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 translocated
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 o 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.
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 $4.00 to: Garden
Secrets, P.O. Box 338, Perry, Ohio 44081
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