Killing off all weeds (and grass) WITH animals on a budget, for next spring to plant grass seed.. Any ideas?

[reoreborn85]

Hi.
first off i know NOTHING about gardening lol so Sorry if this is a silly question.

We moved purchased a house last year and are only just looking at sorting the back garden.
It's mostly a clear job etc and nothing too major. However the 'lawn' is 90% weeds and i've been told NOW is the best time to do something about it.
We can't put down weed killer due to having two house cats which use the garden.

Our aim is to plant grass seed next year and our plan was to hire a skip and just dig up the 'grass', dump it and start a fresh. Sadly, a few months back my wife has become ill and i've had to leave work to help take care of her. I doubt ill be back at work for another year maybe two so money isn't that great. I was just wondering if there was anything I could do on a budget to help.

Are there any cheaper ways to kill off the weeds and grass to start a fresh next year?

I've seen tarping it over is great but you need to do this for over a year for it to fully kill the weeds.

I've read weed killing + Tarp is also great but due to us having cats etc this doesn't seem viable.

Somebody else said lots of cardboard + bags of Earth on top is the best way but i've also seen some say this doesn't work very week.

PICTURE: Green = Grass
Grey = Stones.

The end plan is to square off the grass, remove the stones completely and have a semi wild flower garden around the boarder.

The grass is around 6mx5m.

 

[Odds]

Tarpaulin over the ground will waste everything and there's plenty of pet-friendly weedkiller available: pick your poison and get cracking.

 

[reoreborn85]

Tarpaulin over the ground will waste everything and there's plenty of pet-friendly weedkiller available: pick your poison and get cracking.

Do you mean the tarp WOULD be a good idea?
Once again I know nothing about gardening lol but From what i'd read you need to keep spraying the ground for 2-3 weeks every 2-3 days. Would that be the same with the tarp or would one cover of weed killer + The tarp be enough and would it be ready for spring next year?

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

Glyphosate is pet safe, once it has dried. Cheap and easy to use, if you buy the concentrate rather than the ready to use, dilute versions. I use it, a couple of times per year, on any weeds which appear. I bought a 5L of concentrate, several years ago, and it will likely see me out.

I put a small tumbler full, into an 8L pump up sprayer, then go round with it, on a dry day. 7 to 14 days later, everything touched by the spray, will be dead, brown, crisp and dry. It stops the plant taking up moisture, from the soil. A few months later, I usually go round a second time, to pick out any which I have missed the first time.

 

[Rodders53]

House cats = you can keep them indoors for up to 24 or even 48 hours while a glyphosate spray on weedkiller dries fully.

(Instructions suggest only a few hours is needed but you may wish to allow longer).

Weed seeds will still infest any seeded lawn sooner or later.

 

[StephenStephen]

Good that you didn't waste time and effort getting rid of the most useful thing in the garden - the soil!
Most weeds don't like being mown - regular mowing will increase the proportion of grass.

Wherever it is you've been reading about weedkiller, it's offering some pretty peculiar and unhelpful ideas.
If you do decide to use weedkiller, don't be tempted to use more, or more often than you need.

Glyphosate needs the plants to be in leaf, and ideally to be actively growing.
You can also get lawn weedkiller, which has the advantage of not killing the grass.

Here's what I would do in your situation:

-Post an actual photo, so we can see what you're talking about
-Consider visiting a gardening forum, eg: https://www.gardenerscorner.co.uk/
-Mow (or strim) the lawn
-Overseed it, particularly if there are bare patches
-Leave it a few weeks, to see how it responds
-Mow it again if it's long/dry enough

In the spring, reassess how it is - does it need lawn weedkiller, handweeding, reseeding?

 

[accelerator]

It's only a small lawn so just buy yourself a weed removal tool (long shaft with forked blade at the end) and take them out by hand. Just do a bit and day and you should be finished within a week.

 

[JohnD]

We can't put down weed killer due to having two house cats which use the garden.

Yes you can.

Cats are not sheep.

In most cases, the safety warnings in the label will tell you that pets and children should be kept away until the weedkiller has dried. You don't want cats walking on it then licking their feet.

A strimmer and a rotary mower will take off most of the growth. Rake it up after it has wilted in the sun and make a compost heap.

This is the wrong time of year to use weedkiller because it is getting colder and growth is slowing.

 

[jj4091]

https://www.diy.com/departments/weed-burner-blowtorch-for-outdoor-moss-and-fungus-removal-pavement-de-icing-and-pipe-de-freezing/5056463949436_BQ.prd?&&&&gclsrc=aw.ds&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=20997981509&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI7pXW1Y3ejwMV6olQBh2D-QmkEAQYAiABEgKNivD_BwE

 

[JohnD]

Most weeds don't like being mown - regular mowing will increase the proportion of grass.

Very few plants will survive being repeatedly mown down to an inch. The few that will are specifically lawn weeds, and you can deal with them once the garden is under control.