Since the plants are said to be very deep, should these beds ever be
turned? If so what depth is considered safe? Last year I noticed that
some of the wood mulch I had applied earlier had compacted into a
rather hard "particle board" like layer, so I made some attempt to
break that up. To avoid this issue I'm going to try to apply only leaf
mulch.

I'm also curious whether using the tree stake type of watering might be
more effective for mulched beds than surface watering. I have
difficulty judging when a heavily mulched bed needs water. Thanks for
any thoughts.

"Dave" expounded:

Since the plants are said to be very deep, should these beds ever be
turned? If so what depth is considered safe? Last year I noticed that
some of the wood mulch I had applied earlier had compacted into a
rather hard "particle board" like layer, so I made some attempt to
break that up. To avoid this issue I'm going to try to apply only leaf
mulch.

Don't turn the beds, that'll break up any sprouts coming up from the
crowns. Get rid of that wood mulch and mulch with well-rotted manure
or your leaf mulch..

--
Ann
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