Bothered by unwanted grass

[wendyjames2]

I'm hoping someone can help...I have a wild flower plot in my yard, about 800 sq ft, The other wildflowers are coming along nicely. But the crab grass and bermuda is now growing in from the sides. We are just about to mow for the 2nd time this year. Does anyone have any info on what to do about the unwanted grasses in our wildflower plot?

[rainbowgardener]

That's a tough one. The wildflower patch has lawn around it that the grass is growing in from? It helps to prevent that to have edging around the patch, the kind that is pounded down in to the soil to help slow the roots from crossing. It helps to have a mulched strip on the outside of the edging say 6" wide that you keep covered in cardboard and then mulch to make a barrier.

For what to do now, just keep digging the grass out and laying mulch down.

[Jewell]

I use cardboard (multiple layers) with bark mulch to tidy the look. Have you thought of a creating a path using card board and a locally preferred mulch between you wildflower bed and your grass? To me this would be the easiest method if you have the room. The path should be a minimum of 18-24 inches then no barrier should be necessary. The hard part with whatever you do is to keep grass clippings off the path or away from the barrier.

Cardboard is definitely the best organic smothering material out there. Turned a weedy/grassy 30x100 foot area into flower beds and paths over a winter using the cardboard mulch method.

[Gary350]

If grass is trying to get in from the sides, till around it. Use a garden tiller and till it once a week. Roots go deep so till it about 6" deep. If you keep disturbing the roots they can not grow.

When I lived in TN I would till my garden every day for 2 weeks it killed everything before planting the garden. After that once a week was enough to keep up with grass.