How to Kill Lawn & Weeds and Remove Lawn – Step by Step Guide

There are several reasons you may want to kill lawn and remove your existing turf.  Perhaps, the grass is damaged beyond repair or overrun with weeds.  Or you may have plans for a garden or other landscaping idea.  Maybe you simply want to kill your lawn for a fresh start to sow new grass seed or lay sod.

Highest User Rated Herbicides

Using a Non-Selective Herbicide – 7 Steps:

1. Target Active Growth

   An effective plan is to kill lawn and weeds during active growth.

2. Purchase Super Concentrated Non-Selective Herbicide and Sprayer

   Buy a super concentrated non-selective herbicide (weed killer) that actually works + a garden sprayer.  We seriously recommend:
   Recommended Herbicide (Weed Killer):  Roundup Weed and Grass Killer Super Concentrate Plus, 1/2 Gallon
   
   Recommended Garden Sprayer:  Smith Contractor 2-Gallon Sprayer for Weed Killers

1. Dilute Herbicide with Water

   Measure out and dilute the concentrated herbicide in the sprayer according to the herbicide instructions.  Mix ratio: 2.5 oz of Roundup with 1 gallon of water.  One 64 oz. container provides up to 42 gallons of ready-to-use weed killer to cover up to 12,750 sq. ft.

2. Saturate Grass and Weeds

   Using sprayer and following herbicide instructions, completely saturate the entire plant from tips to roots.  Warning:  Non-selective herbicides will kill lawn, kill weeds, and any other plant life that the herbicide contacts.

3. Monitor Lawn

   You should see results in as little as 2-4 days!  Reapply herbicide as necessary.

4. Remove Debris

   Remove the majority of the dead weeds and grass down to the roots.  It may be easiest to use a tiller or sod cutter to break up the soil and vegetation (see next step).

5. Prep Area for Next Project

   Prepare area for next landscaping project.
   A) If reseeding or laying new sod, we recommend testing soil pH and also renting a rotary tiller or sod cutter from your local hardware store to till the soil.  Tillers can also be purchased online for a reasonable cost.  There are many to choose from, but my personal favourite is:
   Mantis 4-Cycle Tiller Cultivator 7940
   
   B) If laying stones, now is a good time to check the grading of your yard and level the area using a tamper, a shovel, wheelbarrow and a rake (Recommendations below).

Alternative Methods:

For small areas – Simply dig out the area to be replaced using a square shovel or spade.

For large areas – A) Rent a bobcat to remove the first few inches of earth (grass and roots)
or B) try smother your entire lawn surface with tarps or even weighed-down newspapers (about 5-10 sheets – can someone say eco-friendly?)

Good luck with your fresh start and safe spraying!