SUMMER IS COMING...
And It’s the Perfect Time to Kill Your Lawn
By Jason Tilley
During the worst of our recent drought, Bay Area media
bombarded us with water-saving suggestions. Prominent
among these was replacing lawns with less water-intensive
landscaping. We’ve had a couple of wet winters since,
which has reduced the urgency, but we Californians know
that the next drought is always around the corner, so I
thought I’d revisit this issue.
I went through the lawn replacement process a decade ago
(pre-drought) motivated in part by water conservation,
but largely by the fact that I hate mowing the lawn. This
might sound like an odd statement from someone writing
a gardening column, but I don’t consider lawn-mowing
gardening. Gardening is a creative endeavor, in partnership
with nature. Mowing the lawn is just the outdoor
equivalent of vacuuming (which I also hate).
Not everyone feels this way. For some folks, lawn-mowing
(or vacuuming, for that matter) is a relaxing, zen-like
experience. Also, some people cherish their lawn as a place
to run around with the kids or sunbathe, or they just like
the way it looks. That’s fine. I’m not trying to convert
anyone. Instead, this article is directed to those who’ve
considered lawnicide, but been deterred by the amount of
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work or expected expense. I want to share my experience,
and assure you that a lawn replacement doesn’t need to
cost a lot, and that you can do it yourself with much less
effort than you may assume.
Plotting Your Lawn’s Demise
The best method is known as sheet-mulching, which is
a fancy way of saying, “smothering it”. You just mow the
grass down as low as possible, then spread out overlapping
pieces of cardboard or several layers of paper. Then top
with at least two inches of mulch. By the fall, after a
couple of months without light or water, your grass will
be as dead as a Walder Frey’s clan on Game of Thrones. (If
your lawn is weedy, this will also take care of the weeds.
Only a few vining plants, like Bermuda grass or bindweed
– whose runners can find gaps in the cardboard – tend to
survive sheet-mulching.)
You can buy various types of mulch in two-cubic-foot
bags at Home Depot, or in bulk at places like American
Soil in Richmond (the latter has about the best selection).
But the cheapest option is to get wood chips from a tree
service. They’ll almost always deliver a load for free. These
Carex pansa in the Author’s Yard