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Hot take: I think planting a native garden to help pollinators is way harder than people say.
I decided to convert a small patch of my yard in Tacoma to all native plants last spring. I figured it would be a weekend job, but sourcing the right plants took months because local nurseries never had them all in stock. The actual planting was quick, but keeping the weeds and old grass from taking over the new seedlings took almost the whole summer of constant work. Has anyone else found a simpler way to do this without it becoming a part-time job?
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rose_clark8112d ago
emeryo58 said "the first year is just a brutal fight" and that's the truth. I read somewhere that the first year for native plants is basically them putting all their energy into roots, not leaves or flowers, so they look puny while everything else takes over. I tried the cardboard method too but the grass just pushed right through it in spots where I didn't lay it thick enough. I heard you gotta do a "solarization" thing first where you cover the whole area with clear plastic for a whole summer to cook the weeds and grass before you even start planting. Sounds like a lot of work but maybe less than fighting it later. The crabgrass and regret comment really hits home though.
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emeryo583mo ago
Tell me about it, my garden looks like a nature preserve for every weed in the county. That first year is just a brutal fight against the old lawn. Cardboard helps but you still gotta babysit those little plants.
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dixon.david3mo ago
Try using cardboard to smother the grass first, it really cuts down on the weeding later.
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