when to xeriscape?
 

I've had it up to here watering my full-sun parking strip and
ever-thirsty St. Aug there (and it's not even August yet!!!) What's the
optimum time of year to dig it up, fumigate (to get rid of the
intermixed Bermuda), and put in low maintainance xeriscape? I would
guess that cooler season is right, to get some roots in before summer,
but fall or spring? Would really like some rosemary, and maybe a little
color, but I'm not that particular.

Doug Lassiter wrote:
I've had it up to here watering my full-sun parking strip and
ever-thirsty St. Aug there (and it's not even August yet!!!) What's the
optimum time of year to dig it up, fumigate (to get rid of the
intermixed Bermuda), and put in low maintainance xeriscape? I would

I think now it's a good time to do the following: buy a bunch of black
plastic. Cover your grass with it, use rocks to keep in place. Leave all
summer. Come fall, when it's cool enough to plant, the grass should be
gone. :)

--
Victor M. Martinez
Owned and operated by the Fantastic Seven (TM)
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Victor Martinez wrote:

I think now it's a good time to do the following: buy a bunch of black
plastic. Cover your grass with it, use rocks to keep in place. Leave all
summer. Come fall, when it's cool enough to plant, the grass should be
gone. :)



The Bermuda won't be ... :(

Doug Lassiter wrote:
The Bermuda won't be ... :(

I've never heard of a plant that can survive months without sunlight.

--
Victor M. Martinez
Owned and operated by the Fantastic Seven (TM)
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On Tue, 12 Jul 2005 03:00:52 GMT, Victor Martinez
wrote:

Doug Lassiter wrote:
The Bermuda won't be ... :(

I've never heard of a plant that can survive months without sunlight.

It is also the heat collected by the black plastic. Using scrap
pieces of 2 inch by 4 inch lumber to hold it down around the edges is
better than rocks as it provides a better seal.

Rusty Mase
Austin, Texas

On Mon, 11 Jul 2005 22:48:08 -0500, Rusty Mase wrote:

On Tue, 12 Jul 2005 03:00:52 GMT, Victor Martinez
wrote:

Doug Lassiter wrote:
The Bermuda won't be ... :(

I've never heard of a plant that can survive months without sunlight.

It is also the heat collected by the black plastic. Using scrap
pieces of 2 inch by 4 inch lumber to hold it down around the edges is
better than rocks as it provides a better seal.

Rusty Mase
Austin, Texas

Actually, clear plastic does a better job of solarization and burning
out bermuda. However, bermuda has the ability to lay dormant deep in
the soil, up to 18 inches down. I removed my turf from that strip
several years ago. I planted Gaura lindheimerii. It is doing very
well and three times a season I cut it all back and it blooms again
and again. I also have bluebonnets naturalized, as well as nigella,
larkspur Penisetum setaceum, and Muhly lindheimerii. It's a bit too
wild for this stark, white neighborhood!

This fall I'm removing the G.linheimerii and putting in rosemary,
Mexican bush sage, lantana and Stipa tenuissima. The difference this
time is that I will plant in larger stands, not interspersed. It will
look cleaner that way.

You can definitely give a good watering now and remove the turf.
Cover the soil with clear plastic for the month of August and add back
in some quality compost and plant your selections. The only plants
which you should avoid planting in the summer are either bare root, or
balled and burlap trees or shrubs. All container plants can go in,
but will definitely need supplemental water for the balance of the
summer. So, I'd say to remove now, wait till fall for planting. It's
really very hot to be doing such work later than 10am, so be aware of
that.

Victoria

Actually, clear plastic does a better job of solarization and burning
out bermuda. However, bermuda has the ability to lay dormant deep in
the soil, up to 18 inches down.

Yep. Been there done that. Works well for killing the surface grass,
but the roots remain. I once had an old window laying on a patch of
grass out back (mixed buffalo and Bermuda) during the summer. Removed
it from the bare patch a year or two later and, amidst the weeds that
blew in and sprouted in the spring, Bermuda sprouts came up from the
center of the patch. I was impressed.

Certainly clear plastic is what you'd want, but it's not that easy to
kill the stuff if you want to be sure. Once I lay in xeriscape plants,
I want to be sure. I'll throw some Vapam under the plastic.

On 12 Jul 2005 16:19:48 -0700, "Doug Lassiter"
wrote:



Actually, clear plastic does a better job of solarization and burning
out bermuda. However, bermuda has the ability to lay dormant deep in
the soil, up to 18 inches down.

Yep. Been there done that. Works well for killing the surface grass,
but the roots remain. I once had an old window laying on a patch of
grass out back (mixed buffalo and Bermuda) during the summer. Removed
it from the bare patch a year or two later and, amidst the weeds that
blew in and sprouted in the spring, Bermuda sprouts came up from the
center of the patch. I was impressed.

Certainly clear plastic is what you'd want, but it's not that easy to
kill the stuff if you want to be sure. Once I lay in xeriscape plants,
I want to be sure. I'll throw some Vapam under the plastic.

I don't know what vapam is, but as another solution you can use
Finale,which is a herbicide, but is not as invasive or toxic AS
glyphosate. It's hard to find, but Barton Springs Nursery and Garden
Center on Bee Caves Road sells it in a concentrate. If I were to step
over the line with pesticides, I'd use that. It's non-specific, so
watch drift and only use it on a calm day.

Victoria

Thanks, I'll look into Finale. Vapam is a carbamate, which isn't
particularly nice stuff, though herbicides in general are not
particularly enviro-friendly. Contrary to what I said, I don't like to
"throw" these things around! Thanks also for your recommendations of
xeriscape plants. The Gaura looks quite impressive.

On 13 Jul 2005 16:36:09 -0700, "Doug Lassiter"
wrote:

Thanks, I'll look into Finale. Vapam is a carbamate, which isn't
particularly nice stuff, though herbicides in general are not
particularly enviro-friendly. Contrary to what I said, I don't like to
"throw" these things around! Thanks also for your recommendations of
xeriscape plants. The Gaura looks quite impressive.

Yes, it's lovely and it reseeds in addition to being a hardy perennial
for our zone. There is a nice variety 'Sisikyou Pink' which is
lovely, but it usually reverts back to the spp. It is NOT a tidy
plant, so if lush and tidy is what you want, and you never want to
water, you may want to consider bamboo. There are ground cover
bamboo's out there and I also believe I saw it at Barton Springs
Nursery and Garden Center. Monsanto grows it. Expensive, but will
spread rapidly. Rosemary is beautiful if you can contain it. One of
my neighors planted 'Silverado Sage' the dwarf. That also looks very
tidy and is native.

Victoria