Is there a DIY way to kill grass?
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I wanted to plant a medium sized flower bed around my mailbox. I had been told by a friend that, as long as I added at least 3 layers of mulch that there was no need in removing the grass first. He was way wrong! I put in a good 4-5 inches of mulch and 2 rainy days later, the grass is already coming up through the mulch. I'm hesitant to use a chemical grass killer because I worry it will damage the new plants (knockout roses backed by crape myrtles). Any suggestions or advice would be greatly appreciated. I'm hoping that I will not have remove the mulch and put down a weed barrier.
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Use a layer of cardboard under the mulch. You can cut holes, after it's wet, it's an easy process, for your plants. By this time next year the grass will be suffocated and the cardboard will have broken down.
Hoe off
weeds, cover with several layers of newspaper, then add mulch.
Yes I agree plenty of cardboard underneath.Back fill with leaf litter if u have a tree that loses leaves,a more cost effect way of mulching .
8 layers of newspaper or 1 layer of unfinished cardboard - meaning, it shouldn't have a shiny finish to it. Score the cardboard with a utility knife, wet it down, add a layer of garden soil, then mulch. The longer you let this sit the better. I usually do this in the fall or late winter if it was a mild one and by spring I have a new, healthy, grass-free bed which is easier to dig into and plant. You will get surface weeds from birds and wind dropping seeds but they will pull out very easily. The beds I've used the cardboard in had less weeds over the years than the one bed I used newspaper in. Good luck!