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Let cut back perennials lay in garden

18 years ago

When I cut back the perennials in the late winter/early spring instead of filling a lawn waste bag could i just cut them up in small pieces 1-3" and leave them in the garden bed itself, wont they add nutrients and eventually compost themselves there?

email me replies to Jessie@sinking.com

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Comments (9)

morz8 - Washington Coast
18 years ago
Yes, they will compost in place...it's called sheet composting.

The advantages of sheet composting include ease of implementation (maybe not if you are going to the trouble of cutting into 1 - 3" pieces) and the moisture retention qualities of mulch.

The disadvantages of sheet composting include slow rate of decomposition and it is not compatible with composting all materials. Additionally, if the raw materials contain weed seed or plant pathogens, these will not be destroyed in the sheet composting process.

And it depends on the look you want for your garden, sheet composting may look very casual (messy). I add occasional stems, spent flowers, a few weeds onto beds in hot weather when I know they will wilt and dry up quickly, but for the most part larger pieces here where it stays so damp for so long provide hiding places for small slugs.
tapla (mid-Michigan, USDA z5b-6a)
18 years ago
More than one school of thought:

One is that they will, as you suggest, return nutrients to the soil, and thus are a positive in the garden.

A second is that spent vegetation carries risk as being haven to pathogens & legged wigglies such that the benefit of allowing it to remain is outweighed by the risk, making it the opinion of the latter group that it is a negative.

Al
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I can comment on the Columbine. After the blooms fall, seed pods will form. If you want to start collecting seeds, Columbine is a super easy plant to start with. When the seed pods dry, they turn brown and open at the top. If you look closely, you can see the tiny black seeds inside, but you will know for sure they are dry and ready to collect when you gently shake them and you hear a rattling sound. Have an envelope handy and snip off the entire stalk with the dry pods, being sure to hold them upright. Then hold them over your envelope and turn them upside down and watch all the seeds fall out. Or if you want to direct sow them, just shake them over the area where you want more Columbine. My Columbines have been prolific self seeders. This year I have not been harvesting the seeds but rather just cutting off the stalks when the flowering is done and on a few have cut back the foliage to about 3-4" and a week later new growth has filled in the plant again. Of course in the winter after a few killing frosts, most all your perennials will "disappear" for their winters nap. That's why it's important to either map your garden, or at least mark what you have planted where, so you'll know to watch those areas come springtime and don't plant anything else on top of something. Welcome to the wonderful world of gardening! You're off to a great start! Janet
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Cathy, What type of seating have you used? Plastic is easy to keep clean and store but I want my theme to be kind of rustic/victorian looking and that means having more wicker or benches and such. Do you have water or some type of drinks people can purchase in case it is hot - I have been thinking about that. I will have to set aside the front and side rows of each bed for annuals, as Trish suggests, so they are easier to get to - to replant. I have already planted my flowers in rows so we shall see. My thought has been I would have the flowers already picked and people can choose from them - I am sort of protective of my flower beds - but maybe I will change - my beds are set up so they are concentrated flower masses and then grass areas around them. I have a covered patio with wisteria (which is covering good) but I have planted some trees on the west side to provide more shade and now I am putting in a bed of taller flowers on two sides of the patio. I have a rose arbor but it is a ways away (future growth area) and I have porches on my little gift shop on four sides. Willow trees with seats under them and now I am converting my kiwi (which isn't growing that great) to another rose arbor and it will have seats under it. My lavender is planted on either side of a meadow and I want to put a raised deck with one of those canvas patio coverings over that - but I am saving up to purchase the wood. (The deck has to be raised off the ground because it is a wet area during the winter and the wood would rot and sink unless I put it above ground) You say customers pick one of everything you have - how do you do your pricing then - charge by the stem or by the size of the bunch? Or different prices for more expensive flowers? Do you find customers take all the large flowers and you are left with only small ones or how has that been? Since I have a little gift shop - my idea has been to have pre-made flower arrangements in the shop - people can purchase those or buy loose flowers and arrrange those themselves. How do customers take away their bouquests - in a sleeve a bucket or vase? Eventually I want to have classes on flower arranging at pre-arranged times. THANK YOU TO ALL OF YOU! - for all your questions (which stimulates my mind on questions I didn't even know I had), suggestions, ideas and sharing - this is a great forum. My weed barrier cloth came last night and emitter tubing - so I am going out to put that down and plant more plugs - it is sunny today - I think spring has sprung. Linda
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Like Carrie said; however, a few things in prominent places that look really raggidy like Esperanza in the front yard I cut back if the stems are totally dead. Cutting back perennials with green stems such as roses will induce them to sprout new foliage too early. Plants with soft dead foliage I tidy up by folding it around and mashing it down which serves as a mulch to protect the roots from further low temperatures.
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Go ahead and cut back all the old foliage before the new growth starts. This is especially important for the hellebores because they should start blooming now and putting out new leaves.
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tapla (mid-Michigan, USDA z5b-6a)
18 years ago
I see that 6 seconds (between posting times) is enough to turn me into a copy-cat. ;o)

Al
morz8 - Washington Coast
18 years ago
Well Al, legged wigglies is certainly more poetic than my term 'slugs'...:) My slugs have no legs.

Other than that, what is it they say about great minds ?
tapla (mid-Michigan, USDA z5b-6a)
18 years ago
My slugs don't have legs either - but they all have feet. How paradoxical is that?

"Great minds are a terrible thing to waste"? Is THIS the one you're wondering after? Thought not. ;o)

Can anyone tell I'm bored with the general lack of activity around here? Anyone? Hellloooo?

Al
pitimpinai
18 years ago
tapla, I take it you have not been hit by a Winter Sowing frenzy. Check out the link below. Folks there have been having a grand time sowing since December and the frenzy is getting more intense. The WSers have had no dull moment.

Here is a link that might be useful: Winter Sowing Outdoors! - FAQ
rhizo_1 (North AL) zone 7
18 years ago
Three main reasons why I won't leave plant debris in the beds to decompose: aphid eggs, whitefly eggs, spider mite eggs!
meldy_nva
18 years ago
When doing the fall clean-up, I'm sorta in-between morz-8 and the others. For the past couple decades, I've often put my trimmings on the nearby ground (which is already mulched) although I cut long stems down to about 6" pieces, but then I top the trimmings with a good layer of mulch (usually a dozen newspaper pages topped with 2" shredded leaves). I haven't had any of rhizo's problems, but that may be because I don't have whiteflies or spider mites, or it may be because the layering smothers the potential problems. Whichever, it's faster than hauling awkward trimmings to the compost.
rhizo_1 (North AL) zone 7
18 years ago
To be truthful, I don't have those problems either, but remain a little paranoid about getting a nice population started here. But that's ME ;-)

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