Christine Freeman

Dale, perhaps it was your mention of this I read previously.

I'm going to give it a try. When water collects in the bottom plate the pot sits in, the wood should also help prevent the roots from becoming and staying too wet.
At least this is my hope.

Something seems to be missed about this nitrogen thing.

Coffee grounds are immediately available nitrogen to plants.
The acid isn't a factor, as we conveniently drink that.
I have always added a layer of coffee grounds before I mulch my regular beds with wood chips. These beds are more than alive and kicking for 8-10 years now.

Granted the more rotty the wood is, the easier, but why not give your plants a nice nitrogen boost while repotting?

I'm going to give it a shot. I have a bunch of pot-bound Japanese maples that could use a little attention!
Thanks for the response. Nice to know someone's giving it a good try!
Christine

I read somewhere, a brief mention of putting wood in the bottom of big, potted plants to serve the same purpose.
Has anyone done this with any type of success?

For example, I have an embarrassingly huge collection of Japanese maples. 2 year grafts to 14 year, getting mature trees. Many are in pots.
Usually, it's 3-4 years before I get them out, root prune, and back into the pot they go.

Would that be long enough for wood to achieve it's absorbent state?

I work in a restaurant and bring home tons of coffee grounds. Given they're immediately usable nitrogen, in my Hugels I've topped new wood with them. It is my hope that it'll help the wood NOT suck all the good stuff out of the soil as quickly. Am I off base on this, and if not, I'm wondering how it would affect pots...

Anyway... anyone done this?

I'm putting 12 maples in the ground this year, and plan a mini Hugel under each one. Why not? (Not rhetorical!)

Thanks for your opinions...

Hmmm...
I have the same concern, then.

I have just completed a raised Hugel, and after settling, my entire purpose was to plant 3 Japanese maples it in. With their broad, spreading roots, I'm not certain how this would impact the tree.
Now, in "regular" raised beds, the layers I've put in over the years (more dirt, compost, wood chips, etc) have helped the roots maintain their nice covered place.

This isn't how one could treat a tree in a Hugel? I can't see that it needs to settle flat...

Jennifer Wadsworth wrote: Ah Bermuda grass! Ranked the #2 noxious weed in the world, this guy aggressively spreads by seed, stolon and rhizome.

I think you summarized why I don't want Bermuda grass. It grows up through my raised beds and prevents other (desirable) things from spreading in my lawn. The roots are indeed amazing.

Climate: 7b/8a with absolute full sun. I'm also in what National Parks and Planning calls an "atmospheric trough," which has me getting considerably less rain than anyone around me. No joke. You can drive out of a storm less than 1/4 of a mile a way (i.e. 5 houses down), where they have trees down and flooding. I'll get the run off.

Although I've planted over 100 trees since I moved here in 2002, Only some have achieved shade-providing status. I'm working on it, tho. This season, 12 sun-tolerant Japanese maples will be going into the ground. Slow growers, but they me a lot of color. That won't be shade pushing out the Bermuda grass. I'm wondering about St. Augustine 'Palmetto' grass..

Jennifer Wadsworth wrote: When all else fails, humor is the way to go. I have a theory that in the "end times" only cockroaches, Twinkies and Bermuda grass will survive - forming some kind of weird, post-apocalyptic ecology....

I think you're right. "End Times." Don't forget that somehow, this post-apocalyptic ecology's habitat will be inside plastic pop and water bottles.

Hello all!

Just joined and am eating up the information here. So nice to find people who think along the same lines as I!

Anyway.
For 10 years I've been overseeding my lawn with yarrow and red clover. There are areas where I have beautiful, soft, lush patches of yarrow that spread happily. I've even had some lawn damage from a back-hoe's wheels and transplanted plugs of yarrow into them. (The clover takes care of itself!) Also some nice lirope plugs, which have also taken off.

In an area where I used dirt to level a very bumpy section, the Bermuda grass has TAKEN over. Despite the seeding with yarrow and clover. I do anticipate the yarrow seeds eventually germinating; they always do.
My question is this: Is there any chance that 1) the Bermuda grass could choke out the lawn replacement items? Or, visa versa, could the lawn replacements eventually get rid of the Bermuda grass? Needless to say I pray for the latter.

I mow high: 6". That's if I get around to mowing at all, actually. I will be putting down my fall seeding this coming week. I usually do a mow, then mix the fine yarrow seeds into espresso grounds (rather than the suggested sand) and use a hand spreader. Other than digging 3 acres of Bermuda grass out by hand, does anyone have a lawn replacement recommendation that is strong enough to choke this evil stuff out?

Or will it always prevail?

Thanks all!
C.
Next question, about the ant hills that make my lawn look like it was tilled....