I've heard of people using cardboard instead of newspaper but.

Apr 30, We have decided to remove drought stressed sod from around a 6 year old maple tree. I've recently removed a 10' diameter of sod with a flat shovel after I realized how many surface roots were involved. I plan to minimally level the slope and will fill the area with decorative mulch.

Digging up sod or patches of grass by hand can clear the area around the tree. The top layer of grass plus the thatch, which will reach 1 or 2 inches beneath the soil surface, all need removing to.

The safest way to get rid of the grass is just to use a shovel and scrape off the top layer of grass. If you have some thin spots, you can just pry it up and use it like sod. You can use roundup around trees if you want.

Pick a day with very little wind and hold the sprayer low to the ground. The quickest way to remove the grass around your tree bases is to use a shovel and dig it up. This method is used when you do not have the luxury of time in waiting for other options to work.

The primary item to watch for when digging up patches of grass is to avoid scraping the tree stumpcut.barted Reading Time: 4 mins. Aug 20, Take it down to the bare soil. Remove all the debris from the scalping as thoroughly as possible. Your trees will need to be watered though throughout all of this, though so try to do deep infrequent watering at the base of the trunks. This becomes a catch situation, but persistent removal of the stolons will work, eventually.