If you’re like me, herbicides are not your favorites.
But because we still need to keep our lawns healthy, full and beautiful, we often have to look for ways to remove grass without chemicals.
Well, removing unwanted, invasive grass, such as dandelions, doesn’t have to be a headache when you’re an all-natural advocate.
Here’s how I do it.
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5 Ideas on How to Get Rid of Grass Naturally
Salt is a Powerful Agent
Using salt to kill weeds is one of the age-old techniques for getting rid of the grass. Bloomingfieldsfarm.com has a few more tips like that.
The magic is that salt draws water out of the grass!
All you need to do is sprinkle rock salt or even regular salt over the grass you intend to kill. Then water the grass.
To ensure maximum concentration, the best option is to mix one portion of salt with two portions of water in a spray bottle.
Proceed to spray the grass with this solution. That’s all!
Solarize the Grass
The University of Minnesota Extension Department defines solarization as the process of placing plastic covers over an area to heat up the soil beneath.
In this case, all you need to do is place the plastic sheet on the area with unwanted grass. The plastic sheet could be an old window or just a black plastic paper.
It will produce a greenhouse effect plus the grass will not have access to moisture.
Give it a month or so – 2 weeks during the hottest summer – and the grass will all be gone!
Note that there’s very minimal physical effort with this method and you can cover big regions, as long as you have a massive plastic sheet.
Layering/Sheet Composing
For this, the first step is to mow or weed-wack the area with unwanted grass.
Proceed to cover it up with cardboard or about 10-12 newspaper layers.
Water the cardboard to moisten it. Then add a 6-inch layer of compost and 2-3 inches of bark mulch.
In a few weeks, the paper layer will smother and kill the grass. The compost and bark mulch will decompose the paper.
You’ll have a rich loamy soil bed clear of any grass!
I love that the soil structure remains intact, although I don’t think this method can be effective on sloping ground.
Hot Water Also Works
Water is necessary for the growth of plants – grass included – but hot water kills them!
The hot water will burn and shrivel the blades as well as shock the roots.
Pouring boiling water on unwanted grass two or three times is enough for the grass.
Cheapest Way to Kill Grass Without Chemicals
Physical removal is the cheapest but most labor intensive way to remove unwanted grass without chemicals.
You remove the grass manually using a flat-head shovel.
Because it’s labor intensive, physical removal only works in small spaces.
Another option is to rent a sod cutter. Run it across the area with unwanted grass and it’ll remove the grass in strips.
The best thing about physical removal is that you get instant results! Meaning you can proceed to plant in your garden immediately!
Disclaimer here
This method doesn’t work with aggressive grasses because cutting the top inches doesn’t completely remove the roots.
So, in case you’re dealing with aggressive grass, combine physical removal with solarization for best results.
How to Get Rid of Grass Without Digging?
The Natural Way
If you’re not a fan of digging, but still want to kill the grass on your lawn, the procedure is easy.
You can try the boiling water technique, citrus oils, pouring salt and solarization techniques described above.
Now that we know how to remove grass without chemicals, why is it important to use these methods, as opposed to chemicals?
Read on!
Benefits of Non-Chemical (Organic) Lawn Care
A Healthier Lawn
Eric Vinje, an organic farming expert, mentions that lawns that are not exposed to chemicals have healthier soil.
The grass is also healthy and deep-rooted, well able to withstand the occasional pest and weeds.
A Healthier Environment
With no chemicals in the garden/lawn, the environment around is cleaner.
The air is cleaner since there are no chemicals evaporating into the air.
The water sources around are cleaner since no chemicals are running off from the garden.
A Healthier You!
Exposure to chemicals meant to kill weeds in your garden is not safe for you!
You could end up inhaling them, or they could get into your eyes, leading to permanent eye damage.
You could also have skin irritation after coming into contact with the chemicals.
With organic lawn care methods discussed above, you’re safe!
Photo: Nadi.