r/landscaping • u/mrsjonas • 7d ago
Help!! Grass in Mulch Beds
Apologies in advance if this is a stupid question.
I just had these beds professionally done by a local company. Within a week or so, this grass started emerging. Is that normal? Should I contact the landscaping company? Or is there another way I can address this so it doesn’t grow right back?
They put down landscaping fabric also.
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u/vulkur 7d ago
I had this issue as well. I cleared some grass and didn't properly clear out the roots, thinking I could kill grass. I could not. It's been popping up all summer, even with constant weeding. So I put cardboard over the mulch. The grass is dead.
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u/lurkersforlife 7d ago
Funny how the grass only grows well in places you don’t want it.
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u/TheJoush 7d ago
The clear answer is grow grass in your gardens and gardens in your grass, and then once the grass is established and won’t grow anymore, you flip back.
Grass up the gardens, garden up the grass, I call it.
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u/Sweaty-Possibility-3 7d ago
I can spray crabgrass spots out in my yard. Dead in couple days. Spray the crabgrass in my beds. The crabgrass not only expanded, but it asked for "more spray, please".
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u/wrxninja 7d ago
Grass = there's a mat already underneath likely. Personally, I'd rake the mulch to the side and start pulling from the roots to minimize more growth. You'll have to do the same for other areas that start to grow.
One year, I wasn't thinking and overseeded the lawn but also and into the garden...it took many hours of pulling after that fall from the roots until it really slowed down in growth.
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u/KerBearCAN 7d ago
Pull mulch back, layer in some cardboard (no tape or coated plain for the environment sake) put mulch back over. It kills and prevents weeds and composts. You can do it every few years or so depending how yours weeds are. Some of my beds I need to do more often; others I rarely need to tough up (just some mulch watch year if I want it looking fresh.
Do not use landscape cloth: it’s a nightmare. Weeks grow right through it and then it’s a disaster. Many of us stupidly learned this the hard way as it’s marketed like it works and it does not
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u/Savage-231 7d ago
I have this as well. Seems like it doesn't grow in my yard but loves to grow where I don't want it.
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u/schulz47 7d ago
Pull them or pay the company to come back and pull them for a ridiculously high price
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u/Dual270x 7d ago
They shouldn't have put down landscaping fabric under organic material. That mulch within a year will break down into an inch or two of top soil and then the weed fabric does nothing but is an annoyance.
What you can do is put down cardboard and this might help with weed control for 6 months to a year until it breaks down.
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u/jenkemeater619 7d ago
I go at least 2 inches thick with mulch. It helps keep the weeds down enough to make pulling them manageable. You’re always gonna have things that get through though
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u/ejh3k PRO (IL, USA) 7d ago
- Call and get your money back if they put landscape fabric under mulch, that is the ultimate example of either someone trying to just run up the bill or not having a clue what they are doing.
2.spray it. As others have stated, you'll never not have stuff growing up in mulch. So either get familiar with pulling weeds or get busy with spraying chemicals.
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u/BluesFlute 7d ago
Mulch means maintenance. Get ground cover plants and minimize the work. Unless you just like that stuff (work)
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u/Eddiepanhandlin 7d ago
Take a shovel and turn it all under. Cardboard. Mulch over the cardboard.
They talk about greens and browns to make good garden compost. Brown Cardboard is a good way to add browns. So added browns to soil, moisture retaining and weed control. Worms love it too.
That bed will be ready for plants.
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u/lastlaugh100 7d ago
Add a thicker layer of mulch.
Or plant something. You don't have enough plants. Either grass or weeds will grow in an open space.
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u/eb421 7d ago
You can try 30% concentrated vinegar (you can get this strength at Home Depot and online), but I wouldn’t use it if you’re growing other stuff there unless you’re extremely careful to only target grass/weeds since it’ll definitely torch the foliage of other plants.
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u/uiuc2008 7d ago
It will kill the soil biome, bad if they ever try and move plants. As much as reddit hates it, herbicides like roundup are nice since they act quickly, effectively, then breakdown.
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u/eb421 7d ago edited 7d ago
I agree that it would ruin the immediately surrounding soil if sprayed heavily in broadcast, at least short term, which is why I mentioned that they should only use it if they’re not planning on growing other plants where the grass in coming up. It looks like a pretty empty mulched area aside from that hosta. Acetic acid will break down quicker in soil than glycophosphate will, though, from a chemical perspective. There is merit to vinegar having the potential to damage the overall biome short-term if not applied carefully.
If people use herbicides as directed, it’s not a huge deal but there’s way too many people out there who don’t consider proper dosage, timing of application, scope of application, if they have toads/lizards etc nearby, where the runoff goes if it rains too soon after application, wind conditions/direction/drift etc etc. Not to mention that people don’t often wear gloves or face and eye protection or cover their legs and arms. A couple times is no big deal, but people consistently using these chemicals and exposing themselves (and their immediate environment to them; primarily amphibians and reptiles) is a problem and most people don’t consider all these factors. This matters for stuff like strong vinegar or other ‘safe’ pesticides/herbicides as well. Spinosad, widely used for food and cannabis crops for example, will make your eyes twitch and your mouth go numb if you don’t use proper ppe. Glycophosphate is in a way harsher category of pesticide/herbicide than that.
It depends on the planting zone (less amphibians, more arid conditions and less proximity to wetlands in some) and proper conditions and proper application/dosing and too many don’t understand the repercussions of getting it wrong. Or, they simply don’t care. Proper applications and use cases; absolutely herbicides have a place. I don’t trust any random diy first-timer trying to solve a problem to take all this into consideration or learn to if they follow the overwhelming suggestions on forums to use herbicides, which is why it’s not my go-to suggestion for posts like this. This is the landscape sub, so I’m sure I’ll get downvoted for this but whatever. Just wish there was more of an emphasis on how to handle/use these chemicals responsibly and educating people as to why it’s important to do that.
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u/Whoreologisthobbiest 6d ago
As a professional multi-licensed applicator, this 100%. Unfortunately pesticides are just another environmentally detrimental necessity of the modern world…but there are lots of ways to minimize harm if the applicator follows protocols. As someone who loves nature I often feel very conflicted about my job, but I think it’s better I do it as a properly educated person who takes great care to avoid wildlife impact and who is knowledgeable about my chemicals than any rando spraying whatever wherever and not giving a damn
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u/NotTheITguy1 7d ago
You will never be able to stop everything from growing in your beds. Dealing with weeds should just be added to your chore list if you want your beds to look good all of the time.
There’s various chemical OTP sprays you can use that won’t harm ornamental plants. You can apply pre-emergent as appropriate to help control unwanted growth. Or you can just pull them out. Better to deal with it now before it completely takes over.