ᐅ Natural weed killer before topsoil is laid down

ypg schrieb:

This is all unnatural for the surface and damages the soil.

I had mentioned that it is not good and possibly even prohibited, but apparently not clearly enough. Some even say that glyphosate-based products can sometimes be better for the soil than home remedies like vinegar, salt, etc. Because you only need to apply glyphosate once, whereas with the others you have to repeat the treatment, which can overly acidify and salinize the soil. But whether you want to have glyphosate in your garden is something everyone has to decide for themselves.

The "soil" is a layer of earth less than 5cm (2 inches) thick. I want to remove the weeds from it so they cannot penetrate through the topsoil that will be laid on top.
I will only receive the topsoil at the beginning of August.

I don’t think the soil will be your problem. The ‘new’ topsoil will contain plenty of seeds.

Yes, precisely this soil that has now been removed is the problem!

- Do nothing
- Black plastic sheeting
- Remove roots by sifting, then cover

I would not do anything at all. Many things don’t penetrate the topsoil, and it also brings in some matter itself.

Apart from the area where the lawn didn’t grow, weeds are not a problem for us. We didn’t do anything. The topsoil brings plants along with it, the ones you plant take root, and many seeds come flying in. I have a hazelnut invasion. Thanks a lot to the squirrels and the jay.

Alessandro schrieb:

Actually, the soil that has just been removed is precisely the problem!

That’s not quite what @desixtor meant. The topsoil that is yet to be delivered still contains countless new seeds. In areas where you lay and maintain grass, weeds will disappear quite quickly on their own. Occasionally, you will need to dig out some weeds, and when working in flower beds, weeding by hand is unavoidable. Otherwise, everything has already been covered: sifting the soil and using black plastic sheeting (which also kills beneficial organisms like earthworms), or sowing a dense cover crop (I personally use mustard seed, which is fast-growing, inexpensive, and even decorative). The seeds buried deeper in the soil naturally die off on their own.