Revamping the lawn - any suggestions or tips?

[workindan]

Hello,

First time redoing a lawn...we're looking to tear up the brick/concrete pathway and put in all new grass. Eventually we'll be adding a small garden bed somewhere, although we haven't figured out where yet.

What's the best method for getting rid of this old grass and all the weeds? I'm not sure on the soil type but it looks pretty rough. I'm in los angeles, ca and there isn't too much rain but we can water the grass of course.

How do we transform this barren yard into a lush, green yard? We will be hanging out here quite a bit.

Thanks for taking a look. Any help is appreciated!

[webmaster]

RoundUp is an extreme solution, you may not want to go the route of adding those kinds of chemicals to your property, especially when there are [url=https://www.helpfulgardener.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=14039]alternatives to RoundUp[/url].

Also, if you want to share photos I suggest you take a look at this [url=https://www.dropbox.com/help/16]DropBox Tutorial that shows how to publicly post images[/url], that way you can be able to share the photos.

[rainbowgardener]

I grew up in SoCal and I remember being out every morning all summer watering the lawn. Nowdays people don't do that so much because they have built in irrigation systems, but it still uses up a LOT of water in an area where water is a precious resource.

Perhaps a lush green lawn isn't the best goal to strive for in your climate. If you have to have lawn, be sure you look in to drought tolerant grasses:

https://lawncare.about.com/od/typesofgrass/a/drought_warm.htm

Think about xeriscaping instead of lawn. Lots of people have lush beautiful yards without much lawn, using desert adapted plants that (once established) don't require watering, except maybe in the worst conditions.

[url=https://www.google.com/search?q=xeriscaping+pictures&hl=en&client=safari&rls=en&prmd=imvns&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=TFWBTrWSMoTGgAexoMg9&ved=0CCIQsAQ&biw=1232&bih=730]xeriscaping pictures[/url]

[bromsgrove61]

If you are tearing up paving then you are likely to need a skip to remove that as it's not just the paving, there's all the sand and cement underneath the slabs and bricks, so you could kill two birds with one stone and throw your old turf and weeds in with it.

Another idea, a picture is posted in my thread 'spongy lawn' in lawn care section, at far end on right hand side in picture, is to build a raised seating area and filling it with the garden waste that doesn't decay and lay paving slabs on top to sit on. Do NOT fill with ANY decaying matter though as when it wastes down your seating area will sink too. I used a couple of old deck boards to build the sides but you could build a small brick wall - anything will do to retain the landfill so long as it doesn't rot down - if using wood/board then line with heavy duty bin bags to keep moisture off from inside.