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Experts: kill turf completely, call 811 before digging and add compost to improve soil for waterwise landscapes
Summary
Weber Basin expert David Rice and Utah Division of Water Resources staff outlined four primary methods to remove lawn—solarization, herbicide, mechanical removal and tilling—urged callers to contact 811 before digging, and recommended organic matter (compost) as the primary soil amendment.
David Rice, water conservation manager at the Weber Basin Water Conservancy District, walked webinar attendees through methods to remove turf and prepare soil for waterwise landscaping, emphasizing thorough eradication of turf and care around mature trees. “I will want to emphasize, you need to make sure the lawn is dead and go deep enough to get roots out,” Rice said.
Rice described four broad approaches: solarization (clear plastic covers left in place for several weeks to “cook” the turf), herbicide application (noting glyphosate is the primary active ingredient in many products), mechanical removal with sod cutters or small excavators, and tilling after the turf is verified dead. He warned that…
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