How can I kill grass without killing absolute vegetation?? (details bellow)?
Question:So we have this tree in our front yard, and we're going to put up like an oval kinda thing around it in stone. Then we're going to pile it up with dirt and mulch. Finally, we're going to plant flowers. So here's my problem, I have the shape, but i don't know what to do with the grass inside the shape. Do I let it go? Do I kill it with chemicals? Will the chemicals destroy vegetation completely where i sprayed it so I can't plant flowers or bushes that have long routs? Would the chemicals hurt the tree? Is there something else you recommend? You don't have to answer all those questions, I'm just telling you what my problem is. lol. Any answers are greatly appreciated. Thanks so much!!
Answers:
You can use chemicalsif you'd like. I would use RoundUP in the blue and white bottle(ready to use), it will allow you to kill the grass, and plant whatever you want to the next day. This product does NOT stay active in the soil, so don't worry about it sterilizing the soil. Home Depot is your best bet!
Please rethink the idea of pileing up the root system of the tree with dirt and mulch. This will cause the roots to suffocate in time. Depending on the type of tree, you may want to plant your new flowers at least 4-5 foot away from the base of the trunk zone.
The best and safest approach to the grass problem is to manual dig out all the grass with roots, as chemicals may leach into the roots system of the tree. Always try and stay away from the drip line of the tree when using any chemicals.
I would recommend some drought tolerant plant material to plant within the drip line of the tree as well.
Start by digging out the grass in the shape you want. Go fairly deep so you get most of the roots. Then put down plastic. The grass will not grow through the plastic. Put down your dirt and plant your flowers. If you add some peat moss to the dirt then what weeds you do get will be easy to pull.
You don't want to pile dirt and mulch up around the base of a tree, it will do more harm than good. These are called "mulch volcanoes," I won't go into details here, just Google the term. We have had success just placing grass clippings 3-4 inches deep around the base of our trees, and have never had to use any weed killers, plastic mulch or dig anything up. We've planted hostas around the trees, but you can plant anything. Annuals that are shade tolerant like impatiens would work.
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Good Luck and Happy Gardening from Cathy and Neal!
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