# do I need to remove dead weeds before tilling the soil



## nasrin (Sep 5, 2017)

Hello,
I have a yard that has mostly weed and some small and not so small rocks. I would like to put a new lawn. I already applied herbicide to kill the weeds and grass or whatever is in there. apparently I missed some and after a week I still see some green stuff in the yard. I would like to do this project this sunday. what is the best way to approach it? 
this is what I was planning to do:
1. get a rototiller and till the dead weeds into the soil. 
2. remove the ones that are not dead 
3. flat the surface, remove rocks 
4. roll the soil
5. seed

does this sound right?
thanks


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## Dave Sal (Dec 20, 2012)

That's how I did my backyard when I first bought the house new. There was no previous lawn, just a vacant lot with lots of weeds. A few years later and my neighbor said my grass "looked like a country club".


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## KHouse75 (May 14, 2008)

That'll work fine. I've tilled yards full of live weeds and grass and only remove the clumps that sat on the surface after leveling. The new grass grew in just fine.

Soil is full of weed seed. Even if you kill all the living plants, the weed seed will still germinate along with whatever grass seed you plant.

One method that helps reduce weed growth when growing grass is after you have killed existing grass and weeds and tilled, water frequently to get all the surface weed seed to germinate then kill the weed seedlings then plant your grass seed.


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## stick\shift (Mar 23, 2015)

Not ideal but it should work.


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## nasrin (Sep 5, 2017)

thanks.
what would be the ideal?


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## stick\shift (Mar 23, 2015)

Killing all of the undesired plants first.

You're close enough that I would not entertain the delay that would cause.


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## Bondo (Dec 8, 2007)

> 1. get a rototiller and till the dead weeds into the soil.
> 2. remove the ones that are not dead
> 3. flat the surface, remove rocks
> 4. roll the soil
> 5. seed


Ayuh,.... I'd do, #4. seed, 'n fertilize,...
#5. roll,...
#6. Hay mulch, heavily,...
#7 water daily,...


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## chandler48 (Jun 5, 2017)

Hopefully you are killing the weeds early enough. If they seed out, you can kill all the green you want, but you haven't stopped the cycle of life, and they will return. After you do your list, you may still have to use a pre emergent next spring until you stop the weed growth.


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## Colbyt (Jan 27, 2014)

Organic matter is organic matter. Only if they were seeded out.

With my mantis I remove the stalky stuff because it does not digest them well. With a counter rotating tiller you be fine.


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## BCClassic (Aug 24, 2017)

Thank you . . . .


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## Canarywood1 (May 5, 2012)

nasrin said:


> Hello,
> I have a yard that has mostly weed and some small and not so small rocks. I would like to put a new lawn. I already applied herbicide to kill the weeds and grass or whatever is in there. apparently I missed some and after a week I still see some green stuff in the yard. I would like to do this project this sunday. what is the best way to approach it?
> this is what I was planning to do:
> 1. get a rototiller and till the dead weeds into the soil.
> ...




Since we don't know where on the planet you reside, no one on a DYI can tell you when to do what you plan, here's a link that will help more than any of us can.


http://www.greatdayimprovements.com/when-to-plant-grass-seed-in-your-state.aspx


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## nervioral (Jun 25, 2021)

I'm sorry for necroposting but I personally don't see a problem in dead weed. So, basically, it'll barely affect the process of tilling. But it depends on the weed you're having there. Sometimes different kind of grass can be extremely tenacious, so you won't get rid of them that easy. Sometimes even lawn mowers don't help, so you need to pull the weed out manually or with handy tools. I've recently read on https://www.growgardener.com/best-weed-puller/ about weed pullers that are useful tools for that kind of work. Still, I usually don't care about dead weed and keep it in the soil.


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## DoomsDave (Dec 6, 2018)

nervioral said:


> I'm sorry for necroposting but I personally don't see a problem in dead weed. So, basically, it'll barely affect the process of tilling.


You've got a point!

But . . . . 

My experience is that sometimes they may only look dead, like that bobcat someone hit with a car, that wasn't (another story). With some weeds, I try to rip them out wholesale.

A great deal depends on exactly what they deceased are. Annual things, or stuff like bermuda grass, not so bad. Stuff like English Ivy, I'd try to rip out.


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## Msradell (Sep 1, 2011)

DoomsDave said:


> Annual things, or stuff like bermuda grass, not so bad. Stuff like English Ivy, I'd try to rip out.


Bermuda grass is just as hard in English IV to get rid of or maybe even harder. I agree that annual grasses are not a problem unless they've already dropped seeds but any type perennial grass, especially grasses like Bermuda or St. Augustine are extremely hard to kill.

Killing any of these items with a heavy dose of Roundup and then tilling under would work well.


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## DoomsDave (Dec 6, 2018)

Msradell said:


> Bermuda grass is just as hard in English IV to get rid of or maybe even harder. I agree that annual grasses are not a problem unless they've already dropped seeds but any type perennial grass, especially grasses like Bermuda or St. Augustine are extremely hard to kill.
> 
> Killing any of these items with a heavy dose of Roundup and then tilling under would work well.


Well, in my experience, Bermuda grass is cake to kill compared to Ivy. The reason is that BG, while tough, soaks up the roundup. Ivy is waxed, and won't. Right there, huge, enormous difference.

On the other hand, I can see how dealing with seeds of BG can be a problem, but, no one ever said thorough murder isn't time consuming . . . . 

Mua ha ha ha


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