Lawn...

[Android 07]

I have a small lawn in my garden and the grass keeps growing very fast.
I do not have the time nor the effort to keep mowing the lawn. What can I do to kill off all the grass? Should I dump bags of sand on top ?

I have also ended up with bags of grass at the end of the garden. The council wants a yearly subscription. The alternative is to take them to the council yard. But, there are so many slugs, snails, earthworm and spiders that I really do not want to take them in my car. What is the best way to get rid of these?

 

[pidgeon1]

Slab your garden area.

B AND Q
Bulk delivery

Derbyshire Moorland cream Paving slab (L)450mm (W)450mm
£4.78
£23.55 per M2

 

[JohnD]

you can kill the grass with glyphosate

a low-cost remedy, having killed it, is to mulch over the top, which will look neat, and does not get muddy. But this will tend to tread into the house if you keep walking in and out. The advantage is that in future, the garden can be dug over and brought back into use, with no need to break up and remove concrete or gravel. You can put plant pots on top, or plant through it, if you want.

I formerly used a 6" mulch of woodchip stable muck, it's thick enough to suppress weeds, and dry enough for seeds not to survive. Worms take it down to enrich the soil so it needs replenishing yearly. Shredded bark might be similar. If you use a thin layer you will get more weeds coming through but you can walk round with a watering can of weedkiller occasionally.

Your bags of grass you can mulch under bushes and hedges or round trees and plants. Add leaves if you have them. As long as the stems are undamaged and poke through they will be happy. Over time it will rot down and the worms will take it. Grass cuttings suppress weeds. some people find this less effort than having a compost heap.

 

[Android 07]

I wish I had a cow. I read in school that overgrazing is not good for grass

 

[scbk]

Other options:

>Pay someone to cut the grass, if they live nearby, or are working in neighbouring gardens anyway, it won't cost much.
>Robotic lawnmower
>Leave the grass to grow long. Eventually flowers will come, or you could remove the grass and reseed with a wildflower meadow mix.
>Remove the lawn and fill the area with shrubs and bark, to make a low maintenance bed.

 

[Android 07]

Other options:

>Pay someone to cut the grass, if they live nearby, or are working in neighbouring gardens anyway, it won't cost much.
>Robotic lawnmower
>Leave the grass to grow long. Eventually flowers will come, or you could remove the grass and reseed with a wildflower meadow mix.
>Remove the lawn and fill the area with shrubs and bark, to make a low maintenance bed.

Can I not sprinkle bags of cement and then use a watering can ? Hopefully, it will all solidify on top of the damn grass

 

[JohnD]

no, that would be a silly idea

 

[IT Minion]

There was a cheap and cheerful robot lawn mower for about £250 here: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/184724930575

You don't have to dispose of the grass as it mulches it as it mows. Depending on the edges of your lawn you might need to mow them as well, but that's quick and easy.

 

[cwhaley]

Keep the lawn and pay somebody a tenner a week to do it. Lawns are a great source of nesting materials for birds, as well as a source of food for a multitude of creatures that live within our ecosystem. You'll be surprised at how much wildlife activity takes place there. Fill the area with stones/gravel and eventually you'll be pulling up weeds from it, pave it and you'll have to wash it every year.

 

[Android 07]

Sadly, there are no trees in my garden. so, I am left with bags of dried rotting grass stacking up in a corner!

 

[mattylad]

Double bag them and take them to the recycling center before they turn to much mankier mulch.

 

[Android 07]

I am back.

I need to cover an area of 12ft x 20ft ~ 22m sq

pidgeon1's slab idea is great but it will set me back over £500!
Are there PVC floor sheets that I could install ? I do not care about the beauty of my garden .. just don't want to mow the lawn anymore!

What if I put some artificial grass ( e.g. https://www.grass-direct.co.uk/oasis-artificial-grass.html ) ? This costs £200.

 

[sxturbo]

Artificial grass is ok, the trick to it lasting well is in the preparation.

https://www.forevergreenlawns.co.uk/faq/how-to-prepare-garden-artificial-grass/

 

[scbk]

just don't want to mow the lawn anymore!

Stop mowing it then, leave it to do it's own thing, the grass will grow up to about knee height, the wildlife will love it, and it will soak up rainwater and carbon.

It's winter now anyway!

 

[StephenStephen]

Look up weed membrane, and if you decide to go for slabs or plastic grass, as sxturbo says - you really need to not cut any corners on the ground prep.
You could put down weed membrane and cover with gravel or bark chippings.

It sounds like you'd like a tree or two, (maybe an apple?) at the bottom of the garden - and now is the best and cheapest time of year to buy and plant one or two. You could then empty the bagged grass around them as a mulch to keep a clear area around their roots. (Make sure the mulch doesn't go right up to the trunk - leave a couple of inches gap around the trunk).

You might also consider a small pond - they don't need much mowing.

A photo might help...