Return to the Great Lakes Gardening Forum
| Post a Follow-Up
digging out garden/starting fresh
| | |
Posted by brugs_bunny z5 ON Canada (My Page) on Thu, Feb 1, 07 at 14:30
| I hope someone can offer some advice regarding this. I have lived in my house for almost 6 years and have been fighting the same ground cover that gets out of control this whole time. So what I thought of doing is digging up all the plants that I want to keep, such as butterfly bush, azalea, beebalm, some lily bulbs, iris', hostas, echanacea, etc. Then digging down approximately 6 inches if my energy allows, putting in new top soils, then some sort of cover like a garden mesh or newspaper and finally mulch. Do you think this would work to get rid of the plants that I no longer want? Or is there something else I should do? If this will work, when is the best time to dig all my favorites out?
Thanks. |
Follow-Up Postings:
RE: digging out garden/starting fresh
| | |
| Ideally you should identify the ground cover by taking a piece to a garden centre as treatment for annuals or perennials will differ. Annual weeds may be controlled with a pre emergent chemical or good mulch while perennial weeds need stronger treatment. However,if you don't know what it is, treating as a perennial will also eliminate most annuals. If you have an aggressive perennial ground cover, then you need to get rid of all the roots; digging down 6 inches will not achieve this. If you don't object to chemicals, then Round Up can help. Early in the spring, when the ground cover has greened up but the desirables have not, spray the area with Round up. Wait about two weeks, then spray any ground cover that is still green again -- you may need to cover any sprouting desirables with an overturned pot to protect them the Round up. Wait another two weeks, then cover the bed with 3-4 inches of mulch. If any ground cover appears during the summer, hand pull as soon as you spot it. To do this without chemicals takes a little more time. Dig up the plants you want early in the spring just as they green up and transplant to pots. Cover the ground cover with 6-8 layers of newspaper, moisten it and then cover with 3-4 inches of mulch. The newspaper and mulch will prevent sunlight from getting to the ground cover and kill the roots. Wait 6-8 weeks to make sure the ground cover is dead then dig small holes through the newspaper and replant the potted plants. If any ground cover shows up, hand pull as soon as noticed. |
|
|
|
|
