I started ANOTHER 2 beds. I need some input:

16 years ago

Well, I've begun expanding my gardens! I have my hosta garden in the back left corner of my lot and a sun garden in the back right corner. I have planned on linking them up this fall and have started the process. It's about 50-60 feet wide

The boundaries are defined and I sprayed Roundup to kill the grass. I did that on Sunday, I think, and it's working pretty well.

I was wondering what y'all think I should do from here. I don't plan on busting the sod and due to some neighboring tree roots, tilling them in would be difficult too. So, I was thinking I would lay newspaper, but only if necesary!

Here are my questions:

Do you think I need to lay newspaper? Or should I just mulch right over the dead grass?

When do you think it's safe to plant? I've read that 2 weeks after RoundUp is ok, but I certainly don't want to kill any of my new hosta purchases.

Here in the Twin Cities, how late do you think it's safe to plant? Most of my plants look pretty good, but I do have 15-20 TC's I need to plant too.

Thanks in advance for your help!

Melissa

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Comments (5)

Hosta_Haven
16 years ago
Melissa,

When we started our main hosta bed last year under white oaks and 50 ft black cherry trees (the roots on those go deep), we tried to use the tiller where we could. Then we started digging the sod up in spots where needed. By the last 35 feet we were running out of steam physically and just dumped about 3" of wood chips on top of live grass where the tiller couldn't go. Didn't use any Roundup because I erroneously thought at the time that I'd have to wait months to plant. It all worked out fine.

Assuming your soil doesn't need improving or to be turned over, I think what I would do is dig a hole the size of the root ball, plant the hosta in a well watered hole, lay newspaper (if you desire) around the hosta but not right up next to it. The reason I say that is that a lot of folks on this forum say not to put wood mulch right up to the crown (slugs) and you don't want that ugly newspaper to show, do you? The newspaper isn't necessary but may help to retard weeds and retain moisture...your choice. Just PLEASE don't use landscape cloth; you'd be sorry.

You have about a month to plant in your zone, I believe.

Others more knowledgeable than I will weigh in, I'm sure. I don't know much about Roundup...only that it takes ALOT of it to kill Virginia Creeper and Burdock! LOL!

Good luck, have fun and don't try to do it all in one day!

Char
lindac
16 years ago
I have 2 1/2 (the half bed is an extension of another) beds under trees where I simply killed any grass that needed killing dumped on a 1/2 inch layer of composted cow manure, poked in some hosta where I could and added wood chips...theya re doing fine. Round up is safe almost immediatly....well I would wait 48 hours but they say that isn't necessary.
Don't over think the process. It's safe for you to plant the hosta probably until mid September....but I would try to get them in this weekend. Don't bust the sod, just dig a hole and plant the hosta and pile on the compost and mulch.
Linda C
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esther_opal
16 years ago
Use the newspaper because there are 10's thousands of dormant weed seed that will really like the mulch and water. About 8 layers thick will be gone by next spring but it will kill the weeds that germinate under it. Lay the newspaper so the rain runs under each section instead of over the top creating a little sliding board. Or lay a section at the top of a slope then overlap the next.

48 hours is long enough to wait for the roundup.

Mulch does not attract slugs and don't worry about mulch near the plants. I put 12-14 inches of ground up leaves (lawnmower) on a hosta bed last fall, more like early winter the plants came up like they loved it. The main thing about the leaves and mulch is they retard early emergence.

Who doesn't remember this spring when they were so, SO excited to see the eyes popping up and then the cold. Keep them down as long as possible. They grow in forest in Japan and put up a very pointed eye to poke through mulch and leaves, they know what they are doing.
sheltieche
16 years ago
Rule of thumb for perennials is 6-8 week before first frost, plants should have enough time to establish some root system.
You can do a search on lasagna bed on gardeweb, it is easy to do and works wonders for health of the plants. When I prepare my early spring vegetable beds I put bags of old oak leaves with FRESH manure and cover with some compost- in two weeks my beds ready to plant. There are many ways to prepare good flowerbed easily enouhg.
In the fall /I am lazy gardener/ I just sweep all oak leaves onto my beds and leave them there as a mulch, remove worst debris in the spring but leave majority of leaves there anyway. they disappear by summer and give plenty of nutriens to my plants.
you give to sil soil gives back to you...
it is easier to to start with good soil...
ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
16 years ago
get some mulch .. pile it on ... and let ma nature take care of getting rid of the grass below ... by next spring... you will be amazed at how fluffy it is underneath ...

forget about the roundup .. its done its job ... its irrelevant .. trust me ..

if you need to plant now.. take your saucer or the top of a garbage can ... move back the mulch .... take off the rotting grass ..set aside ... dig hole.. placing soil on the saucer .. do NOT get soil on top of your mulch ... dig a little deeper than you need.. throw the dead grass at the bottom.. put some soil over it .. plant hosta.... reset mulch ... but not within 3 to 6 inches of the hosta ... water .. walk to next spot ...

i have done this with bare root trees ... three days after the roundup was applied ... nothing.. nada .. don't worry about it ... roots just don't grow that fast.. and roundup is said to be inert once it hits soil ...

any grass that pokes back through the mulch .. just spot spray it ..

the hole point of mulch .. is to cover soil and weed seed .... that is why i spray in the mulch .. to avoid bringing soil back on top by pulling weeds ... the least amount of spray you need .. is the best.. i would rather you have to go back in a week and re hit a spot of grass .. rather than see you dump 5 gallons of spray on your mulch to kill a little grass ... besides .. its expensive ...

paper if you want ... i think its a waste of time ...

mulch should be 2 to 4 inches thick .. AFTER IT SETTLES .... so i put it on about 4 to 6 inches deep ...

its early .. maybe i missed something... ken

I started ANOTHER 2 beds. I need some input:

Comments (5)

Hosta_Haven

lindac

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esther_opal

sheltieche

ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5

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