why do want use palm fronds

I read you have to kill the grass underneath. Using them if I can, just repurposing garden waste. If it's ok or even beneficial, I figured why not?

Bad idea?

Interesting but unusual concept. They aren't something most would have access to so no idea how long they would take to decompose. But I did find several articles on Google about the many composting problems with them.

"The toughest materials to compost are by far; palm fronds and strappy foliage plants. Their innate fabric always proves to be tougher than the bacteria and bugs that do the decomposing. And months later, when everything else has become unrecognisable, palm fronds and grass foliage remnants look like they’ve only just hit the compost heap."

Apparently they are even impossible to run through a chipper/shredder. One article I read said you must first strip the leavers off the core stem and then discard the stem for the leaves to even begin decomposing.

Just based on my reading I'd say no to your question of using them. Bad idea.

Dave

5-uses-for-palm-fronds-in-your-garden

If the goal is killing grass underneath then use a couple layers of cardboard instead. Its decomp rate is known and proven.

Dave

If objective is weed/grass suppression, I'd use them. If dry climate, they're slower to decompose but that's neither here nor there.

here is a pic of ground material i got from a tree trimmer. It contains a palm that neighbor cut off. You can see some of palm material that is in strip pieces. Makes no difference to me

Homestead, Florida. Gets pretty humid down here.

you said you read you needed to kill grass under raised beds. It looks like you've built 10" high beds. Once you put dirt in the beds, I don't understand the concept of grass growing up thru 10" worth of soil. The weight of the soil alone s/b enough to suffocate the grass/weeds. I can see where w/ excessive moisture a few pieces might find their way all the way from the bottom but the likelihood is that "new" weeds will come from breezes dragging them from somewhere else or bird droppings right on top, not really sneaking from the bottom. Iining bed is overkill, IMO.

but if you feel more comfortable lining the beds with the fronds, there is absolutely nothing wrong with it and as you say, you're reusing.

Line, don't line, it's all good.

I'm a beginner. I was just following a step by step guide, but what you say makes sense, maybe I don't even have to wait for the grass to die. All the stuff I use has been repurposed, that wood is from an old fence I tore down.

You will regret it ... they decompose very slowly and it will not prevent the Bermuda grass from growing up through the bed. (nothing prevents Bermuda grass)

Nice looking beds!

BossyVossy - " Once you put dirt in the beds, I don't understand the concept of grass growing up thru 10" worth of soil."

This is BERMUDA grass ... the stuff can grow up through 3 feet of dirt, and weasel its way through any cracks in concrete to get to fresh dirt on the other side.

Can you explain the disadvantage of slow decomposing?

I'm extremely familiar w/Bermuda grass., much more than I'd like to be....Yes it can be tenacious but I doubt the Bermuda would take over the bed overnight and w/maintenance none at all.

If you want to get the opinions of some of the locals who may or may not have tried this then I'd suggest 1) contacting your local country AG agent's office and ask them and 2) asking the experienced gardeners over on the Florida Gardening forum here. Locals, rather than those of us in other parts of the country, are always going to be your best bet when it comes to questions with an unusual component.

From everything I read on the net it isn't recommended and for several reasons and I'd sure hate to see you create a serious problem - if it is one - for yourself that could be avoided now rather than after the bed is filled.

Dave

Well, you do have two beds there. If you're feeling up to an experiment you could put palm fronds in the bottom of one and cardboard in the other. It'd be interesting to see in which bed the plants grow better.

Rodney

Sounds to me like Rodney just solved the puzzle. I'm with lazy in regards to the Bermuda grass. On one corner of my house it pops out of my soffit over 8' off of the ground, where it has wormed its way through the siding.

"Can you explain the disadvantage of slow decomposing?"

If you want to dig in the bed to blend in amendments, you will be digging into palm frond fibers and stalks. A stringy mess, and in the case of date palms and Washington fan palms, nasty spines and spikes that don't decompose.

Any suggestions on what to plant ? Its incredibly hot now in Miami and will be until November most likely.

Squash - most any kind.

Dave

What about long beans, if you can put up a trellis? They grow fast and flourish in heat.