Tips for Preparing a Planting Bed
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Article by: Michael J. McGroarty If you are preparing beds , Light Up the Night! Quick Facts about Outdoor Lighting for landscaping , Hydroponics in Your Garden around your house , Hydroponics in Your Garden 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 , Garden Sheds is now planted in grass. , Outdoor Lighting 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 , Snakes - They're Not as Slithery as Some People I Know! and weeds , Your Rose Garden Planting 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 manufacturer. , Fences Rule number two: Assume that every plant , Tulip Trees - The King of the Magnolias 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 , Concrete Mold Buying Tips is going to be. Spend some time on this step. If you are landscaping , Pruning Trees and Shrubs to Enhance Garden Views around your house, , Tulip Trees - The King of the Magnolias give careful consideration to what is going to be planted in the bed, , Snakes - They're Not as Slithery as Some People I Know! and then decide how large each plant , Bamboo: a Versatile and Renewable Resource is going to be when fully mature. You can keep plants , Lawn Mower Racing 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 , Gardening Tips To Excite Toddlers And Preschoolers large enough. Typically, a bed , Five Key Factors that Affect your Potted Plants in Winter should never be narrower than 42", and corner beds , Hydroponics in Your Garden should be 12' in diameter. Islands. If you make those little tiny island beds , Fences that I see everywhere I am going to come over to your house , Concrete Mold Buying Tips and snap you with a wet towel! The island bed , How to Grow Hydrangeas in your front yard , How to Rid that Lawn of Thatch! 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 , This Is How You Grow Sprouts is to buy a can of marking paint , Bamboo: a Versatile and Renewable Resource at the hardware , Hydroponics Gardening - An Introduction To Hydroponics Gardening For Beginners (Part 10) Nutrients store. Unlike most spray paint, , The history of the gnome. this only works when the can is inverted, and it is designed specifically for painting , Finding the Best Pond Pumps lines on the ground. They even have cans that spray chalk instead of paint. , Brighten Your Path By Installing Decorative Landscape Lighting I've always used the paint, , Abatement Regulations Often Confuse and Do Not Make Sense it holds up better if it gets wet. Once you have the outline of the bed , Abatement Regulations Often Confuse and Do Not Make Sense established and marked, mix up some RoundUp and spray all the grass , How to Prune Lilac Shrubs and weeds inside , The Bonsai Braided Money Plant Tree the bed , Pruning Trees and Shrubs to Enhance Garden Views 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 , Artificial Trees Advantages and other plants , Which of the Hundreds of Tomato Varieties Should I ? 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 , How to Get Ideas for Designing Your Garden of the intended area. Also keep the pressure in the sprayer quite low. Pump , Gardening Vertically: Fad, Emerging Frontier or Long-Overlooked Art Form 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 Can Grow Your Own Herb Garden - Part 6 you are applying too much. More is not better. Once sprayed, be careful not to step in the area that has been sprayed. Many people have had golden footprints across their lawn , Tulip Trees - The King of the Magnolias 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 if you leave it alone. Did you get that? Once you apply the RoundUp, don't do another thing with that bed , Snakes - They're Not as Slithery as Some People I Know! 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, , Garden Sheds then translocated throughout the plant. , You Can Grow Your Own Herb Garden - Part 6 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 , You Can Grow Your Own Herb Garden - Part 1 bin while you're waiting. After three days the weeds , Snakes - They're Not as Slithery as Some People I Know! and grass , Tulip Trees - The King of the Magnolias are going to look as healthy , How to Grow Hydrangeas 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 , Gardening Vertically: Fad, Emerging Frontier or Long-Overlooked Art Form and strip the sod back about 15". Just peel off about 1" and flip it into the center of the bed. , Using Vines to Beautify Your House This makes it easier to edge and mulch the bed , How to Get Ideas for Designing Your Garden if you get the sod out of the way. Now for the non- chemical method. Mark out the outline of the bed , Light Up the Night! Quick Facts about Outdoor Lighting 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 , Planting Roses upside down and pack it down firmly. Now take newspaper or brown paper grocery bags and cover the entire bed , Five Key Factors that Affect your Potted Plants in Winter 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 , Best Perennial Plants for Summer Color with topsoil. Put 8 to 12" of good rich topsoil in the bed. , Five Key Factors that Affect your Potted Plants in Winter Make sure the soil , Which of the Hundreds of Tomato Varieties Should I Plant? is higher in the back, closest to the wall, , Pruning Trees and Shrubs to Enhance Garden Views so the water , Lawn Care and Fertilizer Tip to Create a Great Lawn drains away from the building. , Garden Sheds If you are creating an island planting make the center of the bed , The Top 10 Tips For Getting Rid Of Weeds In Your Lawn the highest point. Make sure the topsoil you buy is well drained and rich in organic , Strawbale Construction Wins Hands Down 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, , Brighten Your Path By Installing Decorative Landscape Lighting sight unseen. This is what you are looking for when buying topsoil: Topsoil that is rich in organic , Planting Roses matter will be very dark in color. , Annuals For Shade If the soil , Hydroponics Gardening - An Introduction To Hydroponics Gardening For Beginners (Part 10) Nutrients is light , Lawn Mower Racing in color , Your Rose Garden Planting it is probably just fill sand. , You Can Grow Your Own Herb Garden - Part 6 The other thing you've got to watch for is how well drained the soil , The history of the gnome. is. Topsoil that has a clay base is poorly drained and sticky, and your plants , How to Build Fences 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, , Abatement Regulations Often Confuse and Do Not Make Sense 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 , Finding the Best Pond Pumps where the soil , Brighten Your Path By Installing Decorative Landscape Lighting is stockpiled, scoop up a handful of the topsoil and run it through your fingers. If it seems to be grainy, it is probably good soil. , How to Rid that Lawn of Thatch! But if it appears to be tiny round balls that can be smashed between your fingers, it is probably a clay based soil , Using Vines to Beautify Your House that will trap water , The history of the gnome. during rainy seasons, , Want a Garden, But Don't have Enough Dirt Or Space? Hydroponics Gardening Is The Answer! and get as hard as a rock when it's hot , Lawn Care and Fertilizer Tip to Create a Great Lawn and dry. Pay attention to how the soil , The Bonsai Braided Money Plant Tree is screened. Some machines just shake the soil , Brighten Your Path By Installing Decorative Landscape Lighting over a set of screens to separate the debris, and others actually shred the soil. , Hydroponics Gardening - An Introduction to Hydroponics Gardening for Beginners (part 18) Gray Mould If the soil , You Can Grow Your Own Herb Garden - Part 6 needs to be shredded, you don't want it. Look closely at the pile that the raw soil , Tulip Trees - The King of the Magnolias is coming from. If the soil , Lawn Mower Racing in the raw pile is as hard as a rock, that's what the screened soil , Dwarf Korean Lilac is going be once you get it in your beds. , Tulip Trees - The King of the Magnolias If it appears to be fairly loose, it's probably good soil. , Pruning Trees and Shrubs to Enhance Garden Views Put 6-8" of topsoil in your beds. , How to Build Fences You are now ready to plant. , Bamboo: a Versatile and Renewable Resource 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 , The Bonsai Braided Money Plant Tree 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, , New Uses For Old Plants planting, landscaping , Your Rose Garden Planting and the like, I've never tested the pH of the soil , Which of the Hundreds of Tomato Varieties Should I Plant? 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 several hundred homes , Permanently Remove Green Pool Algae and grown tens of thousands of plants. , Using Vines to Beautify Your House 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 , How to Grow Hydrangeas from at those garden , Choosing A Landscaping Firm stores. Many of those sales people were flipping burgers last week. Article Source: http://www.articledashboard.com
Michael J. McGroarty is the author of this article. Visit his most interesting website, www.freeplants.com and sign up for his excellent gardening , You Can Grow Your Own Herb Garden - Part 6 newsletter. Article provided by gardening-articles.com |
  
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