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Old 13-05-2010, 07:03 PM posted to rec.gardens
beecrofter[_2_] beecrofter[_2_] is offline
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First recorded activity by GardenBanter: Aug 2007
Posts: 144
Default ground cover problem

On May 12, 10:01*am, internaughtfull
wrote:
Hi,

I have a slope approx 10 yards by 20 yards. It was originally
covered in heavy brush and some broken pine trees that had
been there for over 20 years. I had it
cleared down to basic pine needle mulch, with mucho roots and
vines protruding. I have planted probably 100 purple
wintercreeper plants so far, trying to spread them out as evenly
as possible. Basically I just want a decent ground cover that will
not tower over the house and stay fairly low.

However, the native plants, ie: poison ivy, some shrub like plants,
virgina creeper, poplar trees, walnut trees, etc have begun to
reemerge and outpace the groundcover I've been planting. It looks like
it is getting out of hand. Is spot treating with brush killer the only
way to keep this in line until the wintercreeper takes off?

Thanks,

itchy


Only for a nozzlehead, a better approach is to grub out what you can
by the roots, apply herbicides where you can't and put down an organic
mulch to suppress weed seeds. Try spot application to stubs with a
paintbrush as soon as you sever topgrowth, two people working together
one with lopper the other with the brush killer.