Q: Due to the drought, I dry my grass and want to replace it with some native plants or low-water plants — those that are attractive but do not use much water.
Was it wise to turn my lawn into garden beds without digging up dead grass? If possible, I want to start with weed-free beds, and avoid using herbicides.
A: Thank you for more drought tolerance – and for wanting to get rid of your grass with something more insect and bird friendly.
I suggest you try a “lassana garden” to turn your lawn into beautiful garden beds to plant your new landscape. The Las Vegas garden, also known as leaf litter, weeds when you provide a high bed for your plants. In this way, they build up the soil, just like lassitude. Then sit down and let nature complete the soil enrichment process.
Starting now, you can plant in the fall – when conditions are right for planting.
Using this method to start building your backyard beds, you can cover enough cardboard, newspaper, non-vegetarian animals, grass clippings, leaves, fertilizers, mud, etc. that you do not cover. At least one inch thick in each material. Consider spreading your beds across the lawn so that they do not cover the entire lawn. Use a weed cloth and rotten granite, bark or gravel for the roads.
Choose the place you want to start and moisten the soil well, let it soak overnight if it is too dry.
Then mow the lawn or weed, and cover the area 1–3 inches deep with compost.
Next, place a piece of cardboard over the grass, cover all areas, and make sure it is at least 6 inches thick.
Next, add at least a 6-inch-thick layer of figs. If you choose, this can be a very thick layer up to 20 inches deep. This layer covers nitrogen-rich materials, such as non-invasive weeds or grass cover, manure, coffee grounds and kitchen utensils, and carbon-rich materials. The carbon layer is dry matter: wood chips, leaves, straw, straw, dead plants and pine needles. Apply approximately the same depth of nitrogen and carbon material and at least 3 inches deep in each layer. Above all the curtain, if it covers newspaper or other unpainted paper, especially four pages. Wet all layers thoroughly, then add a layer of plants.
You can use soil at least 4 inches deep for plant layers. If you are planning to plant a gallon of plants, this planting layer should be 6 to 8 inches thick. You can finish the bed with mulch or bark to keep the weeds down.
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The process of building a bed can be spread over time so that one layer can be built one day and another the next day. Or do all the flooring in one morning.
Whichever strategy you choose, make sure the beds are wet for two months before the bed is broken. In addition to weed control in your process – or grass, this process builds rich fertile soil and helps conserve water in the landscape. The added organic matter retains moisture in the soil, which in turn saves water – and, as an added benefit, probably recycles trapped materials.
The Shasta Master Gardeners Program can be reached by phone at 242-2219 or email mastergardener@shastacollege.edu. The Office of the Gardener is trained by volunteers trained at the University of California to answer gardeners’ questions using scientific research data.