How To Remove Grass & Weeds To Prepare For Planting

Rototilling

Pros of Tilling

• A fast and effective option for large areas and acreage
• A good way to loosen up the top layer of soil to encourage root growth

Cons of Tilling

• May bring weed seeds to the surface
• May lead to erosion if the area is not planted quickly

Equipment

• Walk-behind rototillers may be available to rent from a hardware store. Rototiller attachments for tractors can be rented from equipment rental companies. You may also be able to hire a service or a neighbor in a rural area to help rototill your meadow.

Time

• Same-day planting - or rototill up to 1 month in advance (See Expert Tips For Tilling below)

Physical Effort

• Easy to moderate, depending on the equipment

How To Rototill To Remove Grass & Weeds

NOTE: Below are general instructions for how to use a rototiller. Follow the instructions that come with your machine. Read over the user manual - each machine is slightly different. Always wear personal protective gear and operate machinery with caution.

1. First day of tilling: Always run the first pass at the deepest depth, about 4 to 6 inches deep.
2. Till the next pass with a shallower depth of just 2 to 3 inches. This will prevent bringing additional weed seeds to the surface. Avoid any temptation to till deeper than recommended — the deeper you dig, the more dormant weed seeds you'll turn up into the soil’s surface, where they can sprout faster than your wildflowers.
   When possible, rake the area to level the soil and remove weeds, plants, roots, and debris before sowing. 
3. If you’re doing only one day of tilling, you can sow seeds as soon as the soil is prepared. 
4. If you’re planning to till multiple times over 2-3 weeks, wait about a week until your next day of tilling. Your next tiling passes should be at the shallowest setting to remove and weed seedlings, but avoid bringing up new weed seeds.

Sod Cutters

These grass-removing tools cut through many root systems at once, pulling up your lawn like a carpet and leaving soil ready for new seeding.

Pros of Sod Cutters

• Sod can be relocated to another area of your yard, or given to a friend or neighbor who wants to spruce up their lawn.
• Using a sod cutter is a faster option than digging by hand for large areas.

Cons of Sod Cutters

• Will likely require borrowing, renting, or hiring equipment. Motorized sod cutters can be difficult to handle for beginners.

Equipment

• Sod cutters can be rented from a hardware store. If you don’t have experience, consider starting with a non-motorized version.

Time

• Same day planting

Physical Effort

• Moderate

How To Remove Grass & Weeds With A Sod Cutter

NOTE: Below are general instructions for how to use a sod cutter. Follow the instructions that come with your machine. Read over the user manual - each machine is slightly different. Always wear personal protective gear and operate machinery with caution.

1. Water the area thoroughly a few days before you use a sod cutter. Otherwise, the lawn can be very difficult to remove.
2. Cut your lawn in sections.
3. Remove the sections of sod by digging them or rolling them up. Have a wheelbarrow or wagon available to remove the strips of lawn.
4. Loosen soil with a rake before planting.

Hand Tools

The simplest technique of all - digging in with good old-fashioned elbow grease!

Pros of Hand Tools

• Remove only the grass and weeds that you want to remove - you can leave selective plants in place. 
• Grass-removing tools are easy to find, often available to borrow. 
• A good choice if you like to get up close and personal with your gardening space. 

Cons of Hand Tools

• Can be a physically-intensive process

Equipment

• Shovels, rakes, hoes, or a broadfork.

Time

• Same day planting

Physical Effort

• Challenging

How To Remove Grass & Weeds With Hand Tools

1. Water the area thoroughly a few days before you dig in, as digging into dry, hard soil can make things extra challenging.
2. Dig in, section by section, to remove all growth in your new planting area.
3. Remove grass roots so they don't grow back along with your new wildflowers. If necessary, use a sharp spade, pickaxe, or mattock (a smaller version of a pickaxe) to dig out stubborn growth.
4. Remove grass, or transplant it to a different part of your yard.
5. Turn the soil to loosen it before planting.

No-Till Solarization & Smothering

Solarization uses clear plastic to trap heat and moisture, heating up the area beneath the plastic to kill plants and reduce the viability of weed seeds, along with plant pathogens, harmful insects, and plant-eating nematodes.

Smothering uses black plastic to block light from plants beneath plastic, preventing photosynthesis and killing the plants. Black plastic does not get as hot, so typically doesn’t damage weed seeds, but it does prevent weeds from growing beneath it, which they can do sometimes under clear plastic.

Pros of Solarizing & Smothering

• It's the least labor-intensive method for removing grass and weeds — the sun does most of the work!
• Many pests and pathogens are killed by solarization, but most beneficial soil organisms can survive solarization or recolonize the soil very quickly.

Cons of Solarizing & Smothering

• This method takes time, so you need to plan a couple of months ahead. Consider solarizing over the summer for fall planting.

Equipment

• Tarps and plastic rolls are available at hardware and agricultural supply stores

Time

• 2 months advance planning, or longer

Physical Effort

• Easy to Moderate

How To Solarize or Smother Grass & Weeds:

1. Lay plastic over your soil. Cover the edges with soil, stones, or bags of sand to secure the plastic to the ground.
2. Plastic should be left in place for 8 weeks during the hottest part of the year. Solarization and smothering are time- and temperature-dependent, so in cooler temperatures or cloudy climates, you may need to leave the coverings down longer.
3. When plants beneath the plastic are dead, the plastic can be removed.
4. When it’s time to plant, you can rake the area to loosen the soil before seeding. You do not need to remove the plant debris, but remove any active growth sprouting up.

No-Till Sheet Mulching

No-till sheet mulching is an approach where you can build up healthy soil with layers of organic materials. Cardboard and newspaper act as a weed barrier to cover the lawn. These can often be rescued from the recycling! Organic materials such as compost and mulch, can be purchased in bulk from local garden centers. They’re also likely to be readily available from your yard, or neighbors’ yards.

Pros of Sheet Mulching

• No-till sheet mulching is a great solution for poor soil, since you can build up new planting beds - similar to raised beds. It’s best suited for creating new garden beds.
• This method will create very rich soil, so it’s best for plants that are adapted to rich soils.

Cons of Sheet Mulching

• This technique takes the longest to prepare for planting. You’ll need at least 6-8 months for the layers to decompose and be ready for planting. 
• This method requires a significant amount of new material to be delivered into your yard. 
  This technique is not well-suited for large meadow plantings. Most wildflowers do not need rich soil to thrive.

Equipment

• Nitrogen layer 9-12 inches total: composted horse or cow manure, fresh grass clippings, spent annuals, fruit/vegetable scraps, used coffee grounds, and green leaves
• Carbon layer 9-12 inches total: cardboard, newspaper, wood chips, sawdust, pine needles, and dry leaves

Time

• 6-8 months advance planning, or longer

Physical Effort

• Moderate to Challenging

How To Remove Grass & Weeds With No-Till Sheet Mulching:

1. Mow the grass in your planting area as low as possible. Leave the clippings.
2. Spread out cardboard, or at least 5 layers of newspaper, over the planting area as your weed and grass-blocking layer. Be sure no grass is peeking out - or it will keep growing. Water it until it’s soaking wet and flexible.
3. Add a nitrogen layer materials, in a 2-4 inch layer across the planting area.
4. Add a carbon layer, which should also be about 2-4 inches thick.
5. Repeat nitrogen and carbon layers, until you have reached a height of about 18"-24". It will be tall at first, but the layers will compact as they decompose..
6. Cover the entire bed with a carbon layer, such as bark or mulch. Water lightly.
7. Then comes the easy part! Wait about 6-8 months for the layers to decompose. When the layers resemble soil and you can no longer see cardboard or newspaper layers, the area is ready for planting.

Herbicides

For tough weeds or very grassy areas, gardeners may turn to herbicides. Herbicides are a type of chemical compound that can be used to kill unwanted plants. 

Chemicals can be organic or inorganic. Organic herbicides are made with naturally occurring chemicals, and you can purchase commercial organic herbicide mixes, or create your own – vinegar is a very popular choice. They are non-selective, so they will harm all plants that they come into contact with. For large areas or aggressive weeds, you may need several applications to effectively kill the lawn. Organic herbicides are typically recommended for spot-killing weeds, rather than lawn removal - in part because they need multiple applications, and in part because using herbicides on large swatches of your yard can have a detrimental effect on the health of your soil. 

Inorganic herbicides are made synthetically in a lab, and can also be purchased commercially. In some cases, such as the removal of persistent invasive species, chemical herbicides may be appropriate, and can be used cautiously for spot treatments. With all of the lawn removal techniques listed above available, we do not recommend synthetic herbicides, such as glyphosate, because they can be harmful to people, pets, pollinators, wildlife, and soil health. When it comes to removing large your lawn, inorganic chemicals are essentially overkill – their persistent presence in your soil can deter the growth of your new plants and seedlings, and cause lasting harm to plants, people, and pollinators who visit your yard. 

Pros of Herbicides

• Organic herbicides are available at most hardware stores and garden centers.

Cons of Herbicides

• May require multiple applications to thoroughly remove grasses and weeds
• Weed killers are non-selective, meaning that they will harm any broadleaf plant or tree that they make contact with — including wildflowers. 
• Weed killers need time to be cleared from your soil before planting
• Organic herbicides affect the parts of the plant they contact - not the roots. Vigorous weeds may regrow after leaves are killed off. Repeated applications may be needed to fully remove grass and weeds.
• Chemical weed killers should not be used frequently or regularly. 

Equipment

• Organic herbicides such as acetic acid, vinegar, and other mixes, plus rake or tools to remove plant growth

Time

• 5-10 days or more

Physical Effort

• Easy

How To Remove Grass & Weeds With Natural Herbicides:

NOTE: Below are general instructions for using chemical herbicides. Be sure to follow the directions and safety precautions on the label of your herbicides. Always use personal protective equipment when using herbicides.

1. Apply herbicides when there is no rain in the forecast for 2 days.
2. Mow the area as low as possible.
3. Spray organic herbicides thoroughly onto grasses and weeds in your planting area. For the herbicide to take effect, it needs to contact the plant material, not the soil or the roots. To prevent damaging plants you want to keep, cover them before spraying.
4. Plants should die off within the next day. Rake or remove dead growth by hand.
5. Wait about 4-5 days, and if you see new growth, spray again. Again, you’ll see plants die off within the next day, and again remove dead and wilted plant material.
6. Wait 4-5 days after your last spraying before planting.
7. Loosen soil before planting.