Hello! I'm not sure of the best method to use here, since much of the advice out there is for killing neat lawns or is prioritizing speed which isn't an issue for me. And I'd really like to do it right the first time.
I've let my backyard just run wild for the past six years because it was already pretty wild when I bought the house and I love the untamed look, but I'd like to replace everything with a variety of native plants (that I can then allow to run wild). I live in NE Kansas, which is 6B. I have one big tree and quite a few smaller ones so my yard is quite shady. Since it's early spring, part of the yard is mostly dirt and fallen leaves and honeysuckle, and part is mostly vines, but I know a lot more stuff will be popping up soon so I'm trying to be preemptive.
There's probably some small bits of native plants in there too right now, but killing everything seems much easier than trying to sort it out. I would rather put a lot of work in upfront to eradicate what's already there and then be able to plant seeds and not have to worry about weeding. (But I also don't want to put in more work than I actually have to, lol, I'm not an outdoorsy manual labor type of person just a very determined one.) I'll probably plant some plugs too, but it's a whole yard and I'm not made of money and I don't want to grow a hundred plugs myself either, so it'll have to be mostly seed.
I'd rather do the whole yard at once so I don't have to worry about the old invasive sections encroaching on the new native sections, and because my next two years are less busy than I expect to be in the future. I don't mind if the prep method takes a year or two before I can plant, and I don't mind if the plants take a couple years to look good. I have the rest of my life to enjoy this yard and I don't want to spend it weeding or regretting shortcuts.
This week I've been working on cutting down the honeysuckle, but I'm not sure what to do with the stumps… When professionals took out some honeysuckle near the house a couple years ago they said they poisoned the stumps, but I wonder if whatever method I use to kill the rest of the yard would work on the stumps, too. I would also be down to try digging up the roots if that would be more effective, I'm just not sure how feasible that is and I don't want to make more work for myself unnecessarily. (Most of the clumps I'm looking at have a 1" diameter shoot and a couple quarter or half inch diameter shoots, so I definitely can't just pull them out easily). I'm thinking I should at least cut out the actual stumps that are sticking out of the dirt so they're not trip hazards, but I can't do that And poison them, and if I end up mulching the whole yard maybe that's not necessary. ?
I've read about using black or clear tarp to solarize, or cardboard/mulch. I've heard some pros and cons of each but I'm not sure which is more likely to kill the most plants and leave the best ground for planting seeds, or if it would perhaps be reasonable to solarize first and then use mulch too. I also read that tilling can help you have a better surface for planting but can also dig up old seeds, so I wonder if it would be a good idea to do some tilling to bring up seeds on purpose in order to kill them?
From my research, I feel like a good overkill plan would be to solarize, then till, then solarize, then put down mulch and cardboard or maybe just mulch, then plant either this winter or next winter. Is that reasonable or is it just silly to do both methods?
I'm also not sure if I can/should til at all since there's the honeysuckle stumps, and a bunch of old branches all over. I could pick up the branches if needed but I don't want to rent a tiller and then break it on stumps. But it does seem like it could be useful to til or mow in order to shred the dead leaves and soon-to-be-dead vines…
Sorry this post is so long but hopefully I've preempted some questions and I'm happy to answer any others. I would really appreciate any advice on what would work best in my situation in particular, and especially pros/cons to various methods so I can choose what to prioritize and so I know what issues to look out for!
by SilverStars413
3 Comments
So lots of questions from you:
1. The stump killing method is called “cut and paint”. Basically, you cut the invasive down to a stump, then put weed killer directly on the raw wound to get the plant to suck it in and kill the roots. You can find descriptions of how to do so by looking up “cut and paint”
2. I don’t personally like solarizing . I felt it took took long and didn’t actually kill things.
3. While it may seem like a good idea to do the entire space now, you need to think about what you can reasonably maintain. If you need 1 year to clear, then you’ll need 3 to 5 years for your new plants to be established. In those 3 to 5 years you’ll need to stay on top of weeding and watering (as needed).
4. I think you said you had a few trees. Think about whether your yard should have more. Or maybe more large bushes?
You should start with IDing each species and do research on what it takes to manage each one. Choose you sources wisely.
You will probably need all the methods.
I would start with raking, cutting, and removing everything there.
My next opinion though controversial is to use some kind of herbicide like gylosphate or Triclopyr in a controlled application to stifle out everything. Herbicides are not inherently bad if the application is to remove ground cover and replace. In one growing season the application will have done its job, dissipate and leave behind a good black slate to work with.
Next I would sheet mulch with cardboard, then topsoil and then mulch to smother anything left. You will still need to weed things but it will be manageable at this point