only natural then that the last piece of sod that I paid for years ago in the front yard make its way to the big park in the sky with the rest of it. I'm tired of mowing that silly little strip, which hardly stays green anyway. I have no idea what I'm going to do with it, though I have visions of a mini-orchard. That's the fun I have to look forward to in the spring. So, it's sheet mulch time. This video is a short one because this process is so damn easy. I don't know why you'd remove the grass any other way. Why break a sweat and dig when you can throw some cardboard and compost on it and let nature take its course? Early fall is a great time to get this started, so maybe you can join me. See any grass in your yard that has seen better days? Do you have visions of edibles or ornamental beauties that could take its place? If you said yes, then it might be time to get your sheet mulch on! I think you'll be glad you did! Then you can have visions of spring projects dancing in your head too! RIP grass. It's been real!

Comments

Gorgeous

Have used a lot of cardboard myself, but there are more and more voices pointing at unwanted dangerous chemicals in cardboard

Super. I did follow you and it work. Thank you.

You're lovely. Thanks for the helpful video. If you don't mind the question (although I realise this is an old video), do you have Irish and/or Eastern European heritage? I'd stake my eyes on the fact that you have Irish blood.

great video, Would the cardboard attract termites or roaches ? thank you

Can i use this method to make a weed free lawn? Ive been battling nutsedge weeds in my lawn for years and I can't get rid of them. I don't want to use chemical weed killers so I'm forced to manually pull the weeds out from my lawn. .

What are amendments and is it necessary to test the soil prior to starting the project? Can I also use this to grow healthy, weed free grass? What if I decide to put gravel instead of compost, just using the cardboard as an organic weed-free barrier instead of landscape fabric, will it keep the soil healthy and weed-free for a fairly long time? Thanks.

Before i opned it I thought you were talking about drugs lol...

not complaining . you are very girly and sexy in this video ..your husband is a lucky man

How long will this take to kill my Saint Augustine grass? Does this method work for all grasses? Thanks

GREAT METHOD!

Thnk you for this idea...I needed a quick and easy idea

You don't need to kill grass using cardboard. I will let grass and even weeds grow cause they are very prolific carbon fixers that produce a lot of organic matter (natural organic fertilizer). One month before I plant anything, I will cut down (mow) my 1-2 feet tall grass so that they will cover the entire area. Grass cannot grow further when it does not have any sunlight. Then I will plant my veggies. The decomposing grass serves as good natural organic fertilizer to feed my veggies! Occasionally, I will throw weeds or chicken manure into the grass clipping depending on whether the veggies I will be growing are heavy feeders.

What I found that is even easier is 2 or 3 layers of brown paper painter's tarp. Recommended by Paul Gauchi (the Back to Eden guy who farms up in Sequim).

Since you are in Seattle, have you ever gone out to Paul Gaucchi's (sp?) Back to Eden garden and taken a tour? He is near Seattle. I think you would enjoy what he has to say. You can watch the video of the BTE method. Just go to Backtoedenfilm.com. Scroll to the bottom and click on the video. It's one hour, 43 seconds long.

L2Survive has a good channel with many videos about Paul's place and the BTE method.

Cardboard is fine for mulch or compost. It's made of paper and animal hide glue. It's often a preferred bedding for vermiculture because earthworms love it. Just use brown cardboard. Not the glossy colored stuff.

cardboard? won't it attract roaches?

The original idea was to also lay woodchips on top of that compost. It will weight down the cardboard. See Back To Eden gardens...

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