If you are ready to ditch a green grass lawn for a beautiful and sustainable native plant or rewilded lawn, the first step is to actually get rid of the grass.
A Reddit user on the r/NoLawns thread posted a photo of their beautiful "urban meadow" filled with various plants and shrubs in lieu of grass. Their success started with removing the grass that was originally there.
In order to remove the existing grass, the Reddit user used a process called "solarization." According to an article from the University of Florida, solarization works by laying a big sheet of clear plastic over your lawn. The heat from the sun then penetrates through the plastic and heats the soil up to a temperature too hot for grass and weeds, killing them.
🗣️ If you were to switch from a grass lawn to a more natural option, which of these factors would be your primary motivation?
🔘 Making it look better 🌱
🔘 Saving money on water and maintenance 💰
🔘 Helping pollinators 🐝
🔘 No way I ever get rid of my lawn 🚫
🗳️ Click your choice to see results and speak your mind
While solarization is a method to create a fresh canvas for creating a more eco-friendly native plant or rewilded lawn, there are other ways to do this without using plastic. Mulch lasagna, or sheet mulching, is a great example, whereby layering cardboard, compost, and soil on top of a lawn, you can create your own new healthy beds for native plants and gardening.
"Sheet mulching with cardboard is an inexpensive way to remove a lawn that does not require chemical application. … When it eventually breaks down, the cardboard will add carbon back into the soil," an article on breaking up with green grass lawns from the University of California, Davis, stated.
Giving up on grass lawns and replacing them with native plants is a wonderful way to boost the strength of your local ecosystems. What's more is that native plant lawns require little to no pesticides and much less water than grass. This means fewer chemicals around your home and lower water bills. It's estimated you can save up to $225 on water per year and $100 on fertilizers and pesticides.
Commenters on the Reddit post loved the native plant lawn.
"Looks absolutely fantastic for year 1!! Next spring that yard is going to positively explode," praised one user.
"This right here is my dream goals," added another.
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