On Sun, 13 Jul 2003 01:14:14 -0400, "Scopata Fuori"
wrote:



I have about a four inch layer of pine bark "nuggets" on top of a layer of
landscaping "weed barrier" paper...the end of the rose garden with the
permeable plastic stuff is so overgrown with weeds I have despaired of ever
getting it cleaned out again.

So the paper is not the same as the plastic, and you prefer the paper,
which breaks down? Perhaps it works the same as newspaper?

I did lay soaker hose throughout, on top of the paper, under the mulch, so I
can drip irrigate without spashbacks on the leaves.

But my problem is with fertilizing...I have to rake back all the mulch, then
peel back the paper, or unwrap it from around the base of the plants,
scratch in the fertilizer, then lay it all back down again.

Can you rig your drip system to fertilize? I use both Mills and
granular, so I also have to pull back the mulch. But I supplement with
water soluable stuff like Miracle Gro for Roses. Of course, I water my
roses from over head, but I use a strong fungicide, so I can. Besides
the fact that in a places where it rains so much (at least this year!)
it would be pretty crazy to try not to get water on my foliage when I
water. It has rained at least every other day here since May 10.



That's the only
real drawback I can think of, other than attracting unwanted pests. My
mole/vole problem is under the landscaping paper, where they submarined in
to destroy the roots of most of my underplanted perennials, and selectively
chewed some of the roses' roots. I think they like the ice plants and
columbine much better, as they were almost annihilated, whereas my roses
suffered only sporadic attacks.

See now, this, inconjunction with what Susan Simko and some others
said, is leading me to believe that in order to thwart the voles I
must feed them something they like better than roses. In a bed with
JUST thick, yummy mulch for hiding in and roses, what would you eat if
you were a vole? But add some tender annuals or a perennial
groundcover, and voila! Many choices for the rodent palette. [sp.]



That wold be ok if it were just a couple bushes, but I have several dozen in
that bed alone, so I have been foliar feeding, and adding liquid fertilizer
to a drip tank attached to the soaker irrigation (Monty's Joy Juice, kelp
extract, seaweed extract, fish emulsion, an occaisional pinch of phosphorus,
Miracle Gro plant and root booster, etc.)

Oops. I missed this part. So you DO feed water soluable, but also
solid. I see.




Scopata Fuori


"Bad Cat!"