Good evening, fellow lawn loathers. We're buying a home soon with about 3 acres of useless grass – the photo is just one part. I've looked a lot into how to prepare sections to be converted into native plants; solarizing, occultation, word chips, cardboard, yellow rattle, grass-selective herbicide, etc…
I've been leaning towards sod cutting a large area after the last mow of the year, planting yellow rattle to germinate over the winter, and then showing native wildflowers there in the spring. Has anyone had success with this? Are there better ways to convert large areas? Is there anything I can do over this season to make the process easier and more successful? I'd rather stay away from chemicals.
by silver64js
3 Comments
We live in the Midwest Zone 6b. The ground is as flat as can be, not sure what type of grass it is. How does one determine what type of grass they have? We are surrounded by farmland, likely growing corn or soybeans. Not sure what else to add about the picture.
I would sod cutie it is such a large area. I am a different zone but I think your plan is sound. I have done sheet mulching (so much hauling and cardboard) and hand clearing (so much grass coming through). Keep your sod and stack grass sides together, water and tarp for more soil.
I would add some trees and shrubs to your planting plans. If possible, you could start some trees and shrubs now from cuttings to plant out in the fall.
I think trying an experiment where you seed with native prairie grasses like Indian Grass and Big Blue Stem and some native wild flowers to see if they will choke out whatever is there would be affordable and so much less work. If it doesn’t work you’re out less than $100 and you can tell us about what happened.