Whether you preparing beds for landscaping around your
house, or preparing a bed where you plan on growing landscape
plants for profit, this article should simplify the process for
you. I say that because of everything that is written about
this subject, some of it is accurate, some of it is just plain
wrong, and much of it is much more complicated than it needs to
be. I like to think of myself as simple Simon. I find the
easiest, yet most effective way to do things, and they work.
Let's assume that the area where you are planning your
bed is now planted in grass. How do you get rid of the grass.
Chemicals or no chemicals? Chemicals are easy, so we'll look
at the chemical method first.
My favorite chemical for killing grass is RoundUp, and
used properly it is effective. Rule number one: Read the
label on the package, and mix the chemical exactly as
recommended by the manufacture. Rule number two: Assume that
every plant that the RoundUp touches is going to die. It is a
non-selective herbicide.
The first thing you need to do is mark out where your
planting bed is going to be. Spend some time on this step. If
you are landscaping around your house, give careful
consideration to what is going to be planted in the bed, and
then decide how large each plant is going to be when fully
mature. You can keep plants trimmed to a certain size, but be
realistic when you make these estimates. Trust me when I tell
you, this is the number one mistake made by Do-it-yourself
landscapers. People are just afraid to make those beds large
enough.
Typically, a bed should never be narrower than 42", and
corner beds should be 12' in diameter. Islands. If you make
those little tiny island beds that I see everywhere I am going
to come over to your house and snap you with a wet towel! The
island bed in your front yard should be 20' to 40' long, and a
minimum of 12' in diameter on at least one end.
The easiest way to mark out your planting beds is to
buy a can of upside down spray paint at the hardware store.
Unlike most spray paint, this only works when the can is
inverted, and it is designed specifically for painting lines on
the ground. They even have cans that spray chalk instead of
paint. I've always used the paint, it holds up better if it
gets wet.
Once you have the outline of the bed established and
marked, mix up some RoundUp and spray all the grass and weeds
inside the bed area. Do not put RoundUp in a sprayer that you
intend to use for other purposes. You need a sprayer that is
dedicated for the use of herbicides. When applying the spray,
be very careful not to let the spray drift onto the grass and
other plants that you do not want to kill. To minimize spray
drift, adjust the spray nozzle so the spray pattern is narrow
and the droplets are larger. A wide, fine spray pattern is
sure to drift outside of the intended area. Also keep the
pressure in the sprayer quite low. Pump it just enough to
deliver the spray. High pressure causes the spray to atomize
and drift.
Apply just enough spray to wet the foliage. If you
have liquid dripping off the blades of grass, you are applying
too much. More is not better. Once sprayed, be careful not to
step in the area that has been sprayed. Many a people have had
golden foot prints across their lawn because they forgot and
walked through what had been sprayed.
This is the difficult part, and the part that many
people do not get, so pay close attention. The only way that
the RoundUp can possibly work, is you leave it alone. Did you
get that? Don't do another thing with that bed for 72 hours.
That's three very long days. I know you're anxious, but this
is the price you pay for not planning ahead. RoundUp is a
systemic herbicide, which means that it has to be absorbed by
the plant, then trans located throughout the plant. It takes
three days for that to happen. If you go digging and chopping,
you might just as well skip the spraying step. Go build a
compost bin while you're waiting.
After three days the weeds and grass are going to look
as healthy and happy as ever. Don't let em fool ya. They're
as dead as dead can be. Providing the RoundUp didn't get
washed off by rain within the first 24 hours of the waiting
period. Now you can dig and chop to your heart's content.
However, the only digging that I do is to go around the edge of
the bed and strip the sod back about 15". Just peel off about
1" and flip it into the center of the bed. This makes it
easier to edge and mulch the bed if you get the sod out of the
way.
Now for the non chemical method. Mark out the outline
of the bed as described above. Strip the sod back 15", just
like above. Since you aren't using any herbicides I would dig
down about 1-1/2" when removing the sod from the edges. Take
the sod you stripped back and lay it in the center of the bed
upside down and pack it down firmly. Now take newspaper or
brown paper grocery bags and cover the entire bed area. Use 9
layers of newspaper.
No matter what method you used, chemical or non chemical,
you are now ready to fill the planting bed with topsoil. Put 8
to 12" of good rich topsoil in the bed. Make sure the soil is
higher in the back, closest to the wall, so the water drains
away from the building. If you are creating an island planting
make the center of the bed the highest point.
Make sure the topsoil you buy is well drained and rich
in organic matter. Buying topsoil is a tricky game, you've got
to be careful and shop around. Topsoil is one item that you do
not want to order over the phone, sight unseen. This is what
you are looking for. Topsoil that is rich in organic matter
will be very dark in color. If the soil is light in color it
is probably just fill sand. The other thing you've got to
watch for is how well drained the soil is. Topsoil that has a
clay base is poorly drained, and sticky, and your plants will
not be happy at all. They might even die if they are too wet.
Once a clay based topsoil dries out it gets very hard.
Today most topsoil is run through a screener to remove
the clumps, rocks, roots, and sticks. There is nothing wrong
with buying unscreened topsoil, especially if you've visually
inspected it, and have found it to be of good quality.
Actually, really good topsoil shouldn't have to be screened,
but there is little of that quality topsoil to be had. When
you visit the yard where the soil is stock piled, scoop up a
handful of the topsoil and run it through your fingers. If it
seems to be grainy, it is probably good soil. But if it
appears to tiny round balls, that can be smashed between your
fingers, it is probably a clay based soil that will trap water
during rainy seasons, and get as hard as a rock when it's hot
and dry.
Pay attention to how the soil is screened. Some
machines just shake the soil over a set of screens to separate
the debris, and others actually shred the soil. If the soil
needs to be shredded, you don't want it. Look closely at the
pile that the raw soil is coming from. If the soil in the raw
pile is as hard as a rock, that's what the screened soil is
going be once you get it in your beds. If it appears to be
fairly loose, it's probably good soil.
Put 6-8" of topsoil in your beds. You are now ready to
plant. Did you notice that I didn't get into rototilling and
all kinds of extra work. Nor did I suggest that you add bone
meal or any of those other goodies that the garden centers
sell. I skipped the part about checking the Ph too. Ph is
important, but I've found that good topsoil almost always has a
suitable ph.
I've got a confession to make. In almost 30 years of
growing, planting, landscaping and the like, I've never tested
the ph of the soil on any project that I was working on. Is
that smart? I don't know, but I've been successful in my
efforts, and I have landscaped a few hundred homes and grown
tens of thousands of plants. It's something to think about.
What I'm really trying to say is don't get caught up in too
many details, and be careful who you take advice from at those
garden stores. Many of those sales people were flipping
burgers last week.
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About The Author
If you have questions for Mike McGroarty visit his website,
http://www.freeplants.com and post them on the message board
where you can learn lots of gardening tips and communicate with
other gardeners. While at his website you can learn how to
start your own profitable backyard nursery. If you would like
a copy of Mike's booklet, "The Secret of Growing Landscape
Plants from Scratch", send .00 to: Garden Secrets, P.O. Box
338, Perry, Ohio 44081
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