replacing lawn with zeroscape

[bdepew]

Have customer who wants to get rid of the grass they have now and put gravel down, is it just a matter of tilling up grass, spraying weed control laying plastic then throwing the gravel down?

any help would be appreciated

[Bob Minney]

I would use a sod cutter or front end loader to scrape off the turf.
Also lots of different ways to go with xeriscape. Its not to my taste but there is good money maintaining xeriscape especially as it ages.
CSU extension office xeriscape link
http://www.ext.colostate.edu/ptlk/ptlk1900.html

[bdepew]

Customer just wants to pull up old grass and throw gravel down? any good way about going at this?

[Bob Minney]

I'm guessing that there are sidewalks and a drive that you want to keep the rock level below.
You could spray round up, till it, then remove the excess soil before laying weed barrier and rock.
Easy way would be to use sod cutter or loader, no spray, no till, just scape off sod and do your install.
Either way there will be lots of debris to haul.

If your not worried about where the level of the rock will be, spray with round up, use some type edging to contain rock, do install. Cant see a reason to till if doing this way.

[Green in Idaho]

If it's not too late I would try to persuade the homeowner away from just gravel.

Remind them of the heat and reflection of the rocks. For what they save in not irrigating they will pay more in electric bills to cool their home.

Straight gravel is ugly! Glares in the Reno sun and it's UGLY!

Straight dirt is even better than gravel..

Why do they want gravel instead of grass?

There are several drought grasses... Or scape it like the NV desert sparse planting, soil, not real grass but at least it blends with their environment.

How about colored rock? in browns or such. how about a dry riverbed look goin through but planting (xeri) on the sides....

Gravel is going to look BAD.

[rvsuper]

Do you mean xeriscape? I've never heard of it, but is there actually a 'zeroscape'?

[Green in Idaho]

Both are actual styles. Xeriscape and zeroscape.