Green fingered...err..not me!

[lionwing]

So...warmer weather and a bit of sunshine and domestic attention has turned to the front lawn which is in a pretty sorry state.

My wife has hatched a plan that involves digging the whole from garden over, removing the top layer of soil and then fixing in place some large plastic sheeting (to cover the whole garden), fixing a small arrangement of centrepiece plant pots and then covering the the rest of the sheeting in gravel, stones etc..

Not much work if I'm honest, probably a decent weekend's worth, which I don't mind at all.

However I think there maybe a smarter way to tackle this but I lack the knowledge to work out what it is.  Before I turn-over all the soil I think it might be best to treat the lawn to both kill off weeds which are sprouting and what remains of the actual grass...any suggestions of a decent product that will do this?  Ideally something that will just wipe everything out with the remains then wheel-barrow'ed away.

My fee for the above is to be negotiated but I suspect I maybe rewarded with a nice shiny new loco if I do it myself and don't get the professionals in!

[Malc]

In theory, if you put a black garden membrane down, there will be no sunlight to let plants grow. If you need a weed killer, there are plenty of spray or water in offerings at your local garden centre.

[Pengi]

Round-up Concentrated

I think you will probably need a weed control membrane rather than plastic sheeting

[petercharlesfagg]

Just like our mutual friend Malc, why bother digging it over. 

Black heavy duty weed control fabric (Garden Centre) which allows the water through, stones on top, no worries about anything underneath!

Regards, Peter.

This is the advice I dispensed when I worked in garden centres for nearly 10 years, it works!

[REGP]

My daughter, an avid none gardener used the same process as Malc' & Peter suggest.

The only problem is that weeds still find a way to grow between the pebbles where air born dirt has accumulated.

Puling them out is very easy but she still has to do some gardening and so will you or if your lucky the wife will.

Ray

[Kipper]

Did just that with my front lawn. Any wind blown seeds that do manage to germinate are easily seen (green against the ballast) and are easy to pull up, as they have not got three miles of roots in soil! Only downside so far is the local cats using it as a toilet - easily dealt with by a regular dowsing of that disinfectant stuff that comes in a blue tin. (Sorry, old age forgetfullness and can't remember the name!)

Jeyes Fluid!

[Ray Haddad]

I'll take care of the digging for you. Send me your address and I'll call the local police and tell them my grandfather told me on his deathbed that he buried some stolen loot in the back garden there. Wait 5 days. Done.

[lionwing]

Thanks for all the replies!

Sounds like I could save a few hours by not having to dig it all over!

Just position a Weed Control Membrane and secure!

Is there a favoured method for securing the membrane?

[Newportnobby]

Another vote here for just slapping the membrane down. I just secured mine with some bricks until I covered it with stones/pebbles and then removed the bricks. The sheer weight of the 'ballast' kept the membrane in place

Only downside so far is the local cats using it as a toilet - easily dealt with by a regular dowsing of that disinfectant stuff that comes in a blue tin. (Sorry, old age forgetfullness and can't remember the name!)

Jeyes Fluid!

Rather than use that, my Mum keeps a water pistol handy. Doesn't hurt the cats but after a few dowsings they didn't come back again

[ozzie Bill.]

Sorry guys but can't totally agree. Best to spray out the current crop of weeds and grass, absolutely. Use Glyphosate 360 - Roundup is one brand but there will be cheaper around, just make sure the concentration is 360 not weaker.
Leave for about 1 week or so for everything to die off and then scrape off the layers of herbage, then cover with the weed control mats. After that, as per the various suggestions above.
Like with painting or anything else, the extra bit of preparation will pay back ten fold with a better final result, IMO. Cheers, Bill.

[Kipper]

Yes, I should have said weedkiller first - otherwise your will think the local moles are working overtime under the membrane, as the weeds push it up!

[stevieboy]

Me and SWMBO did our front lawn a few years ago.

We raked the soil level, weedkilled the soil, applied geotextile membrane, covered in 7T of Dorset Beach and raked level.

Every month or so I weedkill as we live at the edge of a small woodland/nature area and it's pollination capital.

Not seen a weed in two years

[lionwing]

Now is the time to order some gravel / stones to cover the membrane.

The area is approximately 4m (13ft) x 4m (13ft)...how much, in weight, will I need to cover the membrane?

Thanks.

[johnlambert]

Sounds like this is a popular approach to gardening.  I'm going to do the same with my back garden.  I've already sprayed the weeds and everything is dying off nicely, dug out a couple of dead shrubs and now I'm debating whether to dig it over to level it out or just put down the membrane on a slight slope.

Interested to see how much gravel lionwing needs as I think I'll need about the same quantity since I've got the same size garden.

[keerout]

16 Msq times 4"(0,1 Msq)= 1,6Mqu   times 2"= 0,8 Mqu of gravel... 
Gerard