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#1
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Clearing area for planting?
Location Wellington NZ, so climate very similar to Cornwall. Hope you don't mind me invading your neck of the woods, but ours is a bit quiet We've got quite a few areas of our section that have become overgrown due to neglect, so with an Antipodean winter looming, I'm keen to get stuck in and start tidying up some of it. First up is a sloping bit that the previous owners had as lawn - I have no idea why. It's not a large area, but it's the first bit you see as you come down our path (and steps) to the house. Anyway, I want to get rid of the invasive agapanthus that lines the path (have started that... hard work!), clear the "lawn" (now 2 foot high with weeds aplenty) by strimming and mowing, throw on a bit of Roundup to kill off the weeds, then prepare the (clay) soil for planting (bit of digging and addition of compost?). I plan to plant NZ natives to keep it fairly low maintenance. So I thought I'd do all this in preparation for planting in spring, but now I've read that I shouldn't till a sloping site in autumn, I guess due to erosion. What's my best course of action? I wanted to have the area cleared by spring (or earlier) for planting, and with a young baby, don't have huge amounts of time, so hoped to spend a few hours each weekend working away on it, but do it properly. I'm keen, but very much a novice, so all and any suggestions most welcome! -- Maggie |
#2
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dont believe everything you read. I would do rough digging / deweeding
now and finish off in spring. You can cover the soil with fabric if erosion is a real problem but i think it is unlikely unless it is Very Sloping or Very Rainy where you are. I would rather like an *invasion* of agapanthus in my garden. sarah Maggie wrote: Location Wellington NZ, so climate very similar to Cornwall. Hope you don't mind me invading your neck of the woods, but ours is a bit quiet We've got quite a few areas of our section that have become overgrown due to neglect, so with an Antipodean winter looming, I'm keen to get stuck in and start tidying up some of it. First up is a sloping bit that the previous owners had as lawn - I have no idea why. It's not a large area, but it's the first bit you see as you come down our path (and steps) to the house. Anyway, I want to get rid of the invasive agapanthus that lines the path (have started that... hard work!), clear the "lawn" (now 2 foot high with weeds aplenty) by strimming and mowing, throw on a bit of Roundup to kill off the weeds, then prepare the (clay) soil for planting (bit of digging and addition of compost?). I plan to plant NZ natives to keep it fairly low maintenance. So I thought I'd do all this in preparation for planting in spring, but now I've read that I shouldn't till a sloping site in autumn, I guess due to erosion. What's my best course of action? I wanted to have the area cleared by spring (or earlier) for planting, and with a young baby, don't have huge amounts of time, so hoped to spend a few hours each weekend working away on it, but do it properly. I'm keen, but very much a novice, so all and any suggestions most welcome! -- Maggie |
#3
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Maggie wrote in news:wYOh
: . I plan to plant NZ natives to keep it fairly low maintenance. So I thought I'd do all this in preparation for planting in spring, but now I've read that I shouldn't till a sloping site in autumn, I guess due to erosion. What's my best course of action? I wanted to have the area cleared by spring (or earlier) for planting, and with a young baby, don't have huge amounts of time, so hoped to spend a few hours each weekend working away on it, but do it properly. I'm keen, but very much a novice, so all and any suggestions most welcome! You should be fine if you are only going to have it bare for one season, I'd have thought. If you were going to prepare the earth every year you'd be more likely to have problems, and would probably need to do things in terraces. My garden is steep, and I do find I sometimes have to heap soil back onto the beds, but it's not a huge problem - a little spadework is all that is needed. Sarah's suggestion of covering the soil with plastic or black garden fabric till you are ready to plant is a good idea - not only will this prevent the soil washing downhill, but it will also suppress any weed seedlings that come popping up in mild periods, and leave cleaner soil for planting in in spring. Having said that, I don't know what NZ natives you are planning to plant - round here it's usually recommended to plant trees and shrubs in autumn, or winter for bare root plants - that way they get plenty of damp weather to settle in before the summer arrives and the ground starts to dry out. If you are planting seeds, you might want to check if they need a colder period to get them germinating, as many UK wildflowers do - in that case, they might also need planting in the autumn. Victoria -- gardening on a north-facing hill in South-East Cornwall -- |
#4
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In article , Maggie writes: | | Anyway, I want to get rid of the invasive agapanthus that lines the path | (have started that... hard work!), clear the "lawn" (now 2 foot high | with weeds aplenty) by strimming and mowing, throw on a bit of Roundup | to kill off the weeds, then prepare the (clay) soil for planting (bit of | digging and addition of compost?). ... What you need for the Agapanthus is a grub-axe (pick-mattock, or whatever). Like a pickaxe, but with one blade 4" wide at right angled to the handle. It will cut through the roots easily, and Agapanthus will not regrow from them as I understand it. The critical thing for clay is to loosen it as deeply as you have the strength for. Compost or (coarse) sand are useful, but less important. Regards, Nick Maclaren. |
#5
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The message
from Maggie contains these words: Location Wellington NZ, so climate very similar to Cornwall. Hope you don't mind me invading your neck of the woods, but ours is a bit quiet We've got quite a few areas of our section that have become overgrown due to neglect, so with an Antipodean winter looming, I'm keen to get stuck in and start tidying up some of it. First up is a sloping bit that the previous owners had as lawn - I have no idea why. Were they Scots? It suggsts to me that they might have been sportspeople, and indulged in the winter sport of Haggis Howking [1] or Cairngorm Croquet. [2] It's not a large area, but it's the first bit you see as you come down our path (and steps) to the house. I take it you're not into Highland sports? You could replace it with some low ground cover. If the ground is suitable, heathers and the crrepier sort of blaeberries and cranberries might be fun. Anyway, I want to get rid of the invasive agapanthus that lines the path (have started that... hard work!), clear the "lawn" (now 2 foot high with weeds aplenty) by strimming and mowing, throw on a bit of Roundup to kill off the weeds, then prepare the (clay) soil for planting (bit of digging and addition of compost?). I plan to plant NZ natives to keep it fairly low maintenance. So I thought I'd do all this in preparation for planting in spring, but now I've read that I shouldn't till a sloping site in autumn, I guess due to erosion. Ah. Bang goes any thoughts of heathers and the berries. What's my best course of action? I wanted to have the area cleared by spring (or earlier) for planting, and with a young baby, don't have huge amounts of time, so hoped to spend a few hours each weekend working away on it, but do it properly. I'm keen, but very much a novice, so all and any suggestions most welcome! Babies can be admirably destructive, you know. Have you thought of tethering him/her in a different spot each day? Really, it's a bit late for Roundup, as it's at its best when the target is growing vigorously. I know someone with a flame-thrower and an enthusiastic seven-year-old, but it's a bit far, even for them. It's like the old bloke asked for directions: "Ar, well, if Oi were gooing there, Oi wuddn't staart from here, see?" I think you might have to continue as you are and be patient about deploying the WMD. [1] Haggis Howking: where the object of the sport is to sweep down a slope on skis, and extract the haggis from its burrow in a single movement with a Howkin' Pole, en passant. [2] Played on a slope with the usual equipment, the only difference being that the balls are cuboid. This is said to be because it's a long way down Cairn Gorm, and spherical balls tend to go the distance. -- Rusty Open the creaking gate to make a horrid.squeak, then lower the foobar. http://www.users.zetnet.co.uk/hi-fi/ |
#7
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#8
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Victoria Clare spake thusly
Maggie wrote in news:wYOh : . I plan to plant NZ natives to keep it fairly low maintenance. So I thought I'd do all this in preparation for planting in spring, but now I've read that I shouldn't till a sloping site in autumn, I guess due to erosion. I don't know what NZ natives you are planning to plant - round here it's usually recommended to plant trees and shrubs in autumn, or winter for bare root plants - that way they get plenty of damp weather to settle in before the summer arrives and the ground starts to dry out. Hmmm.. good point, and something I had completely overlooked. -- Maggie |
#9
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Nick Maclaren spake thusly
What you need for the Agapanthus is a grub-axe (pick-mattock, or whatever). Like a pickaxe, but with one blade 4" wide at right angled to the handle. It will cut through the roots easily, and Agapanthus will not regrow from them as I understand it. I think I know of the implement you mean. Is it important to get all the roots out of soil? They're so matted in places, I'd need to remove half the bank! The critical thing for clay is to loosen it as deeply as you have the strength for. Compost or (coarse) sand are useful, but less important. Having looked at the site again, there seems to be a lot of... rock, or at least, extremely hard clay, that just breaks off... not a lot of "soil" at all. -- Maggie |
#10
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Jaques d'Alltrades spake thusly
thinks You *HAVE* got earthwormy type-of-things, haven't you? Yup! I have a sort of feeling that the nasty flatworms which eat our earthworms originated Down Under, somewhere... Don't think I've eer come across one, though I once found a huge gigantic earthworm... is that a flat worm? (Looked a bit round to me) -- Maggie |
#11
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Jaques d'Alltrades spake thusly
The message from Maggie contains these words: First up is a sloping bit that the previous owners had as lawn - I have no idea why. Were they Scots? With a name like Angus MacDonald, more than likely. It's not a large area, but it's the first bit you see as you come down our path (and steps) to the house. I take it you're not into Highland sports? Not at present. Ah. Bang goes any thoughts of heathers and the berries. It's not that large an area, and bordered by mountain (?) flax.. so need plants with a little height I think. There is a spot where I thought I could plant berries, but currently overgrown with broom and bracken and hidden by flax, so for now in the "too hard" basket. -- Maggie |
#12
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In article ,
Maggie wrote: Nick Maclaren spake thusly What you need for the Agapanthus is a grub-axe (pick-mattock, or whatever). Like a pickaxe, but with one blade 4" wide at right angled to the handle. It will cut through the roots easily, and Agapanthus will not regrow from them as I understand it. I think I know of the implement you mean. Is it important to get all the roots out of soil? They're so matted in places, I'd need to remove half the bank! No. I am pretty certain it will not regrow from them. The critical thing for clay is to loosen it as deeply as you have the strength for. Compost or (coarse) sand are useful, but less important. Having looked at the site again, there seems to be a lot of... rock, or at least, extremely hard clay, that just breaks off... not a lot of "soil" at all. When that is broken up, and some humus added, it will turn into soil. Regards, Nick Maclaren. |
#13
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Nick Maclaren spake thusly
In article , Maggie wrote: I think I know of the implement you mean. Is it important to get all the roots out of soil? They're so matted in places, I'd need to remove half the bank! No. I am pretty certain it will not regrow from them. Yay! Having looked at the site again, there seems to be a lot of... rock, or at least, extremely hard clay, that just breaks off... not a lot of "soil" at all. When that is broken up, and some humus added, it will turn into soil. Thanks for that -- Maggie |
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