While Jeff and Bert were swilling beers and eating burgers last weekend (dang, wish I was there to commiserate!) I was whacking back the last of the perennials and grasses in our home garden. Tarp after tarp were filled with winter’s debris for compost pile as we fought 25 mph gusts the entire time. Not ideal conditions. However, a neat trick I learned years ago came in handy with the grasses. I’m assuming many of you utilize this technique also – so forgive me if this is a “nothing new” post Here’s Paul and Dabney, our Hahn Horticulture Garden horticulturists, demonstrating said technique:
Just cut below the web strap or rope with your favorite implement of destruction, and toss the whole bundle on the tarp to get it to the pile. Note that they both have on safety glasses, and Dabney has on gloves. I can’t stress enough the importance of gloves (and long-sleeved shirts) when handling dried grasses. One of our student workers sliced his finger open to the tune of three stitches last week. He was cutting down Arundo donax, Paul asked him to put some gloves on, but since 22 year-old guys are indestructible, he blew off the advice. Just saw him working out in the garden today with gloves on, yay!
Weigh in with YOUR garden clean-up tips – ’tis the season (for most of us north of USDA Zone 7 in the northern hemisphere).
Garden Professor Trivia #2: Who’s the tallest GP?
[This could get interesting…Oldest! Weirdest! Heaviest drinker! Most traffic tickets! Most cats! Most obsessed with slugs! etc.]
For tallest it’s between you and Linda — at just about 5′ 10″ I come in a close 2nd to Bert for shortest!
I think I win most cats — 4.
I’m just a smidge under 6′. And I tie you, Jeff, with 4 cats.
Odd that you brought up traffic tickets. I just successfully challenged a parking ticket this morning in court. Long story – and I think I’ll make it part of my post tomorrow.
I’m guessing Linda is most obsessed with slugs. This is western Washington after all.
Hey! I’m not the GP who devises experiments to kill them and then photodocuments the grisly remains!
A bungie cord works well, too, to hold the grass.
Weed whackers (aka string trimmers) work well on liriope. It’s too close to the ground for the strap. It’s a pain to rake up after the whacking but better than all that bending and cutting with shears.
I can hardly imagine the spring cleanup on the New American Gardens with hundreds of miscanthus, etc. I tried burning a few years ago, and I was lucky not to burn down the neighborhood. With only a few handfuls I’ve resorted to using a chainsaw to cut them back. Use the top side of the blade so that the grass isn’t pulled into the saw and it works great. A bit of a safety hazard, but I haven’t cut off any parts yet.
Thanks Holly for the tip – we don’t have a lot of grasses but this by far my least favorite garden clean up chore.
Man oh man. Shortest, fewest (0) cats… This thing might give me an inferiority complex.kquote>March 12, 2011
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GailMy pyromaniac husband loves burning the grasses but I cut them down to about 12″ then burn the rest. To many nearby trees got singed in the burning method.March 14, 2011
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Holly S.Pardon the delay, was out of town at a conference. Burning is darn fun – they used to do it back in the 80’s on campus (!) but no more. We also use a reciprocating trimmer – like a weed whacker but two circular blades that reciprocate back and forth – no spinning, thus no tangling. June 28, 2011
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SueJust discovered your blog and am catching up. We use duct tape to corral the grass, one near the cutting line and one higher up. Then it goes out with the trash. Composting it takes forever.
My pyromaniac husband loves burning the grasses but I cut them down to about 12″ then burn the rest. To many nearby trees got singed in the burning method.
Pardon the delay, was out of town at a conference. Burning is darn fun – they used to do it back in the 80’s on campus (!) but no more. We also use a reciprocating trimmer – like a weed whacker but two circular blades that reciprocate back and forth – no spinning, thus no tangling.
Just discovered your blog and am catching up. We use duct tape to corral the grass, one near the cutting line and one higher up. Then it goes out with the trash. Composting it takes forever.