If you’re staring at your lawn and wondering how to get rid of it, you’re not alone. Maybe you want to swap grass for a native garden, put in artificial turf, cut your water bill, or just start fresh with a new landscape design. Whatever the reason, the very first job on your list is the same: the old grass has to come out.
Turf removal sounds simple, and in some ways it is, but there’s more to it than grabbing a shovel and hoping for the best. Grass has roots that like to fight back. If you don’t remove or kill those roots completely, the grass will grow right back through your new garden bed, your fresh soil, or even your brand-new artificial lawn.
This guide walks through every method people actually use to remove turf in 2026, how deep you need to dig, how long each method takes, what tools you need, and how to get your soil ready for whatever comes next. By the end, you’ll know exactly which method fits your yard, your budget, and your timeline.
Why Remove Your Turf in the First Place?
Before getting into the “how,” it helps to know the “why,” since that will actually shape which method you pick.
A lot of homeowners are moving away from traditional grass lawns because they’re expensive to keep up. Regular turfgrass needs frequent mowing, steady watering, and regular fertilizing just to look decent. On top of that, a plain grass lawn doesn’t do much for local bees, butterflies, or birds, and its shallow root system doesn’t do much for your soil either. Grass lawns can also add to water runoff and make neighborhoods hotter in the summer.
That’s why so many people are removing turf to plant native gardens, install drought-tolerant landscaping, or lay down artificial grass instead. Each of these projects starts the exact same way: getting the existing grass out of the way so you have clean, bare ground to work with.
What You Need to Know Before You Start
A few things to figure out before you pick up any tools:
Mark the area you’re clearing. Use a garden hose, spray paint, or stakes and string to outline exactly where the grass needs to go. This keeps your project contained and stops you from digging up more lawn than you planned.
Check for sprinkler lines and buried cables. If your lawn has an irrigation system, underground utility lines, or buried dog fence wires, call your utility company or flag them before you dig. This step gets skipped a lot, and it’s the one that causes the most expensive mistakes.
Water the ground first. Dry, hard soil is miserable to dig through. Watering the lawn a day or two before you start (or waiting for a good rain) softens the ground and makes digging or cutting much easier on your back.
Decide what you’re doing with the old grass. You can compost it, pile it in an out-of-the-way corner to break down naturally, or bag it up for yard waste pickup. Even a small lawn produces more grass and soil debris than most people expect, so it’s worth thinking about ahead of time.
Method 1: Digging It Out by Hand
Manual digging is the classic, low-cost way to remove turf, and it’s still the best option for small areas or spots where you want precise control.
Here’s how it works. Using a flat, sharp spade or a garden shovel, cut the turf into manageable sections, roughly the size of a dinner plate or a bit bigger. Push the spade in at a shallow angle so you’re slicing under the grass roots rather than straight down. You want to go deep enough to catch the root system, which usually means digging down about 4 to 5 inches. Any shallower and small white rhizome roots left behind can resprout, meaning your “removed” grass grows right back.
Once a section is cut free, you have two choices. You can flip it upside down and leave it in place, so the grass faces the soil below and slowly breaks down into natural mulch. This is a great option if you’re prepping for a new planting bed, since the decomposing turf feeds the soil as your new plants settle in. Or, you can lift the section out completely, shake off the extra soil, and either compost it or haul it away. Shaking the soil back into your yard instead of throwing it out keeps your topsoil where it belongs and makes the grass clumps far lighter to carry.
Digging works best for garden beds, smaller lawns, or spots you want to shape carefully. It’s inexpensive since you likely already own the tools, but it’s genuinely hard, sweaty work, and it can take a full weekend or more if your lawn is on the larger side.
Method 2: Renting a Sod Cutter
For medium to large lawns, a sod cutter can save your back and your weekend. This machine slices under the grass at a consistent depth and lifts it in long, even strips, similar to rolling up a carpet.
Sod cutters are available to rent from most hardware stores or equipment rental centers. Since these machines are heavy, plan on renting a truck or trailer with a ramp to get it home. Start at one edge of your lawn and work across in straight passes, letting the machine do the cutting rather than forcing it. Set the cutting depth to reach the roots, generally around 4 inches, so you’re not left with regrowth later.
Wear sturdy shoes, gloves, and eye protection while running the machine, since sod cutters can kick up rocks and debris. Once you’ve cut through the whole area, roll up the strips of sod, and use a wheelbarrow to move them since wet turf gets heavy fast. After the sod is gone, go back over the exposed soil with a rake to pull out leftover roots, break up big clumps, and smooth the surface for whatever comes next.
This method is faster than hand digging for anything over a few hundred square feet, but you will pay a rental fee and need somewhere to haul or dispose of the sod strips.
Method 3: Smothering (Sheet Mulching)
If your back isn’t up for digging and you’re not in a rush, smothering is the least physically demanding way to remove turf. It just takes patience, since it works by slowly starving the grass of sunlight rather than physically removing it.
Start by mowing your grass as short as your mower allows. Then lay down overlapping sheets of plain cardboard or several layers of newspaper directly over the grass, making sure there are no gaps where sunlight can sneak through, since grass will find any opening. On top of that, spread a 2 to 3 inch layer of mulch, compost, or wood chips to hold everything down and speed up decomposition.
Water the whole area well after laying it down. Then you wait. Depending on the season and how thick your grass was to begin with, smothering typically takes anywhere from two months to a full growing season to fully kill the grass underneath. Starting in spring and letting it work through summer, ready for fall planting, tends to give the most reliable results.
The upside of this method is that it costs very little, takes almost no physical effort, and actually improves your soil as the cardboard and organic material break down. The downside is simply time. If you need bare ground fast, this isn’t the method for you.
Method 4: Solarization
Solarization is a close cousin of smothering, but instead of blocking sunlight, it uses the sun’s heat to essentially cook the grass and its roots.
This method works best during the hottest, sunniest stretch of the year. Start by watering the area thoroughly, since damp soil conducts heat better than dry soil. Then cover the marked-off area with a sheet of clear plastic, sealing the edges tightly with soil, rocks, or bricks so no heat escapes. The clear plastic traps solar energy and can push soil temperatures under it well above what any grass or weed can survive.
Leave the plastic in place for 4 to 8 weeks, checking every so often to see the grass turning yellow, then brown, underneath. Once it’s fully dead, remove the plastic, let the soil cool and dry out for a few days, then rake it smooth and prep it for planting or your next project.
Solarization is eco-friendly, requires very little physical labor, and can also kill off many weed seeds sitting near the surface. Its biggest downside is that it only works well in warm, sunny climates during the hottest part of the year, so it’s not a great fit for cooler regions or cloudy seasons.
Method 5: Herbicide Treatment
Chemical herbicide is generally the least recommended DIY option, mostly because getting even coverage without harming nearby plants takes real skill, and misuse can affect soil health and nearby waterways.
If your lawn is very large, heavily overgrown, or has stubborn, deep-rooted grass that other methods struggle with, it’s worth hiring a licensed lawn care professional to evaluate the site and apply the right product safely. Depending on how established the grass is, this usually means one application every two weeks over the course of a month during the active growing season, with up to three rounds needed for particularly overgrown or naturalized areas.
Once the grass is fully dead, the dried material can be tilled into the soil or raked away before you move forward with your project.
Method 6: Hiring a Landscaping Company
If none of the above sound appealing, you can always hand the whole job to a landscaping crew. A good company will handle the digging, sod cutting, or tilling needed to clear your grass and leave you with smooth, root-free soil that’s ready for planting or installation.
This is the most expensive option, but it’s also the fastest and takes the physical labor off your plate entirely. It’s worth considering if you have a large yard, a tight timeline, or physical limits that make digging or machine work difficult.
How Deep Do You Actually Need to Dig?
This comes up constantly, and the honest answer is: it depends on what’s growing and what you’re doing next.
For most home lawns, digging or cutting down about 4 to 5 inches is enough to catch the bulk of the root system and any spreading rhizomes, the little white underground stems that let grass regrow even after you think it’s gone. If you’re prepping ground for artificial grass installation, you’ll typically need to excavate a bit deeper, often 70 to 100mm (roughly 3 to 4 inches) below the final turf removal point, to leave enough room for a sub-base layer, weed membrane, and proper drainage.
Going too shallow is the single most common mistake in turf removal. It might look done on the surface, but leftover roots mean grass sprouting back up through your new garden bed or your artificial lawn within a few weeks.
Getting Your Soil Ready After Turf Removal
Removing the grass is only half the job. What you do with the bare soil afterward determines how well your next project turns out.
Start by raking the area to pull out any leftover roots, rocks, or clumps of old sod. If you’re planting a garden, work some compost or organic matter into the top few inches of soil to replace some of the nutrients the old lawn used up. If you’re prepping for artificial grass, you’ll need to excavate to the right depth, add and compact a layer of aggregate like crushed stone, then top it with a permeable weed membrane before the new turf goes down.
Either way, give the area a little time to settle before you plant or install anything on top. A week or two of settling time helps you catch any low spots or soft patches while they’re still easy to fix.
Keeping Grass From Coming Back
Even after a thorough removal, a few grass shoots often try to make a comeback, especially in the first growing season. Check on your cleared area regularly and pull any stray sprouts by hand, roots and all, using a small hand shovel or soil knife. Staying on top of it for the first few months is much easier than dealing with a full regrowth later.
Frequently Asked Questions
How deep do I need to dig to remove turf?
Most lawns need about 4 to 5 inches of digging to remove the grass roots and rhizomes completely. Artificial grass projects often need extra depth below that to fit a sub-base and drainage layer.
What’s the fastest way to remove turf?
Digging by hand or renting a sod cutter gives you bare soil the same day. Smothering and solarization are slower, usually taking two months or more, but need far less physical effort.
Can I remove turf without chemicals?
Yes. Manual digging, sod cutting, smothering, and solarization all remove or kill turf without any herbicide, making them better choices for anyone wanting an eco-friendlier approach.
What should I do with the grass after I remove it?
You can compost it, flip it upside down in place to break down as natural mulch, or pile it in a hidden corner of the yard. Composting or reusing it on-site cuts down on yard waste heading to the curb.
Will turf grow back after removal?
It can, if any roots or rhizomes are left behind. Digging shallow is the most common cause of regrowth, so always dig deep enough to clear the full root system, and check the area for stray sprouts during the first growing season.
What’s the best season to remove turf?
Spring through early summer works well for digging and sod cutting. Smothering is best started in spring so the grass has the whole summer to die off before fall planting. Solarization needs the hottest, sunniest weeks of summer to work properly.
Choosing the Right Method for You
There’s no single “best” way to remove turf. It really comes down to your lawn size, your timeline, your budget, and how much physical work you’re up for.
If you have a small area and don’t mind a bit of a workout, digging by hand gives you full control at almost no cost. For bigger lawns, a sod cutter speeds things up considerably. If you’ve got time to spare and want to avoid heavy labor entirely, smothering or solarization will do the work for you, just on nature’s schedule instead of yours. And if your lawn is large, overgrown, or you’d simply rather not deal with any of it, hiring the best turf installation company in santa monica la gets it handled quickly and correctly.
Whichever method you pick, the goal stays the same: clear, root-free soil, ready for whatever you’re planting, building, or installing next.