How to remove Kikuyu grass for garden?

[Bissy]

I have just started putting in a native garden in my front lawn. The lawn is very well-established Kikuyu. I removed a 70x50cm rectangle of the sod with a square spade for the first plant. It was very time consuming, and looking at the rest of the lawn I’m wondering about a more efficient way to do it. I hear a non-selective herbicide like Roundup could do the job, but I don’t know much about how these poisons work and am a bit concerned about damage to soil nutrients, killing beneficial bugs and other unwanted side effects since the poison binds to the soil and doesn’t break down for years. Am I worrying about nothing?

[MitchellMc]

Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community @greader. It's terrific to have you join us, and many thanks for your question about killing Kikuyu.

The Kikuyu is certainly not going to be looking very healthy after vinegar being poured on it. Just be careful, as if it gets into the soil, it could affect nearby plants. We actually have a whole article on how to remove weeds without harming your pets, which provides advice about how to make your own natural weed killer. Also, be sure to check out How to remove weeds without harming plants.

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Mitchell