pachysandra question

[dapgar]

hey guys. i planted about 22 flats of pachysandra last fall and it's starting to bud up now on some of them by hasn't filled in yet and probably won't for a while. what is the best thing i can do to keep the weed control down without killing the plant? i know eventually it'll be thick enough to keep the weeds down pretty good but right now there is too much space between each one. i put them about 5-6 inches apart, some slightly farther. would preen sprinkled down work well. i don't want to go too heavy on super chemicals because my son can be in that area.

Thanks guys!

[pcarlson]

or better yet Dimension from your local lesco/john deere landscape. One light application ought to get youto the point where they fill in. Sprinkle it down, then use your blower to clean off the plant leaves as best as you can.

Some mulch or leaf humus can also help.

If you really don't like chemicals, ya gotta weed by hand.

[dapgar]

thanks, i'll try that, not sure i have a john deere place near me or not. i'll look. i think they just sell tractors down there about 40 minutes from me.

i did put licorice root all around the plants went i put them in the ground that's what the nursery that sold them to me told me to use. it's supposed to help fertilize them a little bit naturally. not sure what else it does. it's still there, and matted down. but i can see a few sprouts coming up through it already. it had looked pretty droopy in the winter, and i was afraid i lost it all, but it doesnt seem that way now.

thanks for the input!

[GMC Driver]

Dan, I second the mulch idea. If you put the mulch in between the plants, it will help to keep weed growth to a minimum, while also assisting in keeping moisture in around the new plants. Be sure to use a good quality mulch - we use nothing but cedar here. Stay away from the dyed mulches - never quite sure what's in those anyway.

[Mark Oomkes]

I'm going to go against the grain here with the mulch idea and pachysandra. We have found it to inhibit the filling in process of pachy. Unless you can find something like a compost\bark fines mix or a red pine bark--the very small stuff.

I'd go with the Preen and fertilize heavy with iron. Milorganite is a great product. Although it does have a slight odor. And where gloves when applying.

Biggest issue with mulch is the amount of carbon in it. Carbon is broken down by bacteria which uses nitrogen in the during that process, reducing the amount available for the plant.

Couple of cautions for the Dimension. It is labeled for use on pachy, but only if it is established. So it depends on when you planted it last fall Dan. I would be very leary of using it this soon after installation. It is also recommended to be applied by direct spray, not over the top.

Here's a link to the label:

http://www.cdms.net/LDat/ld7ND000.pdf

[dapgar]

thanks for the replies guys.

the mulch isn't real thick and it doesn't look anything like the mulch you'd put in a flower bed or around a tree for edging it out. it was very rooty and black, not died. the bag said licorice root. it's not on there so thick that it will keep new growth, i don't think anyways. ill keep an eye on it. when money becomes more abundant i'm going to buy another 20-25 flats and finish out the rest of the planting. it's along my 120' long driveway. about 3-4' wide up to a rock wall/tree line. it's better looking than weeds and bryers that were there last year. it's going to look really nice when it's all filled in. i'm sure it will take this year and another year to really look like ground cover.

I'll pick up some preen and put that down. and try the iron for fertilizer.

[wcm21967]

You won't want to any type of bark mulch it will it will take up to much nitrogen and will make the packy yellow. The dimension and put peat moss over that wet it down so it wont blow away plus it will make it look better.

[dapgar]

is licorice root, bark? i didn't think it was bark. looks more like twisty pieces of roots. it didn't look like finish mulch that someone would use on a flowerbed.