I want to put a planter bed around this tree in my front yard. What do I use to kill the grass before I put down mulch? I don't want to use Roundup or anything that might hurt the tree. Also, does anyone know what kind of tree it is? I asked before but don't think I got an answer.
new planter bed around my tree
- Thread starter rb_in_va
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One method of killing off the grass is Lasagna Gardening. Basically you layer on a bunch of material that will smother the grass but will decompose and even enrichen the soil. Cardboard and newspaper (black and white, not waxy color) plus mulch should do it. I have never tried it but have read much success with it. I think it takes about 2-3 weeks of covering for it to be effective. The hotter it is, the quicker it should work.
Woodie
"Cap'n Bullcrap'n"
RB,
Glyphosate (Round-up) shouldn't hurt the tree at all if applied correctly.
The method others suggested will also work, but I actually prefer the chemical method as it doesn't interfere with the oxygen transfer to the soil. Just a personal preference, though, and not backed up by anything but solid scientific conjecture.
Only spray on enough Round-up to lightly wet the grass. No runoff, in other words. In order for glyphosate to kill plant material, it must be absorbed through the leaves.* Glyphosate is broken down incredibly quickly by soil bacteria into very harmless components, so what little does reach your soil won't do any damage anyway.
It can take up to two weeks for the grass to turn brown and die, so don't worry about it when it doesn't start dying right away. Once the grass is dead, it's your choice to remove it or not. Personally, I would just scalp it with a string trimmer annd throw the mulch right on top of it. To my mind, digging the grass would cause more injury to the tree roots than anything else.
* Not completely true, because dumping it on the ground would cause things like salt injuries, etc. to roots, but for all practical purposes...
p.s. Thanks for the rep, BTW...
Glyphosate (Round-up) shouldn't hurt the tree at all if applied correctly.
The method others suggested will also work, but I actually prefer the chemical method as it doesn't interfere with the oxygen transfer to the soil. Just a personal preference, though, and not backed up by anything but solid scientific conjecture.
Only spray on enough Round-up to lightly wet the grass. No runoff, in other words. In order for glyphosate to kill plant material, it must be absorbed through the leaves.* Glyphosate is broken down incredibly quickly by soil bacteria into very harmless components, so what little does reach your soil won't do any damage anyway.
It can take up to two weeks for the grass to turn brown and die, so don't worry about it when it doesn't start dying right away. Once the grass is dead, it's your choice to remove it or not. Personally, I would just scalp it with a string trimmer annd throw the mulch right on top of it. To my mind, digging the grass would cause more injury to the tree roots than anything else.
* Not completely true, because dumping it on the ground would cause things like salt injuries, etc. to roots, but for all practical purposes...
p.s. Thanks for the rep, BTW...
DC unfortunately. Can't afford a decent amount of land to do a good vegetable garden. Your a little warmer and humid your way. I'd like to grow a live oak but it gets too cold here. I am not sure if you are quite south enough for one either.
Roundup was my friend when we lived in NC. For the tougher grasses, it would take me two applications to get all the grass. I couldn't work the soil until I had killed all the grass though because the left over stuff would be stronger from the soil amendments and watering
. Lasagna sounds like it would be easier and quicker. I think you can plant almost immediately. Maybe combine roundup with lasagna to ensure you get the grass (centipede was just incredibly tough to get rid of).
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DC? I lived in Herndon for 8 months. That was enough for me! I don't have the room for a live oak anyway.
The species Hop- Hornbeam.
Just look up hophornbeam. The bark and seeds are way different. It has seeds like a gum.
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Dixie1
ArboristSite Operative
if it is bermuda, you definitely need to spray with round up before or you will be battling it for a while.
I'm certain it's not bermuda. That first pic was taken in early March. There were some patches that got brown this past winter, but for the most part it stayed green.
BostonBull
Addicted to ArboristSite
The tree almost looks like a Chinese Elm?
Or was Hornbeam right?
So confused! :help:
Or was Hornbeam right?
So confused! :help:
Do you have any seeds for a pic ?
It maybe an American hornbeam,
which has a bit narrower leaf.
hhmmmmmm...
Fooled me.
I not sure but I would say a chestnut tree . If you dont want to put some around the tree that will hurt it don t plant flowers. I would say just put A nice big mulch ring around the tree (not on the base).If plant flowers you will injury roots ( maybe even every year if you are planting annuals) and the tree and flowers will compete for water nutrients root space . Maybe cause your tree to decline .
I'll look for one.
mulch kill
Just for fun I took this picture. I expanded this bed about a month ago over grass using mulch to kill the grass only. The reds arrows point to some little bits that popped up and subsequently rounded up. As a pro I would roundup first then mulch to ensure first time perfection, but as a homeowner I would keep it on the shelf. Note this is fescue grass, I'm not sure if it would work with other types of grass.
Just for fun I took this picture. I expanded this bed about a month ago over grass using mulch to kill the grass only. The reds arrows point to some little bits that popped up and subsequently rounded up. As a pro I would roundup first then mulch to ensure first time perfection, but as a homeowner I would keep it on the shelf. Note this is fescue grass, I'm not sure if it would work with other types of grass.
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Here's some new pics. The leaves are an alternating pattern. Looks like an American Chestnut, but the bark is different, and the fruit is different too. Sorry about the huge pics, I can resize them later.
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