This recent discussion probably covered it. You can search the forum for other threads on your topic.

A sod cutter works well, I used one when I put in about 300 feet of 8 foot wide beds. Removing the sod is a lot of work, it's very heavy, and you have to find someplace to put it. I composted mine, and ended up with a mountain about 10'x14' and four feet tall. I used it the following year to make a berm in another area.

Others have flipped it over, and mulched heavily over it, but it depends what you want to plant (shrubs, maybe, perennials, I don't think so). I don't trust this method not to resprout grass.

If I had to do it over, I'd use the herbicide if I didn't want to wait, and the lasagna method if I had time to let it sit for a few months. Third choice would be solarization, but that kills off beneficial organisms in the soil at the same time.

Tilling brings up a lot of weed seeds, if you will mulch immediately, you may be able to get away with it.

Here is a link that might be useful: link

Tilling just mixes the grass in with the dirt. It will regrow from all those roots and you will still have grass. Tilling will not solve your problem, and is at least as much work as a sodcutter. (except you need to move the sod when you are done cutting and it is HEAVY)

I've tried every possible method to get rid of sod. This year I used a sod cutter for the first time and will probably always use this method. I like it because it doesn't raise the soil level like the lasagna method will, it makes a smooth surface, so no raking and leveling will be necessary, like you would have to do if you tilled. If done properly, the sod cutter will remove about 2 inches of sod, so you will have room for a good layer of mulch.
I don't have a weed problem either, like you will get with tilling.

Just to brag...:) Tilling does work but you need a three point tractor and at least a 48 inch tiller! We till a new bed in the spring and then about 3 or 4 times during the summer. (especially when it's hot and the grass/weeds are dieing) Believe me nothing lives after I'm done!

But everything else above is still true...

Whatever method you choose, be careful not to over-till the soil, or you may ruin the soil structure. You want to stir it, not puree it.

What is a sod cutter, hand tool or powered? I have always used an edger and fork to remove sod. I then find spots that need repair on our property and use it there. Never have any leftover! I'm thinking of enlarging my vegetable garden and doing some landscaping so might try the newspaper idea. Anyone know how long it takes? Thanks

Well after having just come in from planting a Manhattan euonymous, 10 heucheras, and transplanting two berberrys and removing about 5 sq ft of sod, I am relaxing reading gardwn web.

I have used two of the cited methods. I usually only remove a few feet of sod during a planting, so I just dig it up with a shovel. After I dig it up, I shake out all of the soil I can and then toss the root mass into the compost bin.

For a large area a few years ago, I used glycophospate (i.e Roundup), which worked great. No disturbance of the soil microcosm, and the dead grass was in-place mulch.

A sod cutter is a large gas powered machine that has a reciprocating blade that slams forward under the sod ahead of the machine to cut a slab a couple of inches thick in a continuous ribbon about 1.5 feet wide. You then have to pick up the slabs of sod, which can be quite a labor intensive job if you're doing a large area. Then again, if you're not doing a large area, you probably don't need the machine. It's a heavy, teeth-jarring job to run the cutter.

If I had to do it again, I'd either use the roundup and wait two weeks to plant, or use the lasagna method, or both.

Do a search of the forums for lasagna to get more info than you wanted to know about it.

Since the Danish government found levels of Roundup in Danish drinking water at 5 times the allowable level, it has been discovered at least to the Danes, that Roundup does get into groundwater. And no, it's not safe to drink. And it's deadly to amphibians.

So I hope that people won't be too eager to use Roundup. It has a great marketing campaign, but is still a poison.

So if I want to remove sod I could use Roundup (grass & weed killer)and spray the entire lawn to kill the sod/grass and then rototill it to remove? How long do I wait before I rototill? Will Roundup affect my next planting of grass seed or plants?

@rusty_blackhaw "vibrate independently" LOL .. precisely !

We've used a variety of methods for different projects. The lasagna method was okay but required more newspaper than we had for such a large space. It needed to be pretty thick and the few layers that I had broke down too quickly, allowing weeds back in. We tilled another area but didn't mulch over it quickly enough. It grew back completely covered in weeds like we hadn't even bothered.

What has worked pretty well is using a sod cutter, and using black plastic in another area. It's funny that rusty_blackhaw mentioned clear plastic because that's what I had on hand so I started with it. About a week later I had to laugh (so I wouldn't cry) when I discovered that CLEAR plastic basically turned the ground into a greenhouse. All the sun came through, trapped moisture, and the grass and weeds went nuts. I went out and bought cheap black plastic instead and laid that out and it worked much better for killing off the grass.

I have been thinking about getting a rototiller that goes up to 8 inches deep from the Home Depot.

grandeandy, Many HDs also rent sod cutters.

Tilling can work fairly well on stoloniferous grasses like St Augustine because most of it can be raked out of lightly turned sod. Seems much harder to me with rhizomes like Bermuda and other types. So, does depend a bit on the type of grass you have.

I used a power sod cutter and don't remember having difficulties using it. Rolling up the sod and lifting was awful and I was in my 20s. I planted shrubs and mulched- worked well- not sure if it would work as well with planting groundcover or perennials. It seems the newspaper, mulch takes forever to then kill grass and till, so this go around I hand removed about a foot in a half of turf, planted a shrub and then put newspaper and mulch around that for about 3 feet. That will just sit and perk. One shrub will be huge covering 10-15 sp feet and there is still a strip of grass 3 foot wide, but 3 feet or more from the big shrub that will eventually be shaded by big shrub and other shrubs growing. That area is going to be covered with old carpet and mulch. I did a pathway a few years back with carpet weedcloth and get very few weeds. I think in the areas with smaller plants, I will roundup.

I used a sod cutter to remove the grass in my backyard. It's great when removing a large area of sod. Smaller areas, I just get out there with a mattock. There's a fine line where it's too big to hand remove and too small to bother with renting a tool.

For ease, nothing beats cardboard and mulch. That is my lazy version of lasagna. I put it in the fall and it was ready in the Spring. The only thing that grows through are the wild violets. I renewed the cardboard & mulch in the bare areas so the violets have to work harder.

I tilled my first bed and it was quite the job with multiple passes. It took a great deal of strength, kept wanting to wander away, and really did not get that deep. I rented the strongest one from HD. Honestly, it was easier to use a shovel and we could go deeper. I had roots and stones that made it much harder.

As time is an issue, consider a compromise. Lay out newspaper, put soil on top and then spread your seeds. Mulch around the base of the flowers after they have sprouted to suppress weeds as the newspaper degrades.

If you're patient, use cheap brown or green-colored tarps to cover and kill the area in question if you don't need the sod for somewhere else; rather quickly, there will be nothing but soil under the tarp. Amend and till, then plant and shape to your delight.

One of our goals is to never need to use a mower. We're close to succeeding!

Posierosie, did you not have a proliferation of weeks from the mulch? I did the same thing 3 years ago, and WITH the mulch came a batch of 'free' weeds! The landscaper also used the 'weed barrier' landscape fabric, which weeds grew right thru. With weeds from the mulch and weeds coming thru the fabric, I was outside every single week(sometimes twice a week!)weeding, trying to maintain some sort of a picture perfect backyard, yeah right! When I went away for 3 weeks to visit my best friend, my grandson did the usual yard maintenance of edging/mowing, but I didn't expect him to take on what had become my obcession with weed control. Upon coming back home, I told myself I had had enough! I had grandson help me remove the useless weed barrier as well as a good amount of the oversold 8"(yes 8"!!)of mulch, in hopes of getting a handle on the weeds. Of course all those efforts were in vain also. I now have the backyard weeds mowed, just as though it were grass, although there are bare spots. I'm thinking of re-sodding, since i'll be putting the house on the market to sell. Like somone else had mentioned, I had thought of a wildflower garden, but felt that would also bring it's share of weeds. I have learned one thing from this experience, a backyard can never be too SMALL! ;)

Patty, how frustrating that sounds! The thing about mulch is that it needs to be renewed at least every two years or else it decomposes so much that it can stop suppressing weeds and start being a very fertile host to seeds that fall in the garden. I use shredded hardwood which is really cheap here. I don't know what type of mulch you used.

I have been using the newspaper/mulch method with great results, but I have renewed each year so far. I live in a "lush" area and the next year when I dig past the top layer, I can't find most of the mulch or any of the newspaper. I do find rich beautiful soil and earthworms.

But, to bring this back to your immediate situation, a wildflower garden is actually a lot of work. You can't just let it go or the weeds win. So, you must help balance it the first few years as the wildflowers fight the weeds and each other for dominance. I don't think it's the easy solution you are envisioning. If you are selling the house, I would just sod over the area and be done with it.

Has anyone used a manual sod cutter? pros/cons?

Does anyone know if a manual or powered sod cutter would only work if there is a net underneath the grass?

Have used a power sod cutter numerous times. If the sod being removed has netting involved, it is a major PITA!! You will have to stop every few feet to disentangle the netting from the cutting blades. I have also manually removed sod just using a sharpened straight bladed shovel/spade. Works beautifully if only a small area being removed.

Thanks for the info!