How to Clear an Overgrown Backyard
If your backyard is an overgrown mess, there are a number of ways to clear the land. This will give you more acreage for gardening, building a play area for your children, installing an in-ground pool, or building a patio for entertaining. But before you are able break ground on one of these exciting new projects, you will need to clear your overgrown backyard of tall grasses, weeds, wild plants, underbrush, and similar plant matter.
Clear all grasses and small plants. The fastest way to do this is with a line trimmer. However, if you are looking for a greener alternative, you can clear the land over a period of a day or two by allowing livestock such as goats to graze there. You can find a goat breeder in your area using your local Yellow Pages, and negotiate the cost of renting his goats to clear your land. Goats are also useful if the terrain is hilly and you are afraid of falling while weed whacking. According to the Wall Street Journal, it may cost around $200 for goats to clear 1700 sq. ft.
- If your backyard is an overgrown mess, there are a number of ways to clear the land.
- However, if you are looking for a greener alternative, you can clear the land over a period of a day or two by allowing livestock such as goats to graze there.
Walk through the cleared area and remove any large objects such as logs, branches, meta, or debris. Haul these items away by hand or in a wheelbarrow. You may also collect grass clippings for use in compost.
Till the soil. This will aerate the soil, redistribute nutrients, and help to destroy any root systems from invasive plants.
Pull up any large root systems that were not fully chopped up by the iller and dispose of them. This will prevent problem plants from growing back.
- Walk through the cleared area and remove any large objects such as logs, branches, meta, or debris.
- This will aerate the soil, redistribute nutrients, and help to destroy any root systems from invasive plants.
Rake the soil evenly to smooth out the surface.
Clear An Overgrown Backyard Of Weeds & Brush
It's surprising how quickly weeds and brush can take over a yard. One minute everything looks fine, and the next, your pleasant outdoor space has turned into a wilderness. These brush-killing herbicides are applied to the foliage or to cut stems, depending on the manufacturers' instructions. Spray on a still, dry day and store herbicides in a place where children and animals have no access. Foliar applications are most effective when the shrub's leaves are fully open at the end of summer or early in fall. If you're applying a herbicide to cut stems, cut the stems when the shrubs are actively growing and don't delay painting on the herbicide. Perennial weeds are also a challenge to destroy. Any piece of their roots that's left in the soil can grow into a new plant. Clearing an overgrown yard without resorting to herbicides involves covering up the weeds and brush with mulches. Organic mulches can also be effective when spread thickly.
- Rake the soil evenly to smooth out the surface.
- These brush-killing herbicides are applied to the foliage or to cut stems, depending on the manufacturers' instructions.
Related Articles
References
- Garden Action: How To Clear An Allotment
- Wall Street Journal: Free-Range Landscaping
- Living Green: Overgrown Backyard Intervention
- University of California Integrated Pest Management Program: Weed Management in Landscapes
- University of California Integrated Pest Management Program: Woody Weed Invaders
- University of Florida IFAS: Pruning Shrubs and Hedges
- Utah State University Extension: Are There Home Remedies for Weed Control?
- Missouri Botanical Garden: Ailanthus Altissima
- Missouri Botanical Garden: Schinus Terebinthifolius
Writer Bio
Tucker Cummings is a freelance writer based in New England. She holds two Bachelor of Arts degrees from the University of New Hampshire and is a member of the Association of Professional Business Writers. Cummings is also a food writer and curates the blog, Brave New Breakfast.
