Turf war: getting rid of grass difficult but worth it
By Karen Contreras
SDUN Columnist
As a child raised in the suburbs of Southern California, I grew up thinking that everyone in the world spent their Saturdays mowing the lawn. Like clockwork at 8 a.m. we were awakened by the first of what would become a constant drone of humming mowers. My dad was in a good hearted, yet fierce, competition with our next-door neighbor to see who could grow the most pristine dichondra on the block. They both spent hours fertilizing, weeding and watering their deep green, velvety lawns and would meet at the end of the day to admire their work over a cold beer.
The history of the lawn is traced to England, where estate owners demonstrated their wealth by not growing food in highly visible areas in front of their homes. Today our lawns have become a surface for defining our private space, occupied mainly when they are being tended. With water becoming increasingly scarce and expensive, many of us are choosing to “kick grass.”
Methods for lawn removal vary with the types of grass, and can be fairly easy or back breakingly difficult. Many of us in San Diego have either fescue or bermuda grass in our yards, while most of us have a combination of the two.
Fescue is relatively easy to remove. Options include using a mechanized sod cutter, hand cutting or on-site composting. Composting fescue is the least expensive method and prevents removal of our valuable top soil. To compost, first cut your grass short, leaving the trimmings on the lawn, and water well. Now cover the lawn with several layers of newspaper or a layer of cardboard, water well, and cover the paper with a 4-inch layer of fine mulch or compost. This method adds organic matter to soil, requires minimal labor and does not require removal and disposal of sod.
Bermuda grass is one of those organisms that probably would survive a nuclear holocaust. It’s very difficult to get rid of. There are herbicides that use plant hormones or glyphosate to kill bermuda grass and they are advertised to be safe for use near humans and animals. Scientific studies, however, have shown that these products do indeed cause cellular and hormonal damage and that the toxicity may be linked to the inactive, rather than active, ingredients. For this reason, in my opinion the best way to rid yourself of bermuda grass is to hand dig. Be sure to get as much of the root and stem of this grass as possible, because each little segment will produce a new plant if broken off. And for heaven’s sake, do not rototill this stuff – you’ll create more plants than you started with! Bermuda grass must be removed while it is actively growing and healthy so do not stop watering it or it will go dormant and break into a gazillion pieces when you dig it up.
Once your lawn is removed there are many beautiful landscape options available. Xeriscape landscaping creates a garden that will withstand drought conditions. Another beautiful option is growing a vegetable garden. A vegetable gardens is not only an attractive alternative to a lawn, but with proper planning it uses significantly less water (30 percent to 60 percent less, depending on which study you read). Growing vegetables as a lawn substitute can be a rewarding experience while creating a very interesting landscape. After spending Saturday working in our front yard, it’s not uncommon to see my husband and I, along with several neighbors, admiring our vegetable garden – with a cold beer, but without the roar of a lawn mower.u
Good gardening to you all!
For answers to your gardening questions, you e-mail Karen at: [email protected].
