I have a guy coming today to grind up the stump, all the roots, the monkey grass, and haul it away.
I’m going to continue my small retaining wall all the way around the circle and up to the edge of the house. And then plan on adding a mix of compost and dirt with weed barrier on top and planting a Japanese maple and perhaps some ground cover later with mulch.
Remove this plastic barrier, right? Use weed barrier sheets instead, right? Any other tips or feedback is completely welcome. Thanks in advance!
by happygodavid
5 Comments
Rip out that old plastic edging and whatever plastic sheeting is buried there immediately. Do not put down new weed barrier fabric either. Landscape fabric is a complete scam that suffocates your soil and ruins the spreading roots of the ground cover you want to plant. Weeds just germinate in the mulch on top of the fabric anyway. You are spending good money on compost to build healthy soil so let it breathe. Once the stump is ground out and the monkey grass is gone lay your compost mixed with topsoil directly on the raw dirt.
When you plant that Japanese maple make absolutely sure the root flare sits slightly above the final soil grade so the tree does not rot. Do not just scatter isolated plants around the tree like polka dots. Plant your ground cover in sweeping connected masses that flow together into a single texture. That living layer blocks weeds naturally and gives your yard actual structural beauty instead of looking like a lonely tree floating in a sea of wood chips. You also need to route that black downspout pipe completely clear of your new retaining wall so trapped water does not wash out the base of your blocks.
Before you buy a single plant or haul any more blocks you should run a photo of the cleared space through the GardenDream web app. It works like a safety net tool for DIYers letting you overlay realistic plant masses and wall layouts onto your actual yard. Seeing the blueprint visually guarantees your ground cover sweeps and hardscape proportions look right together before you waste time and money doing the labor twice.
Remove it and use ZERO sheeting. It maybe helps keep weeds at bay the first season, but it quickly becomes a nightmare as weeds begin to seed on top of it and through it. It also ruins the soil. If you must use a barrier, use cardboard.
Personally and professionally I use nothing. I spray herbicide and let it do its thing before I dig the old stuff out. I fill with a high quality topsoil and compost, spread a pre-emergent selective herbicide, install plants, then 2″ of a shredded hardwood mulch like cedar that naturally helps with weed control.
Before you fill that bed that’s next to your stoop you need to put some sort of waterproofing on your brick. You’ll have moisture making its way into your basement in no time.
Nah I’d take it out.
That retaining wall is gonna look nice!
Remember the reason retaining walls fail and collapse is water – so if you want to plan for some gravel or drainage behind that wall, it’ll last a lot longer. make sure drainage takes water away from the foundation. But also it’s small enough that you could get by without drainage I think too.
Yes, get rid of the plastic edging but also skip the weed barrier fabric. I would focus on good soil and use a few inches of good mulch to keep the weeds down. I think a Japanese Maple would be a great option for that spot.