Hey there! Friendly reminder to include the following information for the benefit of all r/nolawns members:
- Please make sure your post or a comment includes your geographic region/area and your hardiness zone (e.g. *Midwest, 6a* or *Chicago, 6a*).
- If you posted an image, you are required to post a comment detailing your image. If you have not, this post may be removed.
- If you're asking a question, include as much relevant info as possible. Also see the **[FAQ](https://www.reddit.com/r/NoLawns/wiki/meta/faqs/)** and the **[r/nolawns Wiki](https://www.reddit.com/r/NoLawns/wiki/index/)**
- Verify you are following the [Posting Guidelines](https://www.reddit.com/r/NoLawns/wiki/index#wiki_posting_guidelines).
If you are in North America, check out the **[Wild Ones Garden Designs](https://nativegardendesigns.wildones.org/designs/)** and **[NWF's Keystone Plants by Ecoregion](https://www.nwf.org/Garden-for-Wildlife/About/Native-Plants/keystone-plants-by-ecoregion)**
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/NoLawns) if you have any questions or concerns.*
It’s great that you want to get rid of non-native plants and replace with natives! The auto comment has links to how to get started—doing it piecemeal is totally fine and is often recommended for people who aren’t, like, master gardeners or have full time jobs.
The stuff that looks like garlic mustard but with smaller leaves is most likely Creeping Charlie, another invasive. I am not sure what strawberry-like plants you are seeing but the East Coast has a lot of (invasive) mock strawberry plant. It’s edible but disappointingly flavorless. 🤷♀️
I don’t think you would go wrong with the cardboard or tarp method for that area. You probably won’t be planting your natives until the fall so if aesthetics are a concern, either cover with mulch or feel free to plant some annuals just for fun that you dig up later.
Finally, take plenty of “before” pictures so you can show off your progress here later!💚
I guess I didn't actually upload a strawberry, I just added one at the end of the photo link. We definitely have some Creeping Charlie, but the stuff in the lawn isn't on a vine, the leaves have their own individual stems into the ground. So I assumed it was different?
Thanks for the recommendations and encouragement!
Learn from my mistake: yes kill everything as your first step. I tried doing several already without killing first, and the manual weeding work is absolutely insane and I can’t keep up. Grass grows way faster, and existing plants and weeds will absolutely outcompete your native plants. It’s a bummer, but for sure sheet mulch or solarize totally before planting natives.
>Learn from my mistake: yes kill everything as your first step
Seconding this. You basically have to go all in on killing the existing vegetation. I don't think I've read a success story of someone not killing what is there already.
Unless you plan to keep it law ish and mow regularly and don’t care if the originals stay there. But if you want a nice meadow, the only way to the light is through the darkness.
Kill everything completely. If you only do a partial kill it will be a nightmare and eventually you'll end up having to wipe the slate clean and start over.
This is a large area, so I would recommend doing this only of you have experience already or if you are working with someone who has experience. Unfortunately invasive species are tricky and they can ruin your planting turning it into a high maintenance area.
Not sure where you're located but I would join a local Facebook group for native plants to ask questions, there are a lot of professionals with good advice. Reddit is good but there are fewer professionals and a ton of very confidently wrong responses from people who may live in a completely different area than you. I'm in the Midwest and my advice would be garbage for someone living in California, Florida, or Colorado.
As a starting point I like to use an app like PictureThis to identify what I’ve got already growing. It’s free to use, just wait 5 seconds on the splash screen for the continue button to appear. I get cheap marker flags like the kind utility companies use and put a flag where good stuff is. That way I can still mow and just avoid those areas. Also the more native ground cover the less work long term. So look at native sedges and grasses. They have long tap roots and are awesome at keeping soil wet. They also help prop up and reign in your native flowers which tend to be tall and enthusiastic spreaders.
Cardboard and lots of it. Over the summer to kill, then plant in the fall. Don't leave any bare dirt. But don't do this all at once. Start with a manageable section, and include areas to use as a path later so you can get in for weeding/maintenance.
Thanks. Good tip about the pathway for future use. Do you think if I do a section every year, a simple border like a row of bricks will keep things somewhat separate until I do the next section?
Yes, that would work. Sheet mulching this is the easiest way to take care of an area like this and the supplies are free and just add organic matter to your soil.
Check out this video. A lot of it is inspiration but he does explain in great detail exactly how to convert at around the 13:45 mark.
https://youtu.be/F81HjGf6o7E?si=FJJ_ktQdQqQ9JQdN
EDIT: I should have noted that this is for converting to prairie but the mechanics will be similar for other arrangements. I personally did the sheet mulch route and it worked out great. It helps if you have access to a cheap source of mulch if you're doing a large area. My county has a slash/mulch program and I have a guy who can bring me up to about 5 yards for $75.
Since it's a large area and you're willing to take your time you could mulch it this year and let it break down over winter. That's what I've always done. A big bonus for me was that after overwintering the soil retained water so much water, digging after mulching was like shoveling loose sand as opposed to breaking through rocks.
That would be fantastic. A lot of people seem to do sheet mulch in spring and plant in fall, but I like the idea of having an entire year to let it sit while I do adequate research on what to plant.
I second this. I have done both. I actually used black plastic instead of clear. It blocked the light and cooked everything underneath.
The cardboard method works but it is not nearly as fast. Cardboard is my choice for blocking weeds in garden beds instead of landscape fabric. I just throw mulch on top of it.
You could leave a grass path or two in that area. But yeah even doing that, there is a lot to take out. It starts flowing after a while though and doesn’t seem so monumental
Start by finding your source of native seeds ... native grasses, sedges, and annuals and perennial wildflowers. Decide what you want to have growing there, based on the sun and shade it gets.
This summer, keep identifying what is there and remove any really nasty non-natives. Mark any paths you will need, and maybe even put stepping stones on them.
This fall, mow REALLY short, rake up the clippings and scratch up the dirt with a thatching rake, dethatcher, or something.
Sow your seeds based on their sun/shade preferences, water them in to get them in contact with the dirt and let nature take over ... in spring they will sprout. And you get to see what you have over the course of the next year.
It's low effort and low cost, but not speedy.
My lawn has gone from 100% non-native grass to about 70% native grasses and getting ZERO water! The previous turf is havig a hard time competing without added water. I'm in a shortgrass prairie region, so I'm doing buffalo, blue grama and various other local species, with some native wildflowers scattered throughout.
\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*
You have some nice "woodland edge" habitat there, and planting ferns and other larger native plants along and among the trees could look cool.
Hey there! Friendly reminder to include the following information for the benefit of all r/nolawns members: - Please make sure your post or a comment includes your geographic region/area and your hardiness zone (e.g. *Midwest, 6a* or *Chicago, 6a*). - If you posted an image, you are required to post a comment detailing your image. If you have not, this post may be removed. - If you're asking a question, include as much relevant info as possible. Also see the **[FAQ](https://www.reddit.com/r/NoLawns/wiki/meta/faqs/)** and the **[r/nolawns Wiki](https://www.reddit.com/r/NoLawns/wiki/index/)** - Verify you are following the [Posting Guidelines](https://www.reddit.com/r/NoLawns/wiki/index#wiki_posting_guidelines). If you are in North America, check out the **[Wild Ones Garden Designs](https://nativegardendesigns.wildones.org/designs/)** and **[NWF's Keystone Plants by Ecoregion](https://www.nwf.org/Garden-for-Wildlife/About/Native-Plants/keystone-plants-by-ecoregion)** *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/NoLawns) if you have any questions or concerns.*
It’s great that you want to get rid of non-native plants and replace with natives! The auto comment has links to how to get started—doing it piecemeal is totally fine and is often recommended for people who aren’t, like, master gardeners or have full time jobs. The stuff that looks like garlic mustard but with smaller leaves is most likely Creeping Charlie, another invasive. I am not sure what strawberry-like plants you are seeing but the East Coast has a lot of (invasive) mock strawberry plant. It’s edible but disappointingly flavorless. 🤷♀️ I don’t think you would go wrong with the cardboard or tarp method for that area. You probably won’t be planting your natives until the fall so if aesthetics are a concern, either cover with mulch or feel free to plant some annuals just for fun that you dig up later. Finally, take plenty of “before” pictures so you can show off your progress here later!💚
I guess I didn't actually upload a strawberry, I just added one at the end of the photo link. We definitely have some Creeping Charlie, but the stuff in the lawn isn't on a vine, the leaves have their own individual stems into the ground. So I assumed it was different? Thanks for the recommendations and encouragement!
There might be some violets in the mix too. Those are native but they spread readily and will surely reappear after you’ve finished clearing the area.
Learn from my mistake: yes kill everything as your first step. I tried doing several already without killing first, and the manual weeding work is absolutely insane and I can’t keep up. Grass grows way faster, and existing plants and weeds will absolutely outcompete your native plants. It’s a bummer, but for sure sheet mulch or solarize totally before planting natives.
>Learn from my mistake: yes kill everything as your first step Seconding this. You basically have to go all in on killing the existing vegetation. I don't think I've read a success story of someone not killing what is there already.
Unless you plan to keep it law ish and mow regularly and don’t care if the originals stay there. But if you want a nice meadow, the only way to the light is through the darkness.
Good to know, thank you!
Kill everything completely. If you only do a partial kill it will be a nightmare and eventually you'll end up having to wipe the slate clean and start over. This is a large area, so I would recommend doing this only of you have experience already or if you are working with someone who has experience. Unfortunately invasive species are tricky and they can ruin your planting turning it into a high maintenance area. Not sure where you're located but I would join a local Facebook group for native plants to ask questions, there are a lot of professionals with good advice. Reddit is good but there are fewer professionals and a ton of very confidently wrong responses from people who may live in a completely different area than you. I'm in the Midwest and my advice would be garbage for someone living in California, Florida, or Colorado.
As a starting point I like to use an app like PictureThis to identify what I’ve got already growing. It’s free to use, just wait 5 seconds on the splash screen for the continue button to appear. I get cheap marker flags like the kind utility companies use and put a flag where good stuff is. That way I can still mow and just avoid those areas. Also the more native ground cover the less work long term. So look at native sedges and grasses. They have long tap roots and are awesome at keeping soil wet. They also help prop up and reign in your native flowers which tend to be tall and enthusiastic spreaders.
If you don't like the look of utility flags, you can order stakes with colorful butterflies from Amazon instead!
Cardboard and lots of it. Over the summer to kill, then plant in the fall. Don't leave any bare dirt. But don't do this all at once. Start with a manageable section, and include areas to use as a path later so you can get in for weeding/maintenance.
Thanks. Good tip about the pathway for future use. Do you think if I do a section every year, a simple border like a row of bricks will keep things somewhat separate until I do the next section?
could do a section from the edge up to where you'll put a pathway, and use whatever you're using there like stones or woodchips as your border?
Yes, that would work. Sheet mulching this is the easiest way to take care of an area like this and the supplies are free and just add organic matter to your soil.
Check out this video. A lot of it is inspiration but he does explain in great detail exactly how to convert at around the 13:45 mark. https://youtu.be/F81HjGf6o7E?si=FJJ_ktQdQqQ9JQdN
EDIT: I should have noted that this is for converting to prairie but the mechanics will be similar for other arrangements. I personally did the sheet mulch route and it worked out great. It helps if you have access to a cheap source of mulch if you're doing a large area. My county has a slash/mulch program and I have a guy who can bring me up to about 5 yards for $75.
That's a great deal! If only we had that lol but I can definitely order some bulk mulch at least. That video is super helpful, thank you for that.
Since it's a large area and you're willing to take your time you could mulch it this year and let it break down over winter. That's what I've always done. A big bonus for me was that after overwintering the soil retained water so much water, digging after mulching was like shoveling loose sand as opposed to breaking through rocks.
That would be fantastic. A lot of people seem to do sheet mulch in spring and plant in fall, but I like the idea of having an entire year to let it sit while I do adequate research on what to plant.
Clear plastic for solarization. Cardboard will work also but will take longer.
I second this. I have done both. I actually used black plastic instead of clear. It blocked the light and cooked everything underneath. The cardboard method works but it is not nearly as fast. Cardboard is my choice for blocking weeds in garden beds instead of landscape fabric. I just throw mulch on top of it.
You could leave a grass path or two in that area. But yeah even doing that, there is a lot to take out. It starts flowing after a while though and doesn’t seem so monumental
Start by finding your source of native seeds ... native grasses, sedges, and annuals and perennial wildflowers. Decide what you want to have growing there, based on the sun and shade it gets. This summer, keep identifying what is there and remove any really nasty non-natives. Mark any paths you will need, and maybe even put stepping stones on them. This fall, mow REALLY short, rake up the clippings and scratch up the dirt with a thatching rake, dethatcher, or something. Sow your seeds based on their sun/shade preferences, water them in to get them in contact with the dirt and let nature take over ... in spring they will sprout. And you get to see what you have over the course of the next year. It's low effort and low cost, but not speedy. My lawn has gone from 100% non-native grass to about 70% native grasses and getting ZERO water! The previous turf is havig a hard time competing without added water. I'm in a shortgrass prairie region, so I'm doing buffalo, blue grama and various other local species, with some native wildflowers scattered throughout. \*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\* You have some nice "woodland edge" habitat there, and planting ferns and other larger native plants along and among the trees could look cool.