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
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
Can I compost a large brush pile?
Have you ever thought of planting some sort of climbing rose or ivy at the base of the pile? This would add beauty and also provide shade to the pile which would speed decomposition.
4
votes
I'm trying to get rid of the tamarisk on my property
For my part, I would collect a huge amount of mulch and cover the yard with it. You won't need to bend to do the job, just shovel and carts.
This will allow lots of wildlife to inhabit below there, ...
- 3,760
4
votes
I'm trying to get rid of the tamarisk on my property
The best way I know is continuous digging them up where you do not want them to take hold. Pulling baby seedlings when you see them. You will never be able to eradicate them from your yard. This ...
- 40.5k
4
votes
Is there a camera that I can use to search through gopher holes?
You can always rent a plumbing drain camera from a home improvement store and use it to scope the gopher tunnels. Or get a video borescope (which is considerably shorter) but might have a better ...
- 171
4
votes
Accepted
Will one piece of sod immediately die?
Whether its one piece of sod or grass seed, it will grow the same and requires the same conditions. Which are
sunshine
reasonable soil
reasonable temperature
reasonable moisture
Plant it in spring, ...
- 2,923
4
votes
Mushy water-logged front yard, aerate?
Aerating at the proper time (not now with it sodden so the holes would just glaze over - a some point when the yard has dried out, but is not rock-hard) might help a little bit. It won't help much if ...
- 25.9k
3
votes
Need some advice on a lawn full of weed
The most common grass in TX is St Augustine . It is put in by sod or plugs , plugs will fill in during one good growing season. Because it is a backyard I would hire someone to put in plugs instead of ...
- 8,784
3
votes
Accepted
Transplanting periwinkle
You will need to dig out the Vinca with roots attached in order to tranplant it, and you should only do that when the winter is over and the ground is not frozen. If the area you want to transplant to ...
- 135k
3
votes
Accepted
What is this prickly plant (with photo)?
It looks like Eastern red cedar (Juniperus virginiana) that has been turned into a bonsai via repeated mowing.
If you break a piece off and smell it you should be able to tell. If it is cedar you ...
- 7,079
3
votes
Lawn care: bagging vs mulching the grass clippings?
I've never found a mulching mower that could grind up the clippings small enough so they would disintegrate by the next week. We mowed hundreds of acres per week, too. And all our clippings had to be ...
- 40.5k
3
votes
Lawn care: bagging vs mulching the grass clippings?
If I were your close neighbour I would offer to take all your clippings. I would show up with a trailer, you fill the trailer, and I take them by appointment. You never see them again and my rather ...
- 21.2k
3
votes
About removing mulch
You will need to remove the plastic and dig over properly in order to plant, and that means removing the wood chips/mulch. If the chips are not fresh wood, its worth keeping them somewhere to replace ...
- 135k
2
votes
Lawn care: bagging vs mulching the grass clippings?
Scientific consensus says that you should mulch the clippings back onto the lawn, and that they do NOT contribute to thatch.
Almost all of what Stormy wrote is correct - mow high, mow often when ...
- 20.5k
2
votes
Is there a camera that I can use to search through gopher holes?
We use underground cameras but the problem is that gopher tunnels intersect with other tunnels. A female gopher can have 6-10 tunnels connected to her den with pups inside, allowing her to relocate ...
2
votes
What's the function/purpose of the waterproof tarp a few inches beneath the ground in my yard?
Apparently this may be a strategy to control local ground surface water. Are there water control or drainage issues on this property? In the PNW I can image either or both. Is there a french drain at ...
- 3,268
2
votes
Will one piece of sod immediately die?
It does not matter if it's one piece of sod or an entire yard of sod or seed - if conditions are suitable, it will grow, if not, it will die. So on that basis your dad's "test" is quite ...
- 25.9k
1
vote
Weed with giant orange root system
One candidate that you might want to eliminate is the Asian Bittersweet Vine. If the roots are thick but spreading sideways and not straight down that is a significant clue to its growth pattern. Your ...
- 21.2k
1
vote
What is the general "idea" behind this kind of architecture with the front lawn being separate from the actual "house area"?
If that was a photo of somewhere in the UK, the answer to your question would be that any garden belonging to the houses is behind that wall; the areas of grass between the wall and the road would be ...
- 135k
1
vote
Accepted
Can I salvage a tree which is broken next to its roots?
Looks like it was nearly dead. It might resprout from the roots. It would be impractical to try to root a cutting, nothing can be done with the trunk.
- 8,784
1
vote
How to trim grass on edges using only manual tools?
I've used a pair of old-fashioned sheep clippers for years, and they work fine (with occasional sharpening). Because there are no moving parts, there's nothing to "catch" or break. When you clip with ...
- 20.5k
1
vote
Is there a camera that I can use to search through gopher holes?
I've seen 'endoscope' attachements for your phone, but they only reach a few feet.
Here, a pocket gopher can have several hundred feet of tunnel in his approximately 1/4 acre territory.
Buy gopher ...
- 2,549
1
vote
How do I get my lawn back to how it should be?
Don't cut lower than one inch, ever. Grass seed needs cultivated soil in order to grow, you can't just chuck the seed on the hard bare patches and expect it to take. In April, cut the grass then use a ...
- 4,067
1
vote
French drainage design for backyard
Rain gardens = mosquitoes, raccoons. You need drainage. When you install your french drains do what is called a Herringbone pattern. Use perforated pipe wrapped in landscape fabric. Go diagonally ...
- 40.5k
1
vote
What is making these holes in my yard?
Around where I live (Seattle), it's mostly crows and other birds that make little holes like that. In the grass, in the planting beds, and in my pots, dagnabit. There be worms and bugs in those places,...
- 687
1
vote
What is making these holes in my yard?
I tend to get shallow holes like this in my lawn in the early spring, too. Sometimes it's squirrels looking for nuts (or the tulip bulbs they've moved ... grr), but I found that many of them were ...
- 273
1
vote
What is making these holes in my yard?
I think that is squirrels, digging up their stashed nuts.
- 3,185
1
vote
What causes a yard to become lumpy?
There could be various reasons. A photo could eventually help.
The most common problem (in my opinion): bad preparation of the lawn. Like road, the soil need to be compressed and well prepared, so ...
- 14.7k
1
vote
California Avocado Tree HELP
The avocado tree develops a shallow, wide spreading root system. Important roots will be in the top six inches of soil running in all directions. The roots are extremely sensitive to disturbance quite ...
- 21.2k
Only top scored, non community-wiki answers of a minimum length are eligible