How to Change a Grass Lawn to Rocks
- 1). Remove small amounts of grass with a manual sod cutter. This tool has a shoe-sized platform at the base of a long handle. Below the platform is a blade that cuts into the sod when the user steps down on the platform. Use the cutter to slice sections of grass, then remove the grass with a flat shovel or hoe.
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Sod can be rolled up and replanted elsewheresod-cut pieces image by Jeffrey Zalesny from Fotolia.com
Remove large sections of lawn with a gas-powered sod cutter. This machine is available to rent at most tool rental stores. It isn't difficult to navigate. Guide the machine down the length of sod to be cut. Cut another path parallel to the first, about 2 feet wide. When the sod is cut, it may be rolled up and transported to another area for replanting. - 3). Kill sections of grass by applying an herbicide or by laying large sheets of black plastic over the grass you're killing. Wait a week before removing the plastic. Rake up the dead grass.
- 4). Determine what size rocks will be used. Pea gravel is 1/4 inch in length and is usually gray. It is pleasant to walk on but is easily displaced by water. Pea gravel should not be used on a slope or at the base of a slope. River rock is available in ½ to 1 inch size or 1 to 1 ½ inch size. It is gray, brown or tan. It is not easy to walk on, but it holds its place well in rain. Marble chips are white and about 1 inch in size. Lava rock is maroon or black and also about an inch in size.
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Calculate the area as length x widthCalculator image by Alhazm Salemi from Fotolia.com
Measure the area where the rock will go. Area equals length x width. Generally, 1 ton of rock covers 100 square feet, 2 inches deep. Calculate how much rock is needed. - 6
Use a wheelbarrow to transport the rockWheelbarrow image by Paul Dearden from Fotolia.com
Spread the rock using a wheelbarrow to transport it and a pitchfork or flat shovel to spread it. Work from the far side of the yard, out toward the edges. Avoid placing rocks over in-ground water meters, main water shut-off controls or other in-ground utility controls.
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