12
votes
What is the most efficient way to remove a row of bushes?
Time efficient?
Hire a bulldozer.
Push the debris into a pile, have a load or two of manure (chicken is great, horse may be easier to find and also works well) dumped over the pile. Wait two or ...
- 25.2k
9
votes
What can I plant to retain a steep slope?
First plant I can think of is creeping thyme. It's low growing, it will root all around and thus help stabilise the slope, once implanted it's dry tolerant, it smells good, can be used in the kitchen ...
- 146
8
votes
Accepted
What's the function/purpose of the waterproof tarp a few inches beneath the ground in my yard?
That is most likely landscaping fabric designed to block or inhibit weed growth.
If the soil layer is too thin where you intend to plant perennials, feel free to cut out a circle of the fabric and ...
- 639
7
votes
Accepted
How do I naturally eradicate a stand of invasive bamboo?
I'm sorry to say that its likely most of those methods will work - chopping it all down and covering with black plastic will probably mean you'll have bamboo shoots growing up through the plastic, it'...
- 135k
7
votes
Advice Needed - Dying? Tree line (privacy desired)
The bottom branches dying is perfectly normal, as they get shaded out (they also have more deer pressure, assuming a typical presence of rats-with-hooves in your neighborhood.) That is not a sign of a ...
- 25.2k
7
votes
Accepted
How do I eliminate weeds in established play area?
15x30 feet with the sort of weed density you are showing? - Take an hour and pull them out by hand, or with a hoe. If you notice a lot of root penetration below or between the under-fabric you might ...
- 25.2k
7
votes
What is the most efficient way to remove a row of bushes?
If it were my job, I'd cut down the hedge to about 1 foot tall, get a mini-excavator and dig up the roots. This will also help loosen the soil for replanting. You could work other areas of the soil ...
- 191
7
votes
Accepted
Is this a good plan to turn my lawn into a garden?
Doing the job in manageable sections one at a time is a good plan. You might change your mind about the details when you see what the first section(s) look like, for example.
Don't make the job ...
- 11.5k
6
votes
How do I eliminate weeds in established play area?
If you're looking for something non-toxic since it's a play area, you can use hot water or a heavy salt water solution. I don't love these methods since they have mixed results and the salt can leave ...
- 141
5
votes
What is the difference between shredded mulch from free vs garden center sources?
Since your question deals with "shredded mulch" I'll limit my response to that.
The main differences, as far as I see things, are:
Municipal mulch can be free - I like free.
Bagged mulch from garden ...
- 7,059
5
votes
Why don't you want wood chips on top of soil for an orchard?
Orchards have wood, so chips could help wood fungus and other wood/root diseases to propagate and then to attack trees.
In general orchards should have no dead wood any kind (e.g. prune and eliminate ...
- 14.7k
5
votes
What's the function/purpose of the waterproof tarp a few inches beneath the ground in my yard?
Get rid of it! Talk about destroying even a tiny bit of a natural soil system...landscape fabric was made only to put below gravel on top of soil so that the large rocks don't sink and the soil come ...
- 40.5k
5
votes
Would a Crinkle Crankle (Serpentine) Wall be strong enough to sit on?
A linear brick wall is strong in compression but resists lateral forces poorly. The serpentine wall attempts to overcome that with its curvature so that it provides as much strength as a linear two ...
- 23.4k
5
votes
Is bark mulch termite resistant?
According to the pest-control company Terminix, termites don't really feed on wood mulch but like the fact that it causes a moist environment, which they then use for cover to explore for a wood ...
- 20.1k
5
votes
Weed barrier under rocks failed: What can I do now?
It might have "failed." It probably didn't.
In most cases, this will be new weeds having started in the new dirt and organic debris that accumulated around your rocks on top of the (unfailed)...
- 25.2k
4
votes
Why don't you want wood chips on top of soil for an orchard?
I don't have the bandwidth at present to look at your video, but it defies common sense. A summary of his argument should be presented.
Trees evolved in forests and the forest floor is covered in ...
- 23.4k
4
votes
Accepted
Are my large box elder and Norway maple trees too close?
Definitely too close together - the crown of a mature Norway Maple (assuming you mean Acer platanoides) is more than 25 feet and the crown of a Box Elder is (if left unpruned) 25 to 40 feet, so they ...
- 135k
4
votes
Hearty Flowering Perennial for curbside appeal
You could try some Aubrieta - I will try these out myself next season, they have dense flowering, are available in white but mostly purple, you can grow them by seeds so relatively cheap to do a large ...
4
votes
How can I keep gravel from moving out of my driveway during winter?
I found a product called Stone Man Stay Put. The manufacturer is Ivy League Landscape LLC. Found it at Ace but I'm sure Home Depot has it too. Simple water like mixture. Put it in your sprayer and ...
4
votes
Is there a red or similar-looking moss that will grow on a stone statue?
There is a red lichen, but as far as I'm aware, lichens are not something you'd be able to buy, and even if you could, you can't just attach it in some way. The usual method is to paint the statue ...
- 135k
4
votes
What is the difference between shredded mulch from free vs garden center sources?
The answer rather depends on what material you mean by 'mulch' (other than the general description of any material spread over the surface of soil), and whether your municipal body uses a hot, ...
- 135k
4
votes
Using buckets as placeholders for future trees?
There may well be problems for the trees you plant in those previously 'bucketed' areas. You've said the soil is heavy clay, so let's suppose you put the buckets in place, wait a year, then 'remove' ...
- 135k
4
votes
Using buckets as placeholders for future trees?
I did a small calculation:
5 gal. soil weighs at least around 90 pounds, more when wet.
The bucket needs drainage holes unless you are in a very dry area.
It does not stand freely, but is burried in ...
- 16.8k
4
votes
How much topsoil should be laid over hardcore before sowing grass seed?
Whether it's a good idea or not is down to whether you want a good lawn over time or whether you want a possibly waterlogged in winter (depending where you live), drought sensitive, patchy and bumpy ...
- 135k
4
votes
Accepted
How should I level my yard when half of it is dirt\pinestraw mix?
I'd suggest you hire a good professional, even if its only for a consultation regarding the issues and how to manage them. Otherwise, I suggest you rake off the top layers of pine straw, then till the ...
- 135k
4
votes
What tools will I need for cultivating an acre of lawn?
Year 1: pencil, paper, thin rod, hammer, sunhat, chair. Idea is to get a good idea of the area and its weaknesses and strengths. Make up a grid of granularity that suits your time allocation. The rod ...
- 21.2k
4
votes
Accepted
what to put in center of mulch ring around trees
No, don't put anything in the gap, the point of not having the mulch or anything else piled against the trunk is to prevent rot problems; the way you describe it though, it probably looks very odd. ...
- 135k
4
votes
Best Retaining wall solution adjacent to fence
I agree with Roxy this would be the optimal way. However, I see several problems with that approach - 1) it's relatively difficult to build a decent wall without removing the fence boards. You just ...
- 2,542
4
votes
How long should dyed brown landscape mulch keep its color?
To answer your first question, the rate a dyed natural mulch will fade depends heavily on how much rain, sun, and general weathering it receives throughout the year. One year is not unusual.
I ...
- 2,553
4
votes
Advice Needed - Dying? Tree line (privacy desired)
Not an easy answer to give you as there are a number of unknown factors. Perhaps you can say more about them by editing your question or even post additional information under your question in a ...
- 1,626
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