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HI Amy, I have 3 young live oaks (~6-8ft) in my backyard and I try to keep a mulched ring around the base. The lawn around them is bermuda. The bermuda is winning the battle more recently. My impression is that the bermuda would rob the trees of water and nutrients. Is this really a problem? Should I give up and let the bermuda grow under these trees or is there something I can do to block the bermuda? Thanks! Rachell San Marcos, TX Rachell,
If you want to block the Bermuda from around the trees you can purchase steel edging and make a good size ring around the tree. The Bermuda will not rob the tree of any nutrients, the roots of the tree will always move toward healthier soils. But if you use the steel edging and mulch around the trees it should hinder the Bermuda's growth around the trees. | I have a few cubic feet of small rocks (more than I can use in any landscaping project in my yard) and some rocky dirt that I would like to dispose of. Is there any place in Austin (or surrounding area) that accepts this type of material and where it can be used? Our parent company Texas Disposal Systems has a landfill just south of Austin in Buda. The number to the main office is 512-421-1300, ask for the gate house. If you have any other questions please let me know. | I recently moved to San Antonio and have inherited a truly 'blank slate' of a back yard - all weeds and terrible drainage on what is almost a completely flat lot. A decent rain turns it to sticky swamp-land for a solid week. I'd really like your advice on creating a strategy for overhauling it completely, with the goal of creating a decent Zoysia lawn that will drain properly. Thanks! That is funny because I am facing the same problem with my home, you are going to have to build up the low lying areas with good topsoil, sand and compost mixture. When grading the area make sure that it drains away from the house, when your area is built up then lay the sod and make sure to roll the squares after you have laid them out. Give the lawn a good fertilization with a slow release organic fertilizer to help the grass along. Garden-Ville sells a couple of soils that would be great for your application which are the Turfmaster and lawn and garden soil. The turfmaster will be the cheaper of the two since the topsoil in the mix has not been cooked to kill off weed seeds. For fertilization I would recommend the Premium Lawn Fertilizer 7-2-2, it is a good slow release fertilizer that is awesome for grass. You can pick these products up at any Garden-Ville location in San Antonio. You can also have the soil delivered to your home for an additional delivery fee. I hope this has helped, if you have any other questions please let me know. | Can Mexican Fan Palms be cut back? Will they re-grow? The crown can be trimmed back, but I have heard that if it is not necessary to trim the plant to leave it alone. The dead leaves of the plant contain nutrients that the plant absorbs until depleted then drops the leaves. If you were to trim back the plant it has been said to picture the crown of the plant as the face of a clock and only trim to 3 and 9. You might want to have a certified arborist come out and give you tips on what to do about your particular tree. | We have an enormous sloped rock garden in our back yard, supported by a retaining wall. There are several hundred very large rocks surrounded by various ground cover and perennial plants. My goal is to have the empty dirt spaces totally fill up with plants. However, the soil is too sandy and is being washed down with rain and snow run off. Can I put compost on top of the existing soil and plants, or would you suggest trying to mix the compost with the existing exposed soil? Also, I have reoccuring weed that I can't seem to kill. It looks like a three leaf clover and spreads like ivy. Several branches grow out of the dirt together and it is impossible to pull the roots out. I have been spraying them with Round Up, but they come back every year. Any suggestions? Thanks so much for your input! Stacy,
If you are having problems with runoff I would not suggest you put any compost in the soil, instead try putting potted plants in the open areas. Amending the soil with compost is a good idea but with the soil running off I feel that it would not be worth the time and money to amend the soil. The positive side to potted plants is that you can pick out decorative pots to plant in and do not have to worry about runoff leaching the soil from around the plant and possibly killing it off. As for the weeds you can try the Garden-Ville Natural Weed Control and apply it directly to the plant trying to avoid over spray. Your other choice is a product called Image, it is a broad leaf specific herbicide that you can pick up at any lawn and garden center. | Have a hill that water runs off and creates a mini-stream in the middle of our yard. We end up with standing water, which never allows the grass to grow in that area and allows for water to stand again. It also gets very muddy. The area affected is fairly large so we are leaning against regrading. Question - any suggestions to have the water drain better, or in place but not get muddy, say by putting stones(red stones or something), maybe a walkway and letting the water settle without getting the ground so muddy? Anyway, just looking for any solution other than regrading the backyard - any help would be appreciated. Mr. Goblin,
Does the hill run toward the house? Is the affected area to one side of the yard or all the way across? I need more information (where the house is, if there are any other slopes in the yard where the water could be diverted, etc) so I can get a better mental image in my head of what you are dealing with. There are different ways of draining the water off that are aesthetically pleasing, I just need to know the details to better help you. | Amy I have a home off Evans and Bulverde road. The builder sodded the front and I paid a man to sod the back. It is Bermuda. The back sod apparently was of poor quality and I have had weeds for the 2 years since it was put in. I even had a yard service on a program yet they never could control the weeds. I was use to St Augustine and this Bermuda is new to me. In doing some research on the internet it appears Molasass or Sugar spread like fertilizer will kill and keep weeds away because they can't grow in rich soils. Will this harm the Bermuda though? Is the Fertilizers you sell with Molasass in them the way for me to go? Please help. When you spread the molasses it feeds the microorganisms in the soil that give the soil nutrients. The soil that was laid in the back yard was probably of poor quality and that is probably where you are getting your weeds from. Since we are in spring I would recommend that you get a pre-emergent like corn gluten meal and broadcast it at a rate of 20# per 1000sq ft. and pull the existing weeds. To help build up the quality of the turf I would also recommend that you spread a ½” thick layer of compost like the premium compost available at any Garden-Ville and fertilize with a good organic fertilizer like Garden-Ville’s 7-2-2 soil food, the idea behind organic lawn maintenance is to build up the soil because the weeds live primarily in poor soils with little to no organic matter. The stronger your turf grass is the less likely you will have weeds in the yard. | Our front yard is one big hill, sloping downward to the street. Recently we had a sewer line replaced, so now our yard is a dirt hill. We're thinking of terracing it, but don't know where to begin! Thanks, Christi Little Rock, AR Before you go and start cutting into the ground you will need to call your local utilities department and have the area checked for water lines, electric lines, cable lines, etc. After you are cleared of that then you will need to figure out just how deep you want the terraces to be. You will need to rent a tractor to get a good smooth grade. Railroad ties are generally the preferred retaining wall material due to their long life and relatively inexpensive price compared to rock or pave stone walls. You might want to have a local landscaper come out and give an estimate so you can see just what will need to be done to the area. I hope this has helped. | I have water pooling around my foundation and no vegetation on the soil as it located in a walkway and too close to the house, what soil would you recommend using to grade? I have heard that sand and manure our not a good idea to add to black clay soil. Thank you for your time, Carol Since it is in a walkway I would recommend that you make a pathway with rock, or decomposed granite, or some other type of aggregate. It would not do you any good to amend the soil that will be walked on. You can grade the area with a base rock foundation and lay some type of decorative rock to make a pathway that helps with runoff.
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