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#67202 Jun 15th, 2007 at 12:12 PM
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The bigger, but not better, part of my back yard is a total mess. i try to avoid it because is virtually imposible to even stick a shovel in there. There are so many roots, they are not big roots, but are everywhere. Also they seem to have plants coming from them that i keep pulling and they keep coming back within a week. What can i do to get something out of the most promising part of my yard (sunwise at least).


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dulcimiel80 #67759 Jun 16th, 2007 at 01:03 PM
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I wonder whose roots they are? Can you show us a pic of the plants and one of the larger area? What would you like to do there (grassy yard, veggie garden, a few bushes and perennials, rows of annuals, what?)?


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margaret e. pell #68133 Jun 17th, 2007 at 05:26 AM
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Tiller. But chopping up a bunch of roots may kill a tree or shub you actually want. Yup a picture would be cool. Or tell us whats growing back there. Maple, Oak, rose, lilly of the valley, rose of sharon, lilac, crabgrass?????


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Wrennie #68200 Jun 17th, 2007 at 08:03 AM
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Agreed. Much easier to know what to tell you with photos. My rose of Sharon puts off 100 or so seedlings a year.... drives me nuts. Also Forsythia put down some serious roots - we had to replace the sewer line at my mother's house because the roots had torn it apart.



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snapdragon #68534 Jun 17th, 2007 at 07:43 PM
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some of the roots may be from things that are no longer there - especially if what you are finding are a bunch of small roots. have you cut any of them? if you have and they feel fleshy or have white or green inside, they're most probably connected to something that is still growing. if they seem dry, then they're probably from something that is no longer there.

as already stated, some of the roots may be from things that are still there and you'll want to keep damage to them at a minimum.

a pic would be helpful so that we can try to figure out what you've got there!

and, i agree, forsythia is a bugger! not only does it send out suckers, any branches that are left touching the soil will root, too!

lilac also send suckers out...if you've got one that's next to a lawn and there's no edging/barrier, the new growth may be getting mowed down with the grass...that doesn't stop it tho. the suckers will keep spreading under the soil. if it's a particularly old bush, you could have suckers growing as far away as 8 or 10 feet.


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Joclyn #69329 Jun 18th, 2007 at 11:46 AM
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i will upload pics of them when i get home, i am sure someone will recognize the culprit.


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dulcimiel80 #71064 Jun 20th, 2007 at 07:56 AM
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This is a pic of the area where all the roots are. There is also a young maple tree at the neighbor's yard right behind mine. The bush or vine that you see here is my suspect since it drops all those seeds. What i would like to do here is a veggie garden because it gets full sun after 10am through afternoon.



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dulcimiel80 #71216 Jun 20th, 2007 at 09:49 AM
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I don't seed very well. But I would suggest getting on your knees and taking a picture of the grass or stuff at ground level. It looks like it may just be lawn and if so you are fighting the thatch. There is a tool you can get that will cut out the sod or it can be done with a pointy shovel but it takes elbow grease galore. And if it is bermuda grass like I have the roots try and retake the area every winter. Plant to be taking out about 4 inches of soil with nothing but root systems in it. Which is good really because then you can add compost and mix it with the remaining soil for a really good bed for your veggies.


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tkhooper #71717 Jun 20th, 2007 at 07:39 PM
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looks like grass and/or weeds basically - hard to tell for sure from the pic.

it's not that large an area so it would be easy to put down something to block the sunlight - which will kill what's there and then you can dig it up and till in some good compost and plant whatever you want.

6 or 8 layers of newspaper laid down and then weighted down would be easy enough to do. let it sit for the rest of the summer and then, in the fall, everything underneath should be dead enough to easily pull out. mix in compost to amend the soil and you'll be ready to go next spring.

you can cover the paper with a good thick layer of mulch and put out a few planters to make the spot look nice for the summer. once the stuff is dead, pull the mulch off and keep it to the side, then dig out the junk; till in the compost and replace the mulch for the winter.


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Joclyn #72778 Jun 21st, 2007 at 05:28 PM
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agreed, joclyn. looks like a small enough area to just kill off your weedy seedlings... cover it well.... if nothing else, tomatoes and peppers do very well in large pots for this year...


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snapdragon #73087 Jun 22nd, 2007 at 05:04 AM
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Or if you have the resources you could do a lasagna raised bed. That way you wouldn't have to dig out the weeds at all. But you do need access to chicken pooh. Or someother type of hot manure.


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