How do you remove a giant century plant?
melric
14 years ago
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maifleur01
14 years agolazy_gardens
14 years agoRelated Discussions
How do you plant your trees ? Do you excavate 'luxury pits' ?
Comments (20)Quite a nice bit on that -- hammer drill? When I first started doing gardening here, I spent $100 (with discounts and coupons) on the lowest quality Harbor Freight demolition hammer (like a mini jack hammer, but can be hand held). It acts a little funny (won't engage easily sometimes) but I've put many hours on that thing and it was WELL worth it as renting one would've been $70 for the day. It tears apart the rock-hard hard pan. My hard pan cannot be broken with a pick axe; the first time I tried was hilarious. I had padded gloves, safety gear, lifted the axe overhead and let loose a full-body powered swing onto the pan (I love to chop wood and I've broken up sidewalk with a sledge and pick, so I know how to "power chop"). Well, my attempt was less than successful as there was a loud CLANG and with it a giant spark! The smallest little dent was made the size of a dime. My boys laughed as I put the axe down and tried to get feeling back into my still vibrating hands for the next couple minutes. Felt like I was in a Looney Tune cartoon. This picture is a section that was breaking off in chunks. The piece in my hand it turned over -- the pan to the right of my hand is more typical....See MoreHow do you get rid of a giant rose bush?
Comments (9)Get someone with a pick-up (and a strong bumper) to come over, back it up reasonably close to the rose, tie a chain or very strong rope to the bumper and around the base of the rose (after you have trimmed off all the top branches in about 1-2 ft lengths to be disposed of), and drive forward slow but steady to pull it out along with most of its roots. Now you can chop/saw it up some more into smaller, easily disposable pieces. You might have to repair the lawn a bit in a few places afterwards, but that is easy compared to digging up an old well-established big rose. I've never done that with a rose, but that is how we dislodged a stubborn Crepe myrtle tree/very tall bush--and that thing did not want to let go of the ground! (Don't worry--we dropped it into a big pre-dug hole at the back of the property, watered it generously--nearly excessively, in fact--and it is still growing and blooming 8 years later.) Kate...See MoreDo you have a plant budget and how do you track?
Comments (9)I collect tropicals and I like rare plants. I don't really keep track. I will go 3 mos without buying any then splurge a little when I find something 'good' lol. I know what I do and do not have...sometimes finding it is a different story lol. Chickens like to pull tags off of plants and out of the pots, so some of my older stuff like dragonfruits, I don't know which variety is which, but I know I have 8 different ones and I know the names of which varieties I bought haha. I have started using paint pens on all the pots and UV resistant marker and tree tags or metal tags on the taller plants so they can't get removed so easily. I spent way too much on water plants this spring but I hardly bought anything all winter so.... The seedlings that I have kept careful track of (ones I used paint pens on the pots) are my brugmansia seedlings and other hybridizing projects. I also use a spreadsheet so I know who begat whom on those. I usually give myself 3 times to kill something before I give up. If I kill it twice I will wait to buy it again until whatever conditions I couldn't provide the plant are fixed. Of course, if I get it again for free=that philosophy goes out the window. ~SJN...See MoreHow do you remove grass from growing inside a hydrangea?
Comments (7)I think you are playing with fire if you try to do it chemically! What zone are you in and how old is the plant and how big? Can you take some photos? Have you mulched or used ground covers under your bushes? I have more than 40 hydrangeas and grass is not a problem because the root balls are solid enough to keep out grass. If it is really a bad problem, then I would dig up the plant, wash off the roots and pull the grass out from the bottom. Make sure to pull any roots under the root ball and then pop the plant back in the spot where you lifted it. Don't be afraid to dig up a hydrangea - especially for a few hours. Be careful not to cut too many roots but most hydrangeas are pretty shallow rooted and easy to dig. After you replant - be sure to water well and you might have to add some new soil, but be sure to mix it well with the old soil. Mulch the plant well. The mulch will not only keep the soil moist but prevent more grass or weeds from under your hydrangea. Do not add fertilizer at this time - you don't want to encourage new growth that will be killed by the first cold weather....See Moremaifleur01
14 years agozowiemama
14 years agomikeyinfla
13 years agoJeremy Madsen
8 years agoJeremy Madsen
8 years agowantonamara Z8 CenTex
8 years agoUser
8 years agowisconsitom
8 years agotuben
7 years agowisconsitom
7 years agostanofh 10a Hayward,Ca S.F. bay area
5 years agowantonamara Z8 CenTex
5 years ago
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