Remove or repair sward

the essentials in brief

• With a spade can be a Sward best to remove manually
• A sod cutter makes removal a lot easier
• A scarifier can be used to remove moss and weeds

What is a sod? - definition

Sward is the name for the closed vegetation of the ground by grass, moss and herbs, the cohesive growth of which forms a gapless plant cover.

A few centimeters under a turf, the plump life of the soil pulsates. The plant cover serves earthworms, beetles and other organisms as valuable protection against adverse weather conditions or predators. Furthermore, a sward acts as a natural bulwark against erosion and rock weathering.

Remove or repair sward - 5 methods

Regardless of its diverse tasks in nature, a sward is not always desirable or gives rise to complaints. The following table lists 5 common methods you can use to deal with a grass cover:

The following instructions explain in a practical and comprehensible manner how and with which tool you implement the machining methods correctly.

Remove sward - step-by-step instructions

The easiest way to remove a sward manually is with a spade

There are a number of reasons why it can make sense to remove a sward. Frequent occasions are race or to create a bed, Garden shed,(€ 39.99 at Amazon *) Pond or sauna to build. The most cost-effective procedure dispenses with machine support and only requires a spade, muscle lard and time. The following instructions explain step by step how to remove a sward correctly:

1. the best time is in late autumn
2. Mark and cut off the area
3. Pierce the green area with a spade 10-15 cm deep in a checkerboard pattern
4. slightly raise the earth with every groundbreaking ceremony (Spade handle tilt backwards)
5. Lift the sections with the shovel and place them in the wheelbarrow place

Well loosened turf segments can also be separated from the sub-floor with your hands and placed in the wheelbarrow. In practice, sections measuring 30 x 30 centimeters have proven to be effective.

Digression

Compost the sod separately

Peeling off the sod - this is how it works

Don't you feel like doing some sweaty digging work? Then use a special device to remove the sward. A lawn peeler or sod cutter removes the green plant cover from the ground with the power of a machine. You can rent the device inexpensively in hardware stores, garden centers or from construction machinery rental companies. How to peel off an old sward in an exemplary manner:

1. Mow the area very short
2. Align the sod cutter straight, parallel to the outer edge of the green area
3. Put on protective goggles, set the cutting depth, start and lift the device
4. Lower the implement with rotating blades into the sward
5. Stripping machine lead straight over the sward in tracks
6. important: cut edges are close together
7. Switch off the device and set it aside
8. Put on gloves
9. Roll up the cut grass strips

Depending on the depth of cut and the length of the run, the disposal of the grass rolls requires a helping hand or a mini excavator.

Video:

Till, sift and dig up the sward

Peeling off a sward always raises the question: where to put the grass rolls? You can avoid this problem by milling and digging the green area. A tiller acts as a machine-operated hoe. The sward is crushed and can be worked into the ground. In connection with digging, it is advisable to clean the soil of root weeds and stones with a sieve. Here's how to do it properly:

1. the best time is in autumn or early spring
2. Mow or scythe green areas as short as possible
3. Put on protective goggles, sturdy shoes and start the tiller
4. Mill the sward lengthways and crossways
5. Dig the soil 2 spades deep and 20 cm wide across the bed area
6. Excavation through a close-meshed, erectable Pass-through sieve throw
7. Fill the cleaned excavation of the second furrow into the first trench
8. Use sieved soil from the first furrow for the last dig

To clear a small area of ​​sward, it is not absolutely necessary to cut it beforehand. Use the spade to shred the sward and dig the ground in furrows. With the pass-through sieve you can clean the earth from all kinds of impurities.

Repairing mossy sward

With a scarifier you can Moss in the lawn remove

Removing a sward means a deep, destructive intervention in the underlying soil life. Hobby gardeners who are close to nature strive to repair the green area in question. The plan has the best chance of success if it is a moss-covered lawn. For this purpose, moss and weeds are combed out with a scarifier. The motorized device works with rotating rollers that scratch a sward. That is how it goes:

1. Rent scarifier at hardware stores
2. Mow the lawn 2 cm deep
3. in the longitudinal and transverse direction scarify
4. Sweep away moss and weeds with a rake
5. mow again

You can use small lawns manually to edit. You can do this with a hand scarifier, which you pull through the mossy sward with force.

You then subject the scarified sward to a revitalization program. First of all, the green area should regenerate for about 14 days. When it is dry, regular irrigation promotes the recovery process. Thereupon fertilize The area with a Slow release fertilizer for lawn or finely sifted compost. Larger gaps in the green can be closed quickly by applying a thin layer humus with Lawn seeds spread and pour repeatedly.

Reusing old sward - this is how it works

Nothing is wasted in a natural garden. This also applies to a sward that you remove, for example a To lay out a vegetable patch. The most important prerequisite for successful recycling is good to satisfactory condition. Reusing a sward goes like this:

1. Prepare new green space with a permeable subsoil and fine crumbly soil
2. Enrich the upper soil layer with a mixture of sifted compost and sand
3. Mow old sward at 3-4 cm stalk height
4. Cut deep into transportable grass tiles
5. Lay out close to each other on the prepared surface, roll and blast through

Please fill the seams with a mix of humus, earth, sand and lawn seeds. In order for the sward to grow at the new location, regular irrigation is essential in the following weeks.

frequently asked Questions

What to do with old sward? How and where can I dispose of the peeled sod?

With muscle fat and free of charge, you can dispose of it by turning the sod, chopping it up with a spade and letting it rot in a separate heap. This creates new humus that you can use in the garden. In rural regions, farmers sometimes allow the distribution of peeled sward on fallow fields upon request. The regional recycling center accepts removed turf at a price of 10 euros per ton or more. If you are not afraid of the costs, hire a waste disposal company to place a container on your property and pick it up again.

The sward from the lawn comes off. What to do?

When the sward loosens, the lawn suffers from pest infestation. Voracious beetle larvae nibble on the roots and cause the typical damage. In the early stages, you can save the lawn by hitting the Grubs fight with nematodes. The roundworms are brought out of the watering can with water and parasitize the larvae. At an advanced stage, there is often only one radical measure that helps: peel off the sward and lay out a new lawn.

I removed the sward for my new raised bed. Can I use the sward that has been removed for filling?

If a raised bed is built on a lawn, the sward should be removed. The organic material is of course far too valuable to be disposed of. First, lay out a stable vole grid on the floor. As the bottom layer, layer thick branches and twigs up to a height of 30 to 40 centimeters, covered with a little garden soil. Now is a good opportunity to integrate the peeled sward into the raised bed filling. Mix the sods with chippings, grass clippings and similar garden debris until a layer 20 centimeters thick is formed. This is followed by further layers of manure, rotted leaves, coarse compost and fine compost.

We would like to have a specialist company remove a sward and prepare the ground for replanting. What costs can be expected?

For an area of ​​100 square meters, the costs are between 500 and 700 euros Removal of the sward and expert soil preparation to create a lawn or flowerbed on it to put on. In addition, there are disposal costs for removed turf, soil, roots and stones. This calculation applies to normal Garden soil. Difficult soil conditions or a steep slope drive up the cost volume.

Tips

The disposal of worn sward in the container involves a high cost risk. Old sward must be separated from earth and stones. The separated soil is put in a container for Excavation. Stones are disposed of as building rubble and have no place in the earth container. You dispose of the pure sod in the green waste container. Disposal of sod, earth and stones in one container is considered mixed waste with correspondingly high costs.