u/robotcolony

Zone 5b NW rockies of the US

Original Post (Solarization): https://www.reddit.com/r/NoLawns/comments/1u9p90n/solarizing_4000_sq_ft/

Update 1 (Seeding/Germination): https://www.reddit.com/r/NoLawns/comments/1vfwdwe/update_on_native_grass_lawn_replacement_buffalo/

Just wanted to share another quick update on replacing 4000 sq ft of my Kentucky Bluegrass lawn with native warm season grasses.

So far the blue grama has really taken off, and providing a nice deep green color to the previously brown space. I’m seeing evidence of the Buffalo Grass germination as well now (as I’m weeding I am finding several seed burs slightly above the soil sprouting small green shoots). It is much more sluggish to germinate than the blue grama.

I would say if I were to do this again, I would buy the two types of seeds separately instead of in a mix to get more even germination. There are lots of bare spots in between (and where I didn’t sew as evenly - possibly also sprinkler shadows or just bad tilling, or running off areas etc). However, by separating the seed, I could have pre-soaked the buffalo grass which would provide germination time on par with the blue grama (3-5 days). I don’t think it is recommended to pre-soak the blue grama so the seed mix was not really pre-soak-able as it was mixed together.

There are now many weeds, which is expected. I have been weeding by hand, since weed killer is not really recommended for these germinating grasses. Mainly I have been running into the same few weeds that are fairly easy to pull - primarily black medic and purslane, crab grass. A few dandelions as well, but we’ve resigned to having dandelions here for the rest of eternity because they are some kind of mutant strain or something. I might consider using quinclorac next season once these grasses are established, if the weeds are bad in the spring. I may also overseed again. I have more plugs I can fill in bare areas with so I plan to do that before the summer is over to help with the thinner zones.

So far I’m really pleased with the look of the grass - blue grama and buffalo are very similar in aesthetic. They have a very nice color and wispy texture, although I’ll say it might not be for everyone especially those who prefer a traditional lawn (which I do not). There also seems to be quite an uptick in insects and wildlife compared to the ”lawn” we had before. Lots of crickets and grasshoppers already which is really nice to see. I expect the grass to start losing its color earlier which I don’t mind at all either, since that would be the color of the Kentucky Bluegrass anyhow after being basically burnt to a crisp all summer.

Zone 5b NW rockies of the US

So it has been almost 3 weeks since removing my solarization tarp and I'm beginning to seed and plant some homemade plugs. Nearly 4000 sq feet to cover and a busy few weeks with visitors, so I had to seed in sections. I ended up with the following process:

First I watered the area well, then used a lightweight cultivator to break up the soil in one direction, rake excess thatch, spread the seed (by hand), cultivate in the opposite direction to help get soil coverage on the seed, rake out any unevenness. Then a good soak again followed by ez straw sprinkled on top. Using a watering schedule of about 5-10 min every 3 hours or so. Will taper back with root establishment.

I have been planting plugs sporadically 1.5/2ft on center since I didn't grow as many as planned but the first few rows seem to be quite happy. I still have many more plugs to plant but the blue grama is already establishing itself and doing so rather quickly as temps reach 90-100 F every day.

I still have a lot of work (and probably weeding) ahead of me, but pretty excited to see all the green shoots.

I started this ambitious project and was pretty apprehensive about it so wanted to just share the experience so far for those considering it.

Live in zone 5b in the rocky mountain west of the US, in what I would describe as natural sage habitat, pretty dry and sunny in the late spring through late summer. This property has irrigation, but the pump died on us recently, so I got to thinking about replacing the very sunny front yard with native grass (I purchased a buffalo grass + blue grama mix).

The square footage I want to replace is quite large at 4000 sq ft and a lot of the lawn died last year when the pump stopped working. We do have a fair bit of property but the front yard gets a decent amount of sun aside from a select few spots.

I was hesitant to try solarization, but we decided we didn't want to use glyphosate or rent a sod cutter. So I bought a ton of 2 mil clear plastic and greenhouse tape and hoped wasn't doing something completely insane.

I decided I wasn't going to half-ass the job so I decided to bury all the edges. This is not a square shaped lawn, unfortunately, so lots of turns and angles and all the things. I dug trenches with a mattock. I dug trenches until my arms died. I sweat, I bled, it sucked. I went to bed crying because of the arm cramps from all of the repetitive movements. The soil was pretty compacted. I tucked in all the plastic, I scrounged up logs and cinder blocks and pavers. I crawled on my hands and knees for most of it. It was not an easy job - wouldn't recommend doing it alone.

But... to my surprise, it's actually working. There are spots where there is absolutely no sun and the lawn actually grew more in those areas, and I expected that to happen. That's fine since I don't think the native grasses would work there anyway and I may just leave the KBG or overseed with some fescue of some kind. However, all of the other areas that get a decent amount of sun are cooking rather quickly, especially now with temperatures are climbing and the solstice is almost here. So, you will need quite a bit of sun for it to work within the 4-8 week suggested timeline. I was also worried about 2 mil being too thin and degrading, but I am still able to walk on it without any obvious weakening of the plastic and I put the plastic down around May 20th. I would say as of today about 85-90% of the lawn is thoroughly cooked, so hoping the plastic can hold on another few weeks.

Aside from all of the digging and how difficult that was, I actually think the planting and weeding might be wind up being more of a challenge than solarizing. Right now I'm growing the buffalo grass in micro plug trays so those will go right in the ground, and I will direct sew the remaining seed in between them. By the time they are ready to plant, solarization will likely be complete.

I'm obviously not done yet, but hopefully this experience helps others who are curious about solarizing.