When I put in my winter/fall/spring bulbs and bare root tubers, I always add some potting mix to give them the best chance to grow and bloom when they should, at least 25% potting mix, but sometimes as much as 50% old soil and 50% potting mix. And fertilize heavily in the first part of spring to get a great reward later on in the summer. I got a lot of compliments this year on my dahlias, people asking me how I still have them growing and blooming so late in the season. Its the twice a month fertilizing in spring/early summer and deadheading the old flowers. :) Hope this helps you to have a great bulb season! :D
How about really thick cardboard and mulch? This way you continue building your soil structure. Keep adding mulch from time to time. It works. I was inspired by plant abundance channel. Check it out.
Just watched a video by one of my favorite youtube channels. He was expressing frustration that his channel wasn't growing. Got me to thinking and looking through channels I remember really liking but haven't watched in a while. I found you, and notice that you haven't posted in years. What a shame. As I am watching your videos again, I am missing you. I love the way you talk and what you share. You seem so nice. I think you probably didn't grow as much as you hoped and gave up on youtube. I know it is a pain making videos. But if you check your comments any more, I just want to say that I am sad to see you go and I miss you. I hope that is why you aren't making new videos. Just occurred to me that it could be something worse.
I'll repeat previous posts. Do NOT use landscape fabric. Use cardboard or layers of newspaper and then pile lots of mulch on top. The cardboard/paper will block out the weeds and then break down to add to your mulch. I have some blue flag iris that is prolific to the point of almost being invasive that I've removed from areas I want to plant with veggies and herbs. I also have Stokes Aster - native to Mississippi that needs to be divided. Let me know if you want me to save these for you instead of tossing them in the compost. If you're going to the Deep South Gathering next weekend, I'll bring some things with me to share. I can't tell from your video what kind of light the area you're planting is. If you planted ferns there, other shade plants should do well there too. However, Astilbe, (pronounced uh-STILL-be) isn't one of them. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but we're too far south for it to grow well. If you have a fertile shady spot, you will probably get some pretty fern-like foliage and flowers for a short time. I know. I tried to grow it in my shady Memphis garden - the one that grew hostas and ferns beautifully, but the astilbe was ephemeral for me. Your best bet for planting in deep mulch would be to start seeds in containers and transplant them. Just spread back the mulch layer to expose the soil and plant in the dirt. As the little plants grow, push back the mulch a little at a time.
I'm sorry, but I have to repeat myself too - no, cardboard and paper with mulch will not do that. I've tried it. Extensively. I respect your opinion, but clearly we have had VERY different results. I won't be coming to DSH, unfortunately. Just been so much going on here with other things that the drive just doesn't sound like any fun, even though being there with friends certainly would be. Bummer to hear about the Astilbe. That's what I get for buying what was sold at the big-box-store and not looking it up first! :-( Thanks for the heads up though.
I agree with you on the pros and cons of using cardboard/newspaper as a week block. It depends on what kind of weed you are trying to smother. I've been using that method successfully for more than 15 years - since around 2001 or 2002. It's great for most things, but not for rhizomatous plants like Bermuda or Johnson grass, mint, Virginia Creeper, or wild blackberries. Suckers off of woody plants will break through too. I had mixed results with it this year when I started two new garden beds. The area that was mostly grass did beautifully - nary a weed poked through, but the other area where I had pulled out VA Creeper, mint, and Goldenrod . . .not so much. Maybe one of these days we'll be able to get together. I'm not looking forward to the drive down to DSH, but have driven further in the past to get together with friends. For me, living alone and a long way from family, the camaraderie makes up for the boring drive.
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Love your videos
Thank you so much!
Pleasant to watch. Loved the music
Thanks!
When I put in my winter/fall/spring bulbs and bare root tubers, I always add some potting mix to give them the best chance to grow and bloom when they should, at least 25% potting mix, but sometimes as much as 50% old soil and 50% potting mix. And fertilize heavily in the first part of spring to get a great reward later on in the summer. I got a lot of compliments this year on my dahlias, people asking me how I still have them growing and blooming so late in the season. Its the twice a month fertilizing in spring/early summer and deadheading the old flowers. :) Hope this helps you to have a great bulb season! :D
A lot of folks miss out on the dead-heading part - something you can see we are about to have to do for our mum's.
Daylillies. Plant lots of Daylillies.
We have planted a few in the past - hopefully they'll come back!
Daffodils. Plant lots of daffodils.
We have! Several colors! I hope to show them off in a few months!
Looking good. I've been doing a bit of fall planting myself. You're right about buying bulbs and roots, sometimes the quality is... less than great.
Depressing is what I would call it. Just not the sort of quality I would want to put out if I were them.
Astilbe is a shade to partial sun plant
We think it will do well here because of that.
How about really thick cardboard and mulch? This way you continue building your soil structure. Keep adding mulch from time to time. It works. I was inspired by plant abundance channel. Check it out.
Every time we have tried cardboard the weeds have always pushed back through it :-(
J&J Acres I think whatever you use will need maintenance.
Just watched a video by one of my favorite youtube channels. He was expressing frustration that his channel wasn't growing. Got me to thinking and looking through channels I remember really liking but haven't watched in a while. I found you, and notice that you haven't posted in years. What a shame. As I am watching your videos again, I am missing you. I love the way you talk and what you share. You seem so nice. I think you probably didn't grow as much as you hoped and gave up on youtube. I know it is a pain making videos. But if you check your comments any more, I just want to say that I am sad to see you go and I miss you. I hope that is why you aren't making new videos. Just occurred to me that it could be something worse.
I'll repeat previous posts. Do NOT use landscape fabric. Use cardboard or layers of newspaper and then pile lots of mulch on top. The cardboard/paper will block out the weeds and then break down to add to your mulch. I have some blue flag iris that is prolific to the point of almost being invasive that I've removed from areas I want to plant with veggies and herbs. I also have Stokes Aster - native to Mississippi that needs to be divided. Let me know if you want me to save these for you instead of tossing them in the compost. If you're going to the Deep South Gathering next weekend, I'll bring some things with me to share.
I can't tell from your video what kind of light the area you're planting is. If you planted ferns there, other shade plants should do well there too. However, Astilbe, (pronounced uh-STILL-be) isn't one of them. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but we're too far south for it to grow well. If you have a fertile shady spot, you will probably get some pretty fern-like foliage and flowers for a short time. I know. I tried to grow it in my shady Memphis garden - the one that grew hostas and ferns beautifully, but the astilbe was ephemeral for me. Your best bet for planting in deep mulch would be to start seeds in containers and transplant them. Just spread back the mulch layer to expose the soil and plant in the dirt. As the little plants grow, push back the mulch a little at a time.
I'm sorry, but I have to repeat myself too - no, cardboard and paper with mulch will not do that. I've tried it. Extensively. I respect your opinion, but clearly we have had VERY different results.
I won't be coming to DSH, unfortunately. Just been so much going on here with other things that the drive just doesn't sound like any fun, even though being there with friends certainly would be.
Bummer to hear about the Astilbe. That's what I get for buying what was sold at the big-box-store and not looking it up first! :-( Thanks for the heads up though.
I agree with you on the pros and cons of using cardboard/newspaper as a week block. It depends on what kind of weed you are trying to smother. I've been using that method successfully for more than 15 years - since around 2001 or 2002. It's great for most things, but not for rhizomatous plants like Bermuda or Johnson grass, mint, Virginia Creeper, or wild blackberries. Suckers off of woody plants will break through too. I had mixed results with it this year when I started two new garden beds. The area that was mostly grass did beautifully - nary a weed poked through, but the other area where I had pulled out VA Creeper, mint, and Goldenrod . . .not so much.
Maybe one of these days we'll be able to get together. I'm not looking forward to the drive down to DSH, but have driven further in the past to get together with friends. For me, living alone and a long way from family, the camaraderie makes up for the boring drive.