How to Kill Grass Before Pouring Slab

Planning a patio or extending your driveway by pouring concrete can end in disaster if you still have foliage growth on the ground where you plan to pour a slab. To prevent problems with grass growing through eventual stress cracks or between separate parts of one poured area, kill the grass first. By naturally killing the grass, you can avoid harming grass or plants outside the area.

Tape measure
Lawn stakes
Lawnmower
Garden hose
Newspaper
Plastic tarp
Large rocks

Instructions

- 1
  Measure off the area of grass you want to kill, using the tape measure. Place lawn stakes at each corner of the area.
- 2
  Mow the area of grass between the stakes with the lowest setting on your mower for a close cut.
- 3
  Spray the entire area with a garden hose to soak it.
- 4
  Unfold a newspaper and lay the sheets over the area. Overlap the newspaper pages to cover the area thoroughly. Use more than one newspaper if necessary.
- 5
  Lay a plastic tarp over the layer of newspaper to hold it down and keep light from reaching the grass. Place heavy rocks over the tarp to keep it in place. The grass will die off from lack of sunlight.
- 6
  Lift the tarp and look at the grass every couple of days to check for dead grass.
- 7
  Remove the tarp and stakes. Rake up any remaining newspaper.

DIY Pouring a Driveway

What Causes a Brand New Concrete Driveway to Pit?

Paving