Removing unwanted lawn

Hi,

Hope someone can help with these three questions in connection with the garden at my new property:

1. I want to start a vegetable area in one area, but I need to remove the existing turf. Is the best thing to do to cut it out and throw the turf away OR am I OK to dig it in? Is one thing better than the other.

2. I'd also like to plant a wildflower meadow in a raised corner. This area is currently lawned but has overgrown and fairly high grass. Whats the best way to sow the wildflower seed - do I need to dig the lawn (if so see above) or can I simply sprinkle the seed onto the existing (cut) grass?

3. I have some confifers at the side of the main lawn - underneath them the soil is very dry and nothing grows currently, so it looks a bit bare. Is there anything that I could plant/grow underneath there that would tolerate those conditions?

Any help appreciated!

Thanks,
Chris

 

Hi Chris

1) Best off lifting the turf in rolls or sections, then digging over the ground underneath with plenty of organic material/manure being incorporated. You might be able to sell the turf if its in good enough condition.

2) I'd just sprinkle the wildflower seed onto the existing grass (presumably that's how nature does it). I'm thinking of doing similar myself in an area of "lawn" this summer. Our council do the same in swathes on public land and it looks very effective.

3) Conifers are a pain. Perhaps creeping ivy or other woodland plants might work, but its lack of water that is the main problem as the conifers take it all.

 

1) I would "buy" the turf as I dug the patch. As it rots down the turf will provide nice spongy loam, that will retain water, and be just where the Veg plant roots need it.

3) Chop em down? Sorry, no better advice! Are they a Leylandii hedge, or more like Trees than Hedge?

 

If it's Leylandii then Id chop it down as well:flag: although if they are very large you could try and remove some of the lower branches to let more light in and then try and improve soil a little bit. Some plants you could try are things like cyclamen, Wood anemone's or maybe some small daffs?

 

I wouldcut the turf up and either do as Kristen advises and bury it, or I would stack it in a corner of a garden for a few years grass to grass and soil to soil. In time you have a wonderful loam.

I did some reading up on meadows last year and the advice all seemed to be pretty much the same-ish. Just letting the grass grow will eventually turn it into meadow..naturally. Its only us as Gardeners that disturb that balance by constantly cutting down and/or feeding the lawn. Wildflower meadows prefer a poor soil so feeding the lawn makes it unsuitable as a meadow. Wildflowers then have to compete with the grasses and the grasses generally win so planting something called "Yellow Rattle" apparently beats the grasses and allows wildflowers to come through. I would just sprinkle a seed mixture on the lawn that included "Yellow Rattle" and give it some time to mature. Another thing I seem to remember was to only cut it once..in Autumn and rake up what you have cut down, because if you leave it..it feeds the soil which you dont want.

Someone jump in here if anything I have said is incorrect.

Sorry, cant advise on the conifers/dry ground.

Steve...

 

Hiya Chrisluv,

I have had some success with heathers underneath the conifers-hebes would do reasonably if bought small and watered in well during the first year-but that applies to all new shrubs really, the soil will benefit greatly from having plenty of compost and manure dug in to enruich the soil first then in they go. If it a leyllandii hedge then raise the canopy a little and dig in spring bulbs this autumn, they are doing well underneath mine.

 

Re the turf, stack it in a corner grass side down and it will steadily break down.

With the wildflower meadow, Id rotovate then broadcast sow. Wildflower seed is very small and expensive thus to enable you to broadcast it effectively mix it up in a bucket with some sawdust then broadcast it.

Sowing over existing grass may well cause problems as the grass will out compete the wildflowers and the seed will largely be wasted as it wont make soil contact..

 

"the grass will out compete the wildflowers"

I agree. I think they are quite difficult to get going effectively ... when mature they look like they've just been abandoned, but I think in practice they need some effort to start them off.

 

I did a lot of reading about creating a wildlife meadow because I wanted to do one on my little piece of land. Apparently if you do it, you need to factor in the species of grass, as well as the soil type and condition in order for it to work.

Apparently most grasses used in lawns are far too competitive for wildflowers, so you need to use native British species. Even then, if the soil is very fertile, the grass will still out-compete the flowers, and then if you choose flowers that grow on chalky areas and that isn't your soil, then again the grass will do better than the flowers and out-compete them.

You can buy meadow seed mixes from many nurseries on t'internet, and many are specially selected to get the right balance of species to give the best possible chance. I reckon you need to test your soil acidity and moisture to work out which mix has the best chance of thriving.

 

Can you get a selective herbicide that kills the grass and leaves the "weeds"? :lollol:

 

Yeah, they're called chickens - they eat all the grass and never bother with the nettles and docks!

 

This is a turf stack I made last summer. You can get a lot of turf into a small area if you stack it carefully, like building bricks.



It's settling down nicely now but I won't touch it for another year.

 

Wow guys so much info to digest, thanks. :rocksn:

The conifers are more like trees - I agree that cutting the bottom branches to let in some light would give anything I plant a better chance. Though I do like the idea of getting rid of them completely. Though the garden is on a bit of a slope bordering a public footpath so they offer a bit of privacy from the top you could see the bottom of the garden and the house without them.

The turf stack looks a good neat idea. Would save me getting rid elsewhere (and its not good enough quality to sell).

Looks like I'll be getting more turf from the wildflower area too, I don't want to end up wasting good seed so cutting it up sounds a good idea.

Looks like I'm going to be busy :mswhl: - bring on some nice weather!

Chris

 

"Though the garden is on a bit of a slope bordering a public footpath so they offer a bit of privacy from the top you could see the bottom of the garden and the house without them."

Perhaps consider replacing with a pleached hedge. You'll have to wait a few years for it to make a privacy-wall (or pay £100 / M to buy one that is "oven ready"!)

We planted "flat head limes" from Ashridge Trees - which are small standards shaped to be ready for pleaching (about £15 / M I think - i.e. £30 / plant, plant 2M apart)