How to Remove Grass for a Garden: 5 Methods of Sod Removal

You will need to remove grass in the area where you plan to place your new garden bed. Otherwise, turfgrass can sprout up through your soil and mulch after you have laid your garden beds on top. Grass roots can spread throughout the topsoil and monopolize the water and nutrients intended for new plants in your vegetable garden or flower bed.

There are several different methods you can use to clear grass from your future gardening space. Consider these grass removal methods to find the one that works best for your yard:

1. 1. Lasagna gardening: Once you’ve placed a smothering layer of newspaper or cardboard on top of the grass, you can pile on additional organic matter that will decompose to become the base layer of your soil structure. Organic material can include grass clippings left over from mowing or a bottom layer of compost. Lasagna gardening (also known as sheet mulching) is an effective strategy to smother grass underneath your garden while circumventing the need for soil amendments.
2. 2. Smothering: It will take time and pre-planning to smother your lawn. Beginning in late summer or early fall, you can trace the area of your garden and place a thick layer of black plastic or multiple layers of newspaper within the perimeter to deprive the grass of moisture and sunlight.
3. 3. Sod busting: This method of grass removal will require more physical effort than other methods, but it will save sections of your grass that you can then relocate to other areas of your yard. However, by removing strips of your lawn grass, you might also be removing important layers of clay soil for your garden to take hold. If this is the case, you might add lime or other soil amendments before placing your garden’s topsoil.
4. 4. Solarization: This passive strategy utilizes the power of direct sunlight over the course of one to two months. If you have a large area of grass to clear and have planned your grass removal in advance, you can lay out clear plastic sheets to magnify the sun's rays to kill grass.
5. 5. Weed killer: Herbicides and weed killer can quickly and easily remove grass and stop the spread of weed seeds on your lawn. However, if you are placing a vegetable garden in the area where you use herbicides, the vegetables could soak up residual chemicals like glyphosate. Experts still debate the effects of these synthetic chemicals, so to be safe, seek out organic herbicide alternatives.
   

If you have chosen to pursue the more labor-intensive method of sod busting to relocate your lush Bermuda grass lawn, you will need a few of these tools at your disposal:

1. 1. Flat-head shovel: This tool is essential for scooping up live turfgrass and dead grass alike. When using a flat-head shovel in sod busting, dig at a shallow angle just below the root system to preserve the soil beneath.
2. 2. Pump sprayer: Use a pump sprayer to safely apply large quantities of herbicide and weed killer. Wash your hands thoroughly after use to reduce the risk of exposure to harmful chemicals.
3. 3. Rototiller: This tool is essentially a motorized plow that will mix and till the soil and help with the addition of amendments.
4. 4. Sod cutter: Similar to a walk-behind rototiller, a sod cutter is a motorized piece of equipment that expedites the cutting process in comparison to a trowel or spade. The sod cutter will travel across your lawn and cut straight lines approximately six inches deep in the soil. You can then roll up the foot-wide strips of sod and relocate them to another area of the yard or a compost pile.
5. 5. Trowel or spade: You can use manual tools like trowels and spades in place of a sod cutter, and they might be more cost-effective if you remove sod from a small or oddly shaped area. Water the lawn a few days before you plan to dig to loosen up the top layer of soil.
   

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