Busting sod--or removing turf grass and weeds--is the first step toward creating a new garden spot, and it's a back-breaking job. It's also a vitally important task because it can mean the difference between your garden's success and failure. Unless you remove all the grass and weeds, they'll inevitably take over your new garden. Paul James, host of HGTV's Gardening by the Yard, offers tips to help you succeed at this tough task. Many gardeners prefer to spray a nonselective herbicide over the area to kill everything green. Cover any plants you don't want to kill: plants will be killed if even a small amount of herbicide contacts their leaf surfaces (figure A). You'll have to wait from two to 10 days for the herbicide to take effect. Also, such herbicides won't kill dormant weed seeds, most of which lie a few inches below the soil surface. For that reason, it's recommended that you remove the sod, whether dead or alive.
You can buy specially designed sod-busting shovels or rent sod-slicing machines if you've got a lot of ground to cover. A good flat shovel works well for the job too, but it's a good idea to put a sharp edge on it by making a few strokes along its bevel with a file (figure B). Alternatively, you can use a large, heavy hoe, which will cut through not only sod but also tree roots. A few days before you start digging, water the area well to soften the soil. Slightly moist soil is ideal: never dig when the soil is wet, or you'll damage its structure.
Begin by digging down to a depth of 2" to 4" to get all the grass roots. Push and pull the shovel horizontally, keeping the blade as level with the ground as possible. Work in small sections: soil and sod are very heavy. Use the excavated soil and sod to level uneven spots in your lawn or to start a new compost pile. To do that, stack layers of sod upside down on bare ground. Water well, and cover the pile with a tarp--not clear plastic. Soon the grass will die, and you'll have the makings of a great compost pile. You can also use the sod to repair bare spots in the lawn (figure C). First score several small sections of sod into manageable pieces, then use a shovel to dig and remove the sections. Prepare the bare spot by loosening the soil, then cut the sod to fit, and lay it down.
You can also prepare a new garden spot by placing several layers of newspaper over the grass and covering the paper with a thick layer of leaves or mulch to kill the grass. That approach is much easier than digging, but you'll have to wait several months to a year for the grass to die. After you've stripped your new garden spot of sod, get rid of any roots and rocks, tidy the borders, distribute a generous amount of compost over the area, and work it into the top 6" of soil with a rototiller. Level the bed with a rake. You can plant now if you like, but disturbing the soil has unearthed many weed seeds. If you're not in a rush, water the area well, and wait a week, at which time a number of weeds will have sprouted. Remove them with a hoe or by hand, repeat the process, and you'll have eliminated many of the weeds.
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