Surprise Winter Cabin Renovation

Discuss how to and whether you should renovate your lawn
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HoosierLawnGnome
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Surprise Winter Cabin Renovation

Post by HoosierLawnGnome » December 13th, 2014, 9:32 pm

Well, well, well.....

I have some timberland and I'm in the process of replacing an old cabin that was on the land. I had them clean up the demolition debris and grade the area this past week - and it turns out I'm going to have a little bit of ground that needs covered. :yahoo:

This is going to be a no input area, relying on natural rainfall. I think I'd like to put in a nice, native, low ground cover.

This is an eastward-facing ridgetop - it gets a lot of shade.

I don't have a soil test handy. Most of the soil that is on the surface is a very tight subsoil. Top soil was removed to make a flat, very stable foundation area.

So - what are your thoughts on a good, low lying ground cover that does well in shade and lots of moisture?

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Log
2014
Dec - had area cleared and bulldozed
2015
Jan 5 - ordered 5 lbs dutch white clover seed
Apr 6, 2015 - applied 3 lbs dutch white clover seed
Last edited by HoosierLawnGnome on April 6th, 2015, 9:46 pm, edited 2 times in total.

osuturfman
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Re: Surprise Winter Cabin Renovation

Post by osuturfman » December 13th, 2014, 11:01 pm

White clover.

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GaryCinChicago
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Re: Surprise Winter Cabin Renovation

Post by GaryCinChicago » December 13th, 2014, 11:36 pm

That old Beeotch will dictate, given time.

"Fallow" (of farmland) plowed and harrowed but left unsown for a period in order to restore its fertility as part of a crop rotation or to avoid surplus production.

The seeds are already there too!

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HoosierLawnGnome
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Re: Surprise Winter Cabin Renovation

Post by HoosierLawnGnome » December 14th, 2014, 9:24 am

Actually, clover would have the added benefit of wildlife attraction.

I have a couple wildlife food plots around with that type of vegetation too...

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Re: Surprise Winter Cabin Renovation

Post by andy10917 » December 14th, 2014, 9:36 am

How "low-lying" do you want?


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HoosierLawnGnome
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Re: Surprise Winter Cabin Renovation

Post by HoosierLawnGnome » December 14th, 2014, 9:37 am

andy10917 wrote:How "low-lying" do you want?
Oh - a foot or less..... I don't want to have to bushhog it :D

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Re: Surprise Winter Cabin Renovation

Post by HoosierLawnGnome » December 14th, 2014, 9:38 am

I actually thought some hostas might be nice - but I don't want to have to split them up all the time. I am going to put in some minimal landscaping.

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Re: Surprise Winter Cabin Renovation

Post by andy10917 » December 14th, 2014, 10:26 am

I think that you may have more of a challenge making a decision than you probably expect...

I don't know how much "a little ground that needs to be covered" means, but here are a few things to consider:

Disturbed ground in woodlands easily develops poison ivy and other opportunistic plants if the ground cover selected doesn't spread rapidly. But rapidly-spreading ground covers can be invasive, and that means that they continue to spread beyond the areas that you planted them in. You might want something also that is fully- or partially evergreen.

In my area, Japanese Stiltgrass has become an enormous problem. I need something so dense and aggressive that the Stiltgrass can't compete and spread out of the woods into my beds and lawn. I have wound up with a combination of Vinca Minor and native ferns - that's all that works. The Vinca Minor is invasive, and so dense that it allows nothing else to grow where it is. It spreads rapidly, likes shade and moisture, and tolerates poor/disturbed soil well. It forms a mat about 6" high. It's attractive. The native ferns don't meet your criteria - they'll grow 24" tall or so.

I bring up Stiltgrass because it is now entering Indiana and five years from now it will be something that you will be very aware of. You will hate it with a vengeance, and will not avoid it if you abut a woodland.

Pachysandra is another possibility, but Pachysandra does not spread as aggressively as people would have you believe.

I don't like plants that escape their confines and spread into the woods, but Vinca Minor became an everyday part of the woods in my area 100 years ago - the battle was lost years before I arrived.

Unfortunately, we can't have it both ways - there is nothing that spreads rapidly to fill an area, and then stops at a predefined limit.

About Hostas: where there is timber woodland, there are deer. The other names for Hosta are "Deer Candy" and "Deer Crack". I don't recommend Hosta for an environment like that - they will not make it.

PS: why is this in Lawn Renovations when it's not a lawn that's being discussed?

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Re: Surprise Winter Cabin Renovation

Post by HoosierLawnGnome » December 14th, 2014, 10:56 am

Oh I put this here because I thought I might end up throwing some grass seed down. Might.

So my property doesn't abut the woods it is literally bordered on all sides by forest. It has been privately owned long before the forest entities were formed many decades ago.

So what that means is I don't want to introduce non native invasive species if it can be avoided.

It's only going to be a thousand square feet or so of "lawn". What about using some Bewitched there?

I suppose I could concede the fight if it ever occurs.

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Re: Surprise Winter Cabin Renovation

Post by andy10917 » December 14th, 2014, 11:02 am

Sorry, HLG -- it sounds like you're crossing into wishful-thinking. You were the guy that specified no-input and no-irrigation. If a person came onto BL/ATY and asked about KBG and those parameters, what would you tell them?

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Re: Surprise Winter Cabin Renovation

Post by HoosierLawnGnome » December 14th, 2014, 6:57 pm

LOL - I would have no intention of it looking anything like managed turf - I just need ground cover.

There's actually ome good cover on an in ground cistern out there that does well - I should find out what that is and use it.

Anyways - thought I'd keep this thread going to document my progress on the "lawn".

If it needs to be elsewhere so be it :)

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Re: Surprise Winter Cabin Renovation

Post by LoneRanger » December 15th, 2014, 2:12 am

Sounds like a renovation to me.

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Re: Surprise Winter Cabin Renovation

Post by BoatDr » December 15th, 2014, 1:44 pm

What about FF? I would think that would look natural in a rustic no input situation.

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Re: Surprise Winter Cabin Renovation

Post by BoatDrinksQ5 » December 15th, 2014, 2:32 pm

yeah i would think a FF or similar blend in there would look good. Seems that is what i see back in the woods a lot (or what appears to be FF or TF)

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Re: Surprise Winter Cabin Renovation

Post by crabgrass » December 15th, 2014, 2:44 pm

Bewitched monostand :rotfl:

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Re: Surprise Winter Cabin Renovation

Post by HoosierLawnGnome » December 15th, 2014, 3:47 pm

crabgrass wrote:Bewitched monostand :rotfl:

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Yeah, the only reason I would throw that out would be to get SOMETHING growing this spring that wouldn't cost any $$...

As much as I'd love it, it would look like hell and I don't go out there to play with the grass.... :lol:

Anyways - FF wouldn't be bad - it would come right in, too.

But how does it look when it doesn't get cut for a month?? I really haven't seen it like that.

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Re: Surprise Winter Cabin Renovation

Post by Gags » December 15th, 2014, 4:16 pm

Would I be banned from ATY if I posted the suggestion/thought of trying K31? Somewhat native, doesn't really spread, and minimal input. But I'm not sure how it does in the shade. Are we talking full shade from the house year-round, or more like only an hour of sunlight late-fall and winter?

--Gags

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Re: Surprise Winter Cabin Renovation

Post by John_in_SC » December 15th, 2014, 4:32 pm

Me... I am looking at Leaves and Weeds....

I would just go dump a bunch of 10-10-10, dump all the "Extra" fall leaves and sticks, on it and hope for the best.

Thanks

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Re: Surprise Winter Cabin Renovation

Post by crabgrass » December 15th, 2014, 5:00 pm

Honestly, I would go with contractor mix and add in clover. Gets you speed, diversity, and clover will help with N. Weeds don't seem to be much of a concern.

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Re: Surprise Winter Cabin Renovation

Post by Tony alony » December 15th, 2014, 8:48 pm

HLG, surely, this probably won't help, but here goes: "more google crap". : https://wild.its.utexas.edu/collections/

Good Luck!

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