So landscape fabric to my rescue! Why do I love this stuff? It seriously came to my rescue when I needed to protect my emerging sunflower seedlings from digging critters.
I am thrilled to give you my unsolicited review of this product, Master Gardner Weed Shield Landscape Fabric. You see, I recently tried one roll of Master Gardner Weed Shield Landscape Fabric and just purchased a second roll. This landscape fabric is traditionally used as a weed barrier to keep out the weeds in your garden or other landscape projects. You might have tried it for that purpose.
Obviously, I already knew that this landscape fabric was a weed shield because that's what it said on the label. Would it work for another purpose? Reading the label, it says that the fabric allows a proper air exchange which keeps the oxygen in and the carbon dioxide out. And, that it maintains the soil moisture, helping to promote a deeper root system.
ANOTHER USE!
Hmmm, how would that Master Gardner Weed Shield Landscape Fabric work as a protective covering for my sunflower garden? You see, some critters got into my sunflower garden and were digging for China or something, throwing my little sunflower seedlings helter skelter on the ground. The first morning, I found a big hole in my first row; and the second morning, the critter dug a big hole in my second row. I knew I had to protect my seedlings!
Thinking outside the box, For two days, I had tried the tan plastic liners from Lowe's to cover a few rows of sunflower seedlings. I was a bit concerned that the liners weren't letting in enough oxygen for the growing seedlings.
I was thinking about creating a covering with screen mesh; however, that would take a little work to affix the mesh to boards. Would landscape fabric work to protect my seedlings?
CRITTERS DIGGING UP MY SUNFLOWER SEEDLINGS
Oh my, but those critters digging up my sunflower seedlings, were making short order of all those little seedling! Here is the evidence from the first and second nights of the digging! Could that happen again? It was a raccoon or opossum that did the digging. Yep, it happened again. At the rate the raccoon and/or opossum were going, there wouldn't be anything left of my garden. Time to cover my seedlings!
In my sunflower garden, I have 4 rows which are approximately 15 ft. long. I cut 3 lengths of 3 ft. wide by approximately 15 ft. long landscape fabric to cover the 4 rows of sunflower seedlings. When I first started to cover the seedlings, they had just emerged from the ground. Three lengths of the landscape fabric worked perfectly to cover the four rows. Then, the seedlings got taller. So, I had to use four lengths of the Lowe's liners along with the three lengths of landscape fabric to protect my sunflower seedlings at night.
This evening will be my first time using one length per row of sunflower seedlings. That will be four lengths of landscape fabric to position over the growing plants.
HOW DID IT WORK?
If you've followed my blog about growing sunflowers, you might have seen how my seedlings are growing. I honestly think that the seedlings have benefited from the protective covering of the landscape fabric. The covering is placed in the evening right before dusk and removed first thing in the morning before the sun hits the garden. I have been covering the seedlings for over two weeks and they seem to be doing very well.
More importantly! No critter has gotten into my sunflower seedlings since I started covering them.
UPDATE: I covered my sunflower seedlings until they became plants. For twenty-one consecutive days, I covered them each evening and removed the covering early the next morning. I stopped on Easter Sunday. Now I have dried the landscape fabric and put it in my garage for the next application. If I plant another garden, I'll use it there. Also, I may get a chance to use it to cover the mature heads that remain on the stalks to keep the pests out of the seeds. Finally, with cold weather, the fabric can be used to protect your plants from the freeze! You see, there is a lot you can do with this stuff if you just put your imagination to work for you!
May 1, 2014, Jacksonville, Florida: Would you believe that I just measured as sunflower plant at 33 inches in height! Thanks to the Master Gardner Landscape Fabric, my sunflower plants are prospering. I am so excited to see my second DIY garden of sunflowers come to fruition like my first such DIY garden project!
P.S. I purchased my first and second roll of this product from my local Big Lots. I found this brand in the smaller roll size of 3 ft. by 45 ft. Searching on Amazon, I found the same brand, but in a bigger roll of 100 ft. I was thrilled that it was available from Amazon so that I could tell you how it worked for me and how much I liked it! Hope you will get to try some for yourself. Think outside the box, like I did!
By the way, a little bit of interesting history for you. I was the Official Squidoo Backyard Gardener Contributor. You might not have known that. HOWEVER, I bet you do know by now that I also am one of the Blondes that DIY #blondesthatdiy <---- hashtag! This Google blog!
CHECK OUT MY PERSONAL PHOTOS!
1. I tried the Lowe's plastic liners for two nights -- covering my two rows with the most growth. I knew this wouldn't be a permanent use.
2. Using 3 lengths of Master Gardner Weed Shield Landscape Fabric to cover my 4 rows of sunflower seedlings at night to protect from digging critters.
3. As the sunflower seedlings grew, I was using the three lengths to cover the three rows and Lowe's liners for the fourth row.
4. April 14, 2014 : That is the fourth length of landscape fabric just cut from my second roll. Note how I carefully draped it over the seedlings.
5. April 14, 2014 : Using four lengths of Master Gardner Weed Shield Landscape Fabric on the four rows of sunflower seedlings.
Drying the lengths of landscape fabric. It dries fairly quickly and can be folded up and placed out of the sun until evening use.
BEFORE: That is my sunflower garden of seedlings at 23 days and 8 days of protective covering of the landscape fabric at night.
AFTER: 30 days and 15 days - Look how well my sunflower seedlings are doing after being covered at night with the landscape fabric for two weeks.
USING THE MASTER GARDNER WEED SHIELD LANDSCAPE FABRIC AS INTENDED! Hey, you will need these pins: Commercial Grade Fabric and Garden Staples. If you opt to use the weed shield landscape fabric as a weed barrier in your landscaping project, you will need these pins to affix the fabric. An important tip, get your cloth spread out and positioned well before you start to affix the pins. You don't want to tuck and pull on the fabric for fear of tearing it.
OTHER IDEAS FOR PROTECTING YOUR GARDEN! There are many resourceful people out there who have planted gardens to find them invaded by critters. I actually considered a roll of screen wire mesh. Chicken wire works well too!
HELLO! IS IT ME YOU’RE LOOKING FOR? Hey, let me know your were here and what you thought about my use of the landscape fabric. Have you actually tried a weed shield landscape fabric for your landscaping project? How did it work for that purpose? How about another application? Have you covered your growing seedlings to protect them?
No comments:
Post a Comment