How to Remove Timothy Grass From the Lawn

Timothy grass is a perennial grass that grows in a tall and clumping manner. While it's useful to farmers as cattle and horse feed, most homeowners don't like the appearance of the grass in their yard. You can dig it all up or smother it. Digging it up is a faster method, but it's also more labor intensive. Choose which method works best for you and plan to eradicate it at any time of year.

Remove by Digging

• 1

  Spray timothy grass with water. Let it run until the soil and roots are wet because it will be easier to pull out the grass.

• 2

  Insert a spade under the clump of grass. Remove it and re-insert the spade to loosen the soil. Work around the timothy grass in a circle until the soil is no longer packed down.

• 3

  Hold onto the clump of grass just above the ground. Pull it up by hand. Make sure you're ripping out all of the roots. If there are some left, dig in with the spade and loosen them to pull them out. Repeat to remove all unwanted grass.

• 4

  Look over your yard in a few weeks to see if the timothy grass has started to grow back. If you failed to remove some of the roots, it will. Moisten and pull out any grass as it grows in.

Remove by Smothering

• 1

  Mow the lawn. Run a hose or sprinkler over it it until you moisten the timothy grass and soil.

• 2

  Lay down newspaper over the grass. Use at least eight sheets in each pile to create a thick layer. Moisten the newspaper with water.

• 3

  Shovel soil or mulch over the newspaper. Make the layer at least 2-inches thick. The mulch will hold the paper in place. The newspaper will decompose within the season. The mulch will also break down, adding nutrients to the soil.

• 4

  Look for the timothy grass to die over several months. The newspaper will block nutrients like sunlight and air from getting to the ground, killing everything beneath it.

• 5

  Reseed the lawn or plant bushes and flowers in place of the timothy grass.