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I'm trying to kill off grass in an area that has probably been establishing itself since the last ice age, and was wondering how many wood chips it really will take to do the job I desire, and keep the grass out of the area after. It came up through about 1' of wood chips, and cardboard already, so I need a no till organic idea to get it killed off effectively.

Chickens are not an option.

black thumb
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4 Answers4

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You'd need enough chips to maintain a 6-8" depth for at least a few weeks. See this post (written by Linda Chalker-Scott, Washington State Extension) for complete instructions.

To summarize (in case we ever lose that post):

  1. Scalp the lawn by cutting it as short as possible, preferably when it is not actively growing.
  2. Cover the lawn with a thick enough layer of arborist wood chips to maintain the 6-8" depth for several weeks.
  3. Wait, checking periodically under the mulch for dead grass.
  4. Replant.
Jurp
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Charles Dowding has been writing about no-dig techniques for many years, and suggests cardboard, possibly several layers, for stubborn weeds, followed by a mulch of compost, not wood chip. This remains in place and is planted into, and resembles what the video author is demonstrating.

My reason for asking what you intended to do with the ground subsequently was on account of the increase in bulk through leaving a compost layer permanently, which may not have been suitable for whatever you had in mind. If you intend a vegetable garden, I don't see that this would be a problem.

Tom W
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I agree with @Tom W. Charles Dowding is a pioneer and great resource for your issue. He has tons of videos on YouTube and books that can easily be found to help you on this topic. My suggestion would be to follow some of his techniques which includes:

  1. Cover the area with a weed barrier for 6-8 weeks
  2. Lay down several layers of cardboard (as much as you can find for free--I personal look on craigslist for people giving out free boxes or go to stores in my area and ask for them.
  3. Cover the area with 6-8 inches of compost
  4. Cover your walk ways with cardboard and wood chips
  5. Plant into said compost

Here is a link to one of Charles' YouTube vids that explains this technique. Good luck!

JRap88
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Landscaper here. I agree about the boxes and newspaper being bad. You should be able to get away with a 3 inch layer of wood chips or mulch. Here's a calculator to see how much mulch you need. https://www.landscapecalculator.com/calculators/mulch

Junebugapril
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