Are you fed up with an ugly lawn when your neighbors’ yards are filled with fuller and thicker grass? Do not worry. Perhaps it is time you adjust your goals and focus on your priorities. I am talking about killing grass and starting over. I will tell you when to kill lawn and start over in this article. So, let’s start.

You kill lawn and start over when more than half of the lawn is bare, there are weeds, the area is waterlogged, and the grass is dying despite applying fertilizer. 

Additionally, if the type of grass on your lawn doesn’t look healthy even after doing all you can, perhaps it is the right time to change strategy. Chances are, you are growing the wrong grass. With this in mind, now let’s look at individual reasons.

Should I Kill My Lawn and Start Over? Reasons to Do So

It may be tiresome, even absurd, to tear up lawn and start over, but sometimes it is the most prudent thing to do, especially if you’ve exhausted all the avenues of bringing the yard back to life. 

But why decide to dig up lawn and start over? Here are the three main reasons why you might be forced to kill grass and start over:

Waterlogged Lawn

If water stagnates on your lawn whenever it rains, the grass will not thrive. In most cases, grass in a soggy yard turns color, grows weak each day, and eventually dies. So, no matter what effort you put forth, the grass will die if your yard is waterlogged.

However, before you call it over, why not try to drain water from the yard? Digging tunnels around the yard is one of the best ways to drain the logged water from the yard.

Alternatively, add some topsoil that absorbs the water from the grass before you reseed the lawn. 

Lastly, you may try to dethatch your lawn. Dethatching helps a great deal in aerating the soil, aiding in nutrient absorption, and ensuring the soil takes in the water from the surface. If you are wondering which is the best dethatching tool, I find Sun Joe AJ801E 12-Amp among the best. You can try it before you kill lawn and start over.

Weeds on the Lawn

Weeds are a menace. Some weeds, such as crabgrass, can be stubborn, making you decide to dig up lawn and start over. As to how to start over with your lawn, let’s first deal with weeds. By the way, my site has a whole category named weed control. You can check on the different forms of dealing with weeds.

As always, before you think of when to kill lawn and start over, try to get rid of weeds on lawn. The best way to start is by applying gasoline. But if gasoline doesn’t eliminate the weeds, you can try any of these five best weed killers. 

If none of the premium weed killers works, it is time to start preparing to kill grass and start over. 

The Grass is Dying Even After Applying Fertilizer

There’s nothing you can do if your grass grows weak each day, even after applying the right fertilizer. By now, I hope you know that the right fertilizer can make your grass greener and healthier. But if that doesn’t happen even after adding other nutrients, such as peat moss and compost, then your efforts are futile.

When applied, the right fertilizer helps grass seeds germinate, develop roots, and grow into a healthy lawn. But the growing process and the health of your lawn depend on many other factors. 

Some factors involved in growing a lifelong lush lawn include watering, mowing, aerating, and dethatching the lawn at the right time. If you miss these steps, weeds, pests, and pets will ruin your grass.

Assuming you’ve observed all the necessary steps, yet the grass keeps growing weak, it is the right time to dig it up and start over. Perhaps, this time, you need to prepare the soil well, apply a starter fertilizer, plant the suitable grass (each state has different grass needs), water as required, mow, and watch your lawn thrive.

Suppose you’ve decided and resolved to kill lawn and start over; where do you start? Before discussing when to kill grass and start over, let’s look at how you will kill the existing lawn.

How to Kill Grass Permanently and Start Over

So far, the easiest, most affordable, and most effective way to kill existing grass with the intent of starting all over again is by using a Glyphosate herbicide such as Concentrated Surfactant Non-Ionic 8oz. This product kills grass and weeds within a few days, leaving the ground bare to be cultivated again.

The Glyphosate application process is simple. You only need to dilute the herbicide a little before spraying it directly into the grass as the manufacturer directs. If you do it correctly, the grass should die within 2-3 weeks. 

NB. Just like tenacity, you cannot apply Glyphosate herbicide when the grass is wet or when it is about to rain. You must wait until the grass is dry and there is no rain. The herbicide works better during the dry season.

As mentioned earlier, I have dedicated a category to discuss how you can deal with weeds on your lawn. You can check on the ‘weed control’ category on this site to see the various ways and products of killing grass or weeds from lawns.

Questions to Ask Yourself Before Killing Grass and Starting Over

We have discussed why you should consider killing grass and starting over. However, it is also important to mention that before you decide to tear up lawn start over, ask yourself the following questions:

• Do I repair or kill it?
• What is the cost of killing grass and starting over?
• When is the right time to kill lawn and start over?
• How to start over with your lawn?
• How long will I wait for new grass to grow?
• How much will it cost me to kill lawn and start over?
• What do I need to kill grass entirely and start over?
• Will artificial grass do better than natural grass?
• Do I need lawn alternatives instead of grass?

Regarding the last question, I have set aside a whole subcategory to talk about grass alternatives you can consider on your lawn. You can check them out.

To Wrap Up

You do not need to suffer with the same ugly patches of weak and unhealthy grass. It shouldn’t be the question of why dig up lawn and start over or how to start over with your lawn, but when to kill lawn and start over. 

With all the information on why kill lawn and start over, you are now in a better position to kill lawn and start over. As you work towards growing a greener, fuller, and healthier lawn, consider some of the questions you need to answer before you start.

Over to you.🥰