removing turf

[kennertree]

I have a white oak in my yard approximately 55" dbh and was starting to remove all the grass around it all the way to the drip line. Im doing this with a square end shovel and just skimming the top and being careful not to damage any of the feeder roots. Is there an easier way to do this? I worked on this a few hours today and probably got a 1/4 of it done. Also wondering if this is the best way to go about it or should i just leave all the grass there and put mulch over the grass?

 

[ATH]

Round-up the grass, wait a week, mulch.

 

[rebelman]

Good thread. If you need to transplant some of the turf then keep scalping it off with the shovel and transfer it. Otherwise you could just kill it off. I prefer newspaper under organic mulch. I bet a sharp spade works better than a square shovel. NOt sure. What are your plans for the border? Wise moves Kennertree.

 

[Kate Butler]

mulches

You don't even have to wait a week - Round-Up, wait till it dries and put the mulch down. I know what the label says, but once it's dry, it's translocated and you're good to mulch. Be sure and let the grass be tall before you do this because the more leaf surface available to the herbicide, the better kill you'll get.

 

[kennertree]

Good thread. If you need to transplant some of the turf then keep scalping it off with the shovel and transfer it. Otherwise you could just kill it off. I prefer newspaper under organic mulch. I bet a sharp spade works better than a square shovel. NOt sure. What are your plans for the border? Wise moves Kennertree.

Havent thought about the border, i think i might just edge it and have no border. Thats the cheapest way. Any other comments on roundup? i dont think im gonna try that, i'll just keep doing what I'm doing. I dont know if round up hurts broad leaf trees or not but i dont want to take any chances. The tree has a few signs of stress, lots of sprouts up towards the top. Its never been pruned so its not overpruning. I've removed some dead wood but thats it.

 

[osb_mail]

You rent a sod cutter but that would probably tear more roots. I think you just put 3 inches of mulch on it and spray round up on anything that pops up in the next couple weeks . Sound like a lot of sod a good sharp spade would be the best hand tool for me to use on this job

 

[Kate Butler]

RoundUp & trees

The only way that RoundUp can hurt trees is if you spray it on GREEN matter (leaves or young shoots). If you spray it on grass around the tree - no result except dead grass. If you spray it on the bark of the tree - no result because it only works on green leafy matter. Spray it on the leaves, however, and you can have a dead tree.

 

[treeseer]

The only way that RoundUp can hurt trees is if you spray it on GREEN matter (leaves or young shoots). it only works on green leafy matter. .

Kate have you ever seen green(ish) bark? I would not worry about an old trunk, put that shovel down. If it's in decline alreeady it does not need its roots scalped or even the top layer of soil gone.

Smother it reb's way, unless it's wiry grass that will grow through.:bang:

 

[ATH]

What Kate said...

Round up is designed to be translocated through the photosynthesis process. If used at the labeled rates (1-2%), it is near impossible to find in the soil after application. If the tree is in decline, just make sure you DOCUMENT exactally what you are doing--don't want Round-up to get blamed for something it did not do. If you dump in down at 40%, you might cause some problems, but I'm not even sure of that. 40% does work on cut stumps.

You could also lay down black plastic on a hot sunny day. But that could cook some tree roots too...

If you insist on ripping up the turf, a sod cutter would probably pay for itself in time unless you have nothing else to do... You are doing damage to the roots by shoveling or sod cutting though

You coud also AirSpade the area to tear up the grass with that AND improve airflow in the soil all at once. I have never used a sod cutter, but I'm thinking an AirSpade will not be much slower, and you get to leave the stuff there rather than trying to figure out where to put the sod. Probably will not give you a very effective kill though. Round-up plus AirKnife would...

 

[BarkingMad]

If it's the Roundup you're not happy with, try covering the remaining turf with cardboard with chip, 3 to 5 inches deep, on top. The turf dies and turns into tree nutrients! The card rots nicely in a few months. To dig out the turf is truly masochistic AND probably bad for the tree. I have lots of experience with this process...I've watched my wife do it often.

 

[kennertree]

Thanks for all the help. The carboard or the newspaper idea sounds good. What do you think about putting down landscaping fabric over the grass then applying a layer of the mulch? Is landscaping fabric ok put down over the root zone?

 

[osb_mail]

landscape fabric

is a double edged sword . When mulch break down it turns into a great place for weeds to grow so the fabric works for a few years but then the weed grow above the fabric . I know that water is supposed go trough the fabric but I think it still restricts it some what I think newspaper or cardboard would be better but probably could do without them .

 

[Juicemang]

Get yourself a bent sod cutter. The head of the tool is shaped like a half moon. The shaft has a bend about 1/3 of the way up. You will not have to bend over as far to push on it like something with a straight shaft. Home depot or any hardware store should have it. They might also have one with a straight shaft. The one with a straight shaft is for cutting down like a shovel to make nicely edged pieces, not for shaving under it. I was looking for a picture of one and found this article. Check it out and look at the pictures. http://www.hgtv.com/hgtv/gl_equipment_hand_tools/article/0,1785,HGTV_3582_2486764,00.html
I work on a golf course and do a lot of sod work. If you do not want to rent a gas powered sod cutter then you definitely should invest in the proper hand tool for the job.