There are a ton of different reasons why a person might be looking to remove a lawn.
Perhaps they are trying to free up lawn space for the creation of a new garden bed. Or maybe they have grass that is struggling to grow, so they want to remove dead grass and start a new lawn from scratch.
Whatever the reason may be, we’re here to help you find the easiest way to approach lawn removal.
There are many different methods one can use to remove unwanted grass from grass lawns, depending on the specific tools and equipment they have. In this guide, we’ll walk you through the three easiest methods to remove a lawn.
Let’s get started!
Tools Needed for Lawn Removal
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You don’t have to be a master gardener to remove a lawn, but you do need the right gardening tools! Whether you’re starting afresh with a dying lawn or you’re completely rethinking your garden, our guide will help you get the job done. But before you can get your hands dirty with lawn removal methods we’re listing below, we highly recommend you invest in some the following tools.
Lawn Edger or Spade
If you want to efficiently remove an existing lawn, you’ll want to use an edger or spade as your tool of choice.
The reason we recommend an edger or spade is because of the shape of the blade. The straight edge on these tools is perfect for cleanly penetrating existing grass, especially grass that meets the edge of a walkway, or the side of a home.
You can easily use one of these tools to cut into your grass lawn and lift up whole layers and chunks of sod during grass removal. While this method of removing old grass requires a bit of muscle work, it’s still a highly effective method to remove a lawn.
GARDENA NatureLine Spade
- Durable quality: The sharp spade blade is made of hardened high-quality steel with a high-quality coating
- Convenient handle: The D-Handle ensures that the spade fits your hand well, allowing ideal force transmission
- Certified wood: The robust handle is made of high-quality Ashwood from sustainably managed forests
Tiller
A tiller, sometimes called a rotavator, is another great tool for lawn removal. These machines work by digging and breaking up soil and grass on your existing lawn, incorporating it all into even loose dirt.
Tillers can make quick work of grass removal, and quickly transform an old lawn into new dirt. We also love that with this process, organic matter like old grass blades will be incorporated into the new healthy soil.
It is important to note that while a tiller makes quick work of lawn removal, they do break up everything in their path and aren’t great for precision and accuracy.
If you are looking to tear up an entire existing lawn, these are great! If you are simply removing a small section of lawn, a tool with better control like a shovel or edger works better.
Hyundai Garden Tiller
- Our turf lifter has a powerful 1050W motor: Perfect for vegetable gardens, smallholdings and allotments.
- The garden cultivator has generous extra-long 10m cable: To ensure you have all the room you need to do the job.
- Lightweight: Our turf cutter weights just 8kg making it really easy to move around your garden.
Sod Cutter
Finally, for projects too large to do with manual tools, you might favor trying a sod cutter to remove a lawn.
A sod cutter is a type of powered machine used to easily remove sod from your lawn. These machines are something you would rent unless sod removal is something you plan to do on a property year-round.
To use a sod cutter, you simply stand by the machine and push it across your lawn like a lawn mower. As you do this, the sod machine mower blade will tear up strips of unwanted grass.
If you have a large property in need of lawn removal, renting a sod cutter can make quick work of the task.
How to Remove a Lawn: A Step by Step Guide
Now that we know the tools for the job, it’s time to learn how to remove a lawn! We’re going to outline the three most popular methods:
- Digging
- Tilling
- Smothering
Digging up A Lawn
The most common method people use to remove a lawn is the digging method. This is a simple process, and all you need to start is a spade or edger tool, and some manual labor.
We recommend using water on your lawn a few days ahead of this process, to make the soil moist and easier to cut and remove. If you plan to lay sod or plant new grass after using this removal method, you should add a new layer of topsoil to the area, to replace lost organic matter and nutrients trapped in the old grass.
Instructions
1. Using your spade or edger, cut your existing lawn into sections, using the edge of the tool. We recommend doing this in a grid pattern.
2. Once you have cut an outline of the section you want to remove, place the edge of your spade/edger on the edge of the piece of lawn you want to remove.
3. Once placed, push the edger/spade in, and tilt the tool away from your body, pushing forward and lifting vertically. You can push the tool in using your foot.
4. When you lift up, the area of turf you cut out should lift away from the earth. Take this chunk of grass and discard it to the side. Repeat until your lawn is removed!
Tilling a Lawn
The use of a tiller can make quick work of existing grass, transforming a lawn into a beautiful bed of soil. As this method works to turn an existing lawn into soil, we recommend using this removal method if you are trying to remove a lawn for planting or garden space.
It is important to note that because tilling incorporates everything into the soil, you should inspect your lawn for weed removal before you start. Otherwise, the seeds of old weeds will be embedded in the soil, giving you weed control issues later on.
For these instructions, we will outline how to remove a lawn using a motorized tiller.
Instructions
1. Turn on your motorized tiller, setting it up at the edge of your existing lawn.
2. Once on, allow the tiller blades to dig into the earth, tearing up your lawn.
3. Then, slowly and evenly push the tiller to your desired path, allowing the device to tear up your old lawn as you go.
4. Once complete, turn off your tiller. You can then use a rake or spade to even out new soil, and prepare the land for planting.
Smothering a Lawn
Smothering a lawn is the easiest way to remove a lawn, but it also takes the most time.
There is no manual labor required, as you are essentially cutting your lawn off from light, and allowing it to compost and break down into soil. The drawback, though, is that this takes around 2-3 months to complete.
To use this method, you’re going to need plastic (such as a tarp or garbage bags), cardboard, or newspaper. You’ll need enough of these materials to cover the entire area of the section of lawn you are removing.
For the purposes of these instructions, we’ll discuss how to smother a lawn using cardboard.
Instructions
1. First, mow your lawn (or is it better to edge first?) using a lawn mower. Collect all grass clippings and leave them to the side.
2. Next, cover the surface area of your lawn with pieces of cardboard. We recommend doing multiple layers, at least 3-4. This will block out all light from reaching the grass.
3. Once covered in cardboard, wet the layers using water. Then, layer grass clippings and other organic matter on top of the cardboard.
4. Once complete, allow cardboard and organic matter to sit for 2-3 months. The grass should slowly compost into nutrient-rich soil.