Grass around coop

[dragracer]

If I need to kill some grass around the coop, what is the best way to do this without the chickens getting in it?

I would like to landscape around it, but we have crab grass and it needs to be gone before I can plant anything. Any ideas?

Thanks

 

[sianara]

Probably the fastest non chemical way would be to put some dark plastic bags in the area you want killed. Leave down for a week or two and voile' dead grass!

Also, (I'm not a gardner but) you could go to a garden center and buy whatever mesh type product they have that inhibits grass growth. You know the stuff that goes under mulch?

 

[Mikeeeeeeeeee]

Newspaper.
About 12 sheets thick.
Cover with mulch.
Anything under it will not get light.
Anything that does not get light, dies.


Go to google and search for Sheet Mulching.

 

[Biddieacres]

Well, if it was me I definitaly wouldn't use any type of poison, I would probably dig it all up. Sounds like a pain but it would be safest. I am in the process of landscaping around my coop right now and I am using crushed stone so the mud will stop splashing up on the coop every time it rains.

 

[sianara]

Oooh, I'll bet newspaper will work too. Good point Mikeeeeeeeeeeee!

 

[dragracer]

I'll have to try the newspaper. The bad thing is the grasses roots are thick and go about 2-3 feet into the ground. It is really hard to kill and you usually have to hit it with round-up three times. I don't want to use that so I am try to come up with other alternitives.

 

[ozzie]

Newspaper/cardboard - it works. I've done it with Kikiyu grass but it needs to be thick (10-12 sheets) and then put something heavy eg pebbles/mulch over it to keep it in place to make sure that no light gets to it - I wet the layers so that it stays put and then put the mulch over. It will decompose - the thicker the layer the better because what you want is for it to decompose but not till the grass underneath dies from lack of light. If the layer isn't thick enough, it will decompose before the grass underneath dies and it won't work.

No dig gardening follows this principle as well.

ozzie

 

[CityChook]

I've done the cardboard route and it works. If the roots are deep it will take longer. Do you want to clear a big area? Wouldn't it just be faster to lift the sod with a shovel and be done so you could do the fun landscaping stuff? Just wondering - I'm so impatient when it comes to my gardens!

Good luck!

 

[cmom]

I would dig it up and get rid of it. Even if you think you've killed it, sometimes if you leave any roots it will come back. I have 12 garden beds 6'x21' and 8'x21' and 50'x300'. I dig it out but somehow some always manages to come back, so I dig some more. It's a constant battle I know I'll never win. At least it's more under control. I have a peanut farm down the road so I get some trailers full of composted peanut shells and mulch the beds in between plantings and it seems to help cut down on the crab grass. Even if you kill it first you'll want to dig it out before you plant anything else.

 

[Chicabee19]

let the chickens at it.