From all weeds to good planting soil? - Ask Extension
My yard is all weeds: lots of stock, bindweed, and sumac (TOH). I need to know what steps to take. I have had the yard "cleaned up" a few ti...
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From all weeds to good planting soil? #876999
Asked July 12, 2024, 2:13 PM EDT
My yard is all weeds: lots of stock, bindweed, and sumac (TOH). I need to know what steps to take. I have had the yard "cleaned up" a few times, but they didn't want to till and rake and then amend the soil. A few areas, they put down landscape fabric. Successful on about a third of the yard. I would xeriscape, of course, but don't know whether to use rock mulch or tree mulch. It seems nearly insurmountable, but I hope you can give me a sort of blueprint.
Denver County Colorado
Expert Response
It is difficult to provide a specific recommendation for your yard without knowing your tastes and objectives. Here are a couple of considerations. 1- have all weeds removed including soil that may contain residual seeds. 2 place black plastic over all areas you are trying to kill weeds. This will take some time to work. 3. Determine how much time you want to spend on maintenance as both rock mulch and tree mulch will get future weeds. Go to extension.colostate.edu and review documents on lawn as it has recommendations on removal and considerations. There is also information on xeriscape design and creation. PlantSelect.org also has xeric recommendations.
Before you do anything, put some time into thinking about what kind of yard you want. Will it need recreation space, or lower maintenance or do you want aesthetic beds? The more you know what you want the easier it will be to decide next steps.
Before you do anything, put some time into thinking about what kind of yard you want. Will it need recreation space, or lower maintenance or do you want aesthetic beds? The more you know what you want the easier it will be to decide next steps.
