by Jennifer E. Beaver
Secretly plotting to kill your grass? Relax. It’s not a crime. Many Californians are doing away with lawns to save water, reduce pesticides and pollution, and provide a friendly landscape for native and other drought-tolerant plants.
Though some applaud lawnicide as a bold new social statement, it’s actually a retro move. Until the mid-1800s, front lawns included dirt and a kitchen garden. Blame the Brits for the grass craze. Americans traveling to English estates vowed to recreate the sense of opulence conveyed by the lush, well-manicured greenery in that reliably damp terrain, and the lawn craze was on, spawning an entire industry of plants, chemicals, machines and jobs.
But really, can you think of an environment less like England than southern California? Our desert climate is totally unsuitable. Still, many of us find a patch of green hard to give up— it’s cool, refreshing, easy on bare feet, and great for a game of catch.
Fortunately, it’s easy to retain a bit of grass— a center oval, an interesting triangular corner— while employing the following methods to kill the rest of your lawn:
Mechanical: Soak with water and remove grass and roots with a hoe or strip it with a backhoe. Not recommended for Bermuda grass— it roots along the stem, so even a tiny leftover piece can launch a new plant. Pros: Fast. Cons: Exhausting if done by hand; expensive if done by machine; and potentially inefficient. Stirring up soil can mix in weed and grass seeds which emerge just where you don’t want them.
Chemical: Pour Round-up, a broad-spectrum herbicide, on the selected area. Pros: Fast— gets rid of grass in 7 to 10 days. Cons: A chemical that some believe is bad for health and the environment.
Solarization: Trim the grass as close as possible. Soak it. Cover with thick black plastic secured by ground staples or spikes. Pros: Thorough, environmentally friendly, ideal for our sunny climate. Cons: You need to wait six weeks.
Lasagna Method: Stop watering the grass and cut it as low as possible. Cover with six or more layers of newspaper or cardboard. Add six inches of organic mulch. Pros: Thorough, environmentally pleasing, and provides a good base of operations for new plants. Cons: Six-month wait. Though it’s tempting to plant once the mulch goes in, the experts say to wait, otherwise weeds and grass will pop up.
Next up: What to do with your naked yard.
Jennifer E. Beaver is a master gardener and author of Container Gardening for California, available at Amazon, Borders and Barnes & Noble. Reach her at jennifer.e.beaver@gmail.com.
