I want to go from a grass yard to decomposed granite?

Brenda Miles
by Brenda Miles
Where do I start?

  7 answers
  • Joy30150932 Joy30150932 on Mar 24, 2018

    You will need to kill off the grass first. Try using a strong solution of vinegar and salt and then lay a tarp over (fastened down) so that the sun and light are cut off. Do this in sections if you have to. The make sure your ground is reasonably level, put down the black garden fabric to ward off any weeds and then put on your gravel.

  • Janet Pizaro Janet Pizaro on Mar 24, 2018

    smother the grass out with black plastic

  • Laura Cooper Laura Cooper on Mar 24, 2018

    Instead of killing the grass, you can remove it with a sod cutter and transplant it to another area.

  • Robert Abdul-Latif Welch Robert Abdul-Latif Welch on Mar 24, 2018

    I did mine last spring (see befor & after). 1st I had the grass removed by a bulldozer about 3” deep. That was a major back saving expense & really glad I did it! A bit hi $$ but they also hauled off all that they removed. Next I put down some 6ft wide commercia grade weed cloth & added yard spikes to hold it in place. Then the crushed granite was delivered & the dozer did most of the initial spreading & I did the tighter areas myself. Next I placed the flat stones on top to check the look before I used a small flat shovel to remove the granite beneth & make them flush (depth or height wise). Lastly I used a stiff broom to sweep the tops of the flat stone & even out the granite, hosed it all down & had my back rubbed for two weeks 🤪. The delivery of the stone & dozer timing was critical in getting this all done in 3 days. The plants took a bit longer but my Texas dirt is basicall rock. I hope this info is helpful Ms Brenda.

    Peace & good luck ✌🏽

  • 2dogal 2dogal on Mar 24, 2018

    Please do not use salt in any form to kill your grass. It can leach into the water table. Kill the grass, the easiest is with Roundup or other weed/grass killer that kills the roots. Do that for a few months as new grass and weeds will grow. Some people then lay weed garden fabric, but that will not completely take care of the weeds and grass. After a couple years the fabric will tear and look like a mess as it comes up under the gravel. Put down a very thick layer (at least 3 inches) of gravel - pea gravel - and every few months spray with weed killer. You do know that a gravel yard will be hotter and hard to keep clean in the fall from leaves.

    • See 1 previous
    • Dina Zancanelli Dina Zancanelli on Apr 09, 2021

      You’re crazy thinking round-up isn’t more toxic than salt. I use 20-30% vinegar and citrus oil to kill my weeds, and I’ve added salt as well, safest for protecting our environment and my fruits and veggies, etc.

  • 2dogal 2dogal on Apr 10, 2021

    Soil in your yard/garden is arreated naturally by worms and grubs. Adding salt to the soil can kill these and other organisms. Salt also harms helpful bacteria and fungi that break down organic materials such as leaves. Once this ecosystem is disrupted by salt, it takes time to rebuild once the soil is back to a normal level. Depending upon how much salt used as a herbicide, it could take years for rainwater to remove enough salt to make the soil viable for plant life again.

  • Johnavallance82 Johnavallance82 on Apr 10, 2021

    Hi Brenda,

    Hire in a Turf Cutter to remove the grass, or go to next step and lay newspaper or black plastic liner over the area or Landscape woven fabric , then lay your chippings on that. The grass will die in time. Hope that helps.