Tips For Preparing A Planting Bed
By Michael J. McGroarty, Fri Dec 9th
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If you are preparing beds for landscaping around your house thisarticle should simplify the process for you. I say that becauseof everything that is written about this subject, some of it isaccurate, some of it is just plain wrong, and much of it is muchmore complicated than it needs to be. I like to think of myselfas Simple Simon. I find the easiest, yet most effective way todo things, and they work.
Let's assume that the area where you are planning your bed isnow planted in grass. How do you get rid of the grass? Chemicalsor no chemicals? Chemicals are easy, so we'll look at thechemical method first.
My favorite chemical for killing grass and weeds is RoundUp,and used properly it is effective. Rule number one: Read thelabel on the package, and mix the chemical exactly asrecommended by the manufacturer. Rule number two: Assume thatevery plant that the RoundUp touches is going to die. It is anon-selective herbicide.
The first thing you need to do is mark out where your plantingbed is going to be. Spend some time on this step. If you arelandscaping around your house, give careful consideration towhat is going to be planted in the bed, and then decide howlarge each plant is going to be when fully mature.
You can keep plants trimmed to a certain size, but be realisticwhen you make these estimates. Trust me when I tell you, this isthe 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 cornerbeds should be 12' in diameter. Islands. If you make thoselittle tiny island beds that I see everywhere I am going to comeover to your house and snap you with a wet towel! The island bedin your front yard should be 20' to 40' long, and a minimum of12' in diameter on at least one end.
The easiest way to mark out your planting beds is to buy a canof marking paint at the hardware store. Unlike most spray paint,this only works when the can is inverted, and it is designedspecifically for painting lines on the ground. They even havecans that spray chalk instead of paint. I've always used thepaint, 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 thebed area. Do not put RoundUp in a sprayer that you intend to usefor other purposes. You need a sprayer that is dedicated for theuse of herbicides. When applying the spray, be very careful notto let the spray drift onto the grass and other plants that youdo not want to kill.
To minimize spray drift, adjust the spray nozzle so the spraypattern is narrow and the droplets are larger. A wide, finespray pattern is sure to drift outside of the intended area.Also keep the pressure in the sprayer quite low. Pump it justenough to deliver the spray. High pressure causes the spray toatomize and drift. Apply just enough spray to wet the foliage.If you have liquid dripping off the blades of grass, you areapplying too much. More is not better.
Once sprayed, be careful not to step in the area that has beensprayed. Many people have had golden footprints across theirlawn because they forgot and walked through what had beensprayed.
This is the difficult part, and the part that many people donot get, so pay close attention. The only way that the RoundUpcan possibly work is if you leave it alone. Did you get that?Once you apply the RoundUp, don't do another thing with that bedfor 72 hours. That's three very long days. I know you'reanxious, but this is the price you pay for not planning ahead.
RoundUp is a systemic herbicide, which means that it has to beabsorbed by the plant, then translocated throughout the plant.It takes three days for that to happen. If you go digging andchopping, you might just as well skip the spraying step. Gobuild a compost bin while you're waiting.
After three days the weeds and grass are going to look ashealthy and happy as ever. Don't let 'em fool ya. They're asdead as dead can be. Providing the RoundUp didn't get washed offby rain within the first 24 hours of the waiting period. Now youcan dig and chop to your heart's content.
However, the only digging that I do is to go around the edgeof the bed and strip the sod back about 15". Just peel off about1" and flip it into the center of the bed. This makes it easierto edge and mulch the bed if you get the sod out of the way. Nowfor the non- chemical method.
Mark out the outline of the bed as described above. Strip thesod back 15", just like above. Since you aren't using anyherbicides I would dig down about 1-1/2" when removing the sodfrom the edges. Take the sod you stripped
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