How to remove kikuyu grass?

[Annemiek]

 Hi. I have sprayed a large patch of unwanted kikuyu grass near my raised vegetable beds with Round up, twice, several weeks ago, but I can’t rake out the dead kikuyu as it is solid stuff. Should I hire a cultivator and then spray again if necessary, or would digging with a spade and removing the top layer of soil and roots be safer ?  I am in NZ.

Thanks for your reply.

[MitchellMc]

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

What are your plans for the area once the grass is removed? If you plan on growing a different kind of grass, removing the existing dead material would be beneficial, and a cultivator would be a good method of doing so. If you were going to mulch or add pebbles over the area, a layer of weed matting prior would suffice, and you could leave the dead material in place.

Using a spade to remove the top layer would ensure the grass is totally gone, though depending on the size of the area, this could be a substantial amount of physical effort.

The grass is now essentially organic matter that will break down on its own. However, depending on what you'll be planting, it would be important to turn the soil over and open it up so the roots of the new plants can penetrate easily.

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Mitchell
 

[Annemiek]

Many thanks for your reply and it’s a big help. I am going to plant new grass so I will hire a cultivator to remove the dead kikuyu.  It’s a thick mat which will need something vigorous to break it up. Thanks again for your advice !