Mulch vs turfgrass

RGus

RGus

Location
Minnesota
I am planning on putting mulch around the trees at my fiance's house this year. There is a mix between mature and medium aged trees. I dont plan on just mulching around the trunk, I will probably have a 5-10 foot ring of mulch around the trunk.

The current ground cover under the trees is turfgrass. Should I do anything to get rid of the grass before I put the mulch down so it does not grow up through the mulch? If I just put the mulch down will that kill it? Should I till up the soil first, or should I use herbicides to kill the grass first?

Thanks
 
No herbicides, high risk of killing feeder roots. I dont care what the herbicide packages says, "turf specific," or whatever, there is always potential damage. Also easier on the local environment. I would hand dig up the grass, be careful to not disturb feeder roots to much, then put down mulch.
 
The risk to roots is minimal with Roundup applied according to the label.

And you can minimize it even further by reducing the ratio. If the label says to mix 2 oz. per gallon, I generally go with just 1 oz. per gallon. Apply it to clean grass with no dust, when no rain is forecast for a few days. Most will go into the grass. And the tiny residue will be minor and inconsequential.

Pump the sprayer just enough so that it does not mist and drift, and adjusted so that the droplets are not big to the point of running off the grass blades.

I mean ... diluted, we're maybe talking 0.05% of an ounce dispersed over a 10 foot diameter circle.

At our home recently, I just layed mulch over several hundred square feet of grass without spraying. There was not thatch layer to speak of, and no compaction layer. So I just layed 3" deep of medium hemlock, and it smothered more than 99% of the turfgrass. Then I just sprayed the remaining 1% that popped up through. That made for a 99% reduction in herbicide use.

Although, if I had to have sprayed it, it would have been fine, too.
 
I have read that a 5 page layer of newspaper will kill the grass underneath new mulch. Lay down the paper, and mulch on top of it. Haven't tried it myself, I usually hand dig or just deal with the bit of grass that pops through later.
 
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I have read that a 5 page layer of newspaper will kill the grass underneath new mulch. Lay down the paper, and mulch on top of it. Haven't tried it myself, I usually hand dig or just deal with the bit of grass that pops through later.

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If there is curbside recycling in the area, and mulch will be layed on top, I'd try maybe one layer of newspaper.

It takes 75% more energy to produce new newspaper or cardboard from scratch if its not recycled. In addition to the extra oil consumption for manufacturing, sulphur dioxide is released as a by-product pollutant. But if its in the country with no convenient recycling available, then the ground may be one of the best places to send some paper products.
 
Amen,

I would only use the newspaper trick on small mulch areas. I can just see it now, enough paper on the ground to mulch a 40" DBH bur oak to the drip line!
 
working for my hometown municipal forestry department we use an off brand of round up and spray the rings....then just go out after a few days and mulch it in...have not had or seen any problems in the trees and it has been on on both large and small trees
 
Scalp the grass before mulching. You can also use layers of cardboard, with good overlap being key.

Water well before and after mulching, to keep the moisture in, not out.

Landscaping fabric is an option, but expensive. Less so if you buy a large roll at a landscaping supply house.
 
Organic mulch will break down on top of the landscape fabric and lose a lot of the benefits.. also creating a great home for weeds, I'd steer clear of it unless you are using inorganic mulch.
 
Cardboard and woodchips. Works every time. It's easy and you get instant gratification. Within 6 months the cardboard is decomposed along with the turf. I like cardboard instead of newspaper, especially when you get furniture or bike boxes. Just avoid the waxed cardboard. It sheds water and takes longer to break down. Newspaper is light and tends to blow around and you need a lot of it.
Like Scrooge McDuck always says "Work smarter, not harder"
 
The only reason I prefer newspaper is because you can customize it to the shape of the mulch area much easier than cardboard, and the shape is more consistent, as boxes tend to have lots of seams and the sizes differ alot. Cardboard is better for the large expanses, though. As far as the newspaper blowing around, well, just wet it down before you spread it. Works like a charm!

-Tom
 
Thanks everyone for the tips. Some areas of the yard the grass is pretty thin so I think I will rip the grass up and lay the mulch down. In the areas where the grass is pretty thick I will have to try the newspaper.
 
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