GardenBanter.co.uk - View Single Post

Nad R · 26-07-2011, 11:49 AM posted to rec.gardens

"David Hare-Scott" wrote:
j wrote:
On 7/25/2011 9:08 PM, wrote:
writes:

I have a house in Atlanta, 7b Piedmont, with a weedy sparse front
yard. It's all low growing and the weeds pop up tall shoots. Poor
soil with some pine straw. It's slanty ground with a big pine and a
dogwood. Kudzu is thriving next door and headed my way.

So, I've been popping the weeds out, they are hardly nothing but
some broad stubby leaves laying against the ground and the
aforementioned flower stalk. I can see this may not be working!

Suggestions?

What do you want to do to the area?
Sounds like it's mostly barren and you want
to make it completely barren except for the pine
and dogwood?

It has something like grass, but it's not thick.

I'd like to get rid of the weeds and at the moment I'm not adverse to
chemicals. Then, I don't know. Maybe I should just mow it low, like
everybody else.

Jeff

If you leave the dirt bare you will be forever removing weeds, whether by
hand or spray. Grass is a covering that will exclude weeds to some
extent but it is high maintenance because it takes, mowing, watering,
fertilising etc to grow strongly. If it doesn't grow strongly the weeds
win. Grass is particularly hard to keep going in wear areas and if your
climate isn't suitable but it is always costly.

You can cover the ground in other ways that are less maintenance (shrubs,
ground covers, perennials etc with mulch underneath) but you can't play
ball or wrassle with the dog there like on grass.

You need to decide first what you want to do in the area second how much
effort you want to expend to make it look like what you want.

David

Add grass seed to your yard every fall. This will make it harder for weeds
to take over. If you do not fill the bare spots in the dirt, nature will.

--
Enjoy Life... Nad R (Garden in zone 5a Michigan)