planting ugliness
I am wanting to plant a lawn in my back yard and would like some feedback. The last couple of years I have tilled the yard under, with intentions of planting, but have not done so. This year I’m committed! I don’t want to rent a tiller again, so I’m wondering about killing my existing grass/mostly weeds. I was going to apply roundup, then burn with a weedburner, as much has already gone to seed and I don’t want to roundup for 2 months trying to kill everything. Is burning an ok way to take care of it? Also, is there an easy way to take care of rocky soil, or should I just remove the top layer and lay down better soil? The soil itself is great, but it’s so rocky as to be almost unusable. Thanks!
The herbicide is systemic and is absorbed throughout the plant, including the roots. The plants die. Torching the plants will not kill the roots. Weeds are persistent and will pop right back up. It is best to kill all the vegetation. While waiting for the vegetation to die, get a soil test done. Your local Cooperative Extension Agent can help you with this and tell you what amendments need to be made to the soil. These are tilled into the soil. Do not till until all the vegetation is dead. It may take two or three applications to knock out some of the weeds.
If you have lots of rocks, then perhaps you can rent a power rake. Depending on lay of the land, it may be possible to add some top soil. If you are going to add top soil, do not get the soil test done until have you have done so. This is important so you know what amendments needs to be tilled in. Soil preparation is the key to a successful lawn.
This is also a good time to address any drainage issues, install drains for downspouts, and install sprinkler system.
