Hey garden gals,

What's the best and easiest way to remove sod? I have a lot of area I want to convert to flower and shrub beds.

I called a rental place today about a sod remover machine and they didn't call back (they had an ans machine).

I read somewhere about covering it with black plastic to kill the grass. How would that work? And how long would it take?

Also, what to do with the sod once it's removed?

Cheryl, I wish you were closer to me. You could send your crew and have it done in no time, lol.

It should take a couple weeks to thoroughly kill off the grass and roots with plastic. Worth the wait, in MHO.

After that, depending on the size of the area, you could just dig it up to loosen the soil, or use a rototiller. I'd add some top soil too, so it's lighter and more hospitable to flowers.

For an instant flower bed, I have just put a heavy layer of newspapers down over the grass, dumped about 6" of dirt on top and planted right in that. The paper kills off the grass and both decompose.

Or you could spray it with Kleen or Round Up and rototill the area. Again, it would depend on the area. When you till the area, you are loosening up the soil for replanting, and you can also remove and roots from the grass. Time consuming. It will take about 7 days for the grass to die, but you can't use the herbicide if it's too hot. Read the label.

I would rent a sod cutter to get rid of it. I am sure there is more than one rental place. We have several of them around here and we are a much smaller town than you are. Look for equipment rental. Our local compant is called Tates Rents, who knows they may be national for all I know. Any other way, you are going to have roots left and continually fight off grass coming back.

The sod cutter will cut down about 2" and it's fairly easy to use. You cut the strips in easy to manage pieces, roll them up and cart them off. Find a place that will use them to recycle instead of disposing them in the dump.

We have place here that takes any landscape debris free as recycle landfill.

Good luck!

OK FG ...and I thought I would never have a question for you on this but here goes and try not to laugh

2 Christmases ago my DH bought a pointsetta. Call him crazy but he just could not throw it away when chritmas was done...(I think he got attached to it he calls it Pointy).

Fast forward to today. Dang thing is still hhere and hanging on, still has a clump of red leaves but the others are all green. Recently the remaining red are falling off.

Is it time to let it go? Will it bloom red again?

Even DH is wondering if it's Pointy's time.

Yes, it will reflower again if you take care of it properly.

The red leaves are actually the flower bracts or leaves. It just needs a little TLC.

Here's a link to the Univ of Ill Extension website for information on how to get it to bloom for Christmas this year.

http://www.urbanext.uiuc.edu/poinset...flowering.html

Pointy is not lost!!!

OMG thank you I think he will cry tears of joy.

I think he may love that thing more than me...he waters it more than he feeds me...hey something you tooo have on common...not feeding me.

Maybe we should meet! I need to make a trip down that way....should go see Cabana Boy in San Diego...he will feed you!

Hehehe...DH is a better driver than you though!

Yay Cabana boy! When might you come? Before or after W-A-L-E-Z (proper pronunciation for Antelope )

I am thinking before, but it will depend on a couple of landscaping jobs.


YAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

first post in this wonderful thread but I have a question about tomato blossom end rot.

My dad bought an acre and a half of woods behind out house and turned it into a garden MECCA haha.

he has 157 brandywine tomato plants, plum tomatos, pole beans, zucchini, squash, cucumbers, peppers, lettuce, brussel sprouts, corn and tons of more stuff.

Some tomatoes are starting to ripen and when dad picks them, they usually have a black, hole like indent that ruins the whole tomato. We figured out it was blossom end rot but we have no idea how to fix it. My dad is a strictly organic farmer (cow manure, egg shells the whole works) so were trying to find an organic solution to the problem rather then spray with gross stuff.


any ideas?