Ornamental grasses in the garden make it lively and can structure the beds. However, many grasses spread via underground roots, so they need a root barrier to keep them from taking over the entire garden.
Table of Contents
Root barrier – definition
Such a barrier is a subterranean barrier designed to prevent the roots or rhizomes of various plants from spreading underground, growing longer and sprouting new plants all over the place. This can look like this:
- ready lock from the trade
- usually thick foil
- with rails to connect the ends together
- conditionally also pond liner usable
- buried in the ground around a plant
- similar to a plastic pot
- the floor below remains free
- alternatively, large tubs can also be used
- Remove soil and dig in
Create rhizome barrier – instructions
Before various ornamental grasses are planted, it is important to find out about the growth characteristics, including the roots. In this way, action can be taken right from the start against underground uncontrolled spread with a barrier. If this is installed directly when planting in a newly created bed, this is faster than installing it later.
plan size
First, the size of the rhizome barrier must be planned. Because if a plant or an ornamental grass feels restricted, it only grows to a limited extent and stunted. Therefore, the following should be considered during planning:
- Amount of grasses in the bed
- size of the grasses
- the more space, the better the growth
- Plan a planting hole about 80 centimeters deep
- Root barrier just as deep
- should stick out about 5 to 8 cm above the ground
- taper downwards/slightly slanted
- uses up a few more centimetres, add these to the lock
A root barrier for grasses should always be about one meter high. In order to determine the length, the circumference of the desired garden bed must be measured. A few centimeters should also be added here so that the barrier can be closed well and overlap a little at the end point.
Instructions on how to put it on
When you create the bed for the new planting, you simultaneously dig a trench about 80 centimeters deep all around. Here you have to make sure that it tapers down slightly towards the middle. Furthermore, the following should be noted:
- Clean up the bed or planting hole
- Remove stones or debris from old roots
- can be pushed against barriers by root growth
- could suffer damage as a result
- there may be holes
- This clears the way for rhizomes again
- Use root barrier
- should form a closed ring around the bed
- fix at the ends
- Weld the ends together
- alternatively screw to aluminum rail
The barrier should also protrude five to eight centimeters from the ground so that the roots do not grow above ground and can be removed early.
Retrofit root barrier for grasses
It is quite possible that when planting the various ornamental grasses, care was not taken to ensure that they had many underground root runners. Then the lock should be installed later. However, this means a great effort and a lot of work. The first thing to do is track and find the foothills underground.
- Dig up the bed and surrounding area extensively
- Cut off and dig out runners
- then dig a trench around the plant
- much deeper than the roots
- Remove stones and branches from the area
- make sure there is enough space around for the plant
- Place a rhizome barrier in the ditch
- Closure strip must be completely tight
- Tapered lock down
- Roots are thus directed upwards
The roots should always be directed upwards, whether in the case of a root barrier in a new one or in a retrofitted one. They don’t look for their way under a barrier and then continue to grow unhindered on the other side.
