Hi, Newbie here

Hi,

I am new to Daves site and I wanted to say hello. Here is some information about myself. I am from Buffalo, NY but moved to the San Francisco Bay Area 5 years ago. I just love it here and I certainly do not miss the snow. I am married with one step-daughter. I am new to gardening. I have been gardening for two years now. It is my love and my hobby. I garden everyday whether it is pulling weeds, watering, trimming, plucking,and so on. I drive my family nuts with all of my gardening.

I started my landscaping renovation when we bought our first home two years ago. It was over run with Mock Orange and I couldn't take it. I pulled out the bushes that were taller then the roof of the house. It was ridiculous! I built my own retaining wall and started a water wise garden. Well, most of my plants are drought tolarant. This past winter I started working on the backyard. We cut down our diseased fruit trees, we had 2, and now I am trying to dig up the area where the trees were, but are over run with bermuda grass. I am taking on a bunch of different projects, but it keeps me busy and I love when I get to plant.

I look forward to hearing all of your stories and getting advise. Thanks for having me here.

This message was edited Apr 1, 2009 2:08 PM

shelbsyd,
I'm sorry I missed sending you a welcome note when you joined. I'm a relative (pun intended), newbie myself. My Dad (Trois), is my reason for joining.
Since I joined DG, I've found a wonderful, caring group of people. If you don't know something ask. Don't be shy! Someone will not only know the answer, but will probably send you a hyperlink to something that will help you even more. Take the time to explore the various discussion forums, here under the Communities tab.
I almost envy you. You live up north near some of my favorite DG'ers. They are a fun crowd. They'll be by when they see this thread to introduce themselves.
As for me, I'm a legacy and only joined this past Sept. I'm known as SingingWolf. I received a warm welcome from my Dad's friends, and the folks down here in So. Cal, and did I mention some of my favorite DG'ers live in your part of the world?
I've jumped right in, and met some really great folks in my local area of CA. We even had a mini Round Up. We've shared really good food, swapped plants and seeds. Shared our photos and stories. It's been a fun adventure. I learn something new all the time.
Good luck with your gardening projects, and PLEASE, let me know if you find anything that kills off Bermuda Grass! I hate that stuff.
If ever I can do anything to help you out, just send me a D-mail.
Walk In Beauty!
SingingWolf

Hi shelbsyd,
welcome to the best website ever! I've been gardening for five years and feel like i'm just starting to get off the super steep learning curve( fewer dead plants), but still have an infinite amount to learn! You're going to love all the really helpful people here. You get lots of answers to anything you want to know. i sometimes browse the beginner gardening forum to try to help out the really new folks. Look forward to seeing your posts.
Wonderearth

hi shelby !

I'm extremely sleepy right now so I won't be as eloquent as Singing Wolf, but I rarely am anyway : )

.. just wanted to say welcome - DG is a great place.

Welcome! You're going to love it here!

You'll have to post some pics of your garden so we can check out all your hard work!

To get rid of bermuda grass, try Green Light Grass Out or Ortho Grass B Gone (they both have the same active so use whichever one you can find). They take a while to work so you'll have to be patient--you spray it on and then for a long time it looks like it's not doing anything, but then finally a week or so later you'll all of a sudden notice the grass starting to turn brown and die. It's not a permanent fix--as long as you (or your neighbors) have a lawn full of it you'll have to deal with it on a regular basis, but at least the sprays are easy. The grass killer stuff is the one and only non-organic thing that I will use in my garden beds because there's really no other way to get rid of the bermuda.

Hi & welcome shelbsyd!
You'll enjoy DG----there are so many cool forums & helpful, interesting people!

Another welcome from down south! I'm sleepy too, but please hang out here and let us hear from you. We have some great threads going you are welcome to join, and you already know how to start your own.

Welcome shelbsyd to the best web site around. I've been jumping around on so many threads and enjoying them all. I just met some of the great DG members at a mini round up, nicest bunch of people you ever want to meet. Looking forward to hearing from you.

shelbsyd,
What did I say? Ask a question and someone will know the answer. Thanks ecrane. ^_^
Sounds like a job for DH. I'll tell him what to get and to actually read the instructions before using it.
Red, come on now, you inspire me! You also compliment me. Thank you. Was only speaking the truth.
The greatest people hang out here at DG.
Jump in when you are ready, hope to here from you soon.
WIB,
SW

shelbsyd;
Welcome to DG. I'm a new member as well. Joined in January this year. I went to the same mini-roundup Singing Wolf talked about. I was treated like a favorite cousin.

On the Bermuda grass problem. I deal with it myself in my work and over the years I've come to find that Round Up is the best solution. There are a couple of reasons I use it. First it's effective, but even more importantly, it's virtually non-toxic. That is exactly the phrase the EPA uses to describe in on the Material Safety Data Sheet for Round up. "Virtually Non-Toxic." What it does is block one of the four legs of photosynthesis making the plant "think" it's not getting sunlight. Since mammals don't 'do' photosynthesis, we're not affected by it.

The steps I've found to make it more effective. First spray it as directed on the package. In about two weeks the grass will be brown. Take a weed whip or mower and cut it back as close to the ground as you can. Then fertilize it with a decent lawn food and water it. It will start to sprout in several places. Spray it again when the sprouts are about 1/4 to 1/2 inch. Quit watering it. When it turns brown go through the same process again. Fertilize, water, wait for the green sprouts, (there will only be a few now) and spray again. I've never had to do it more than three times. Once you fertilize it, water it and you get no sprouts, you've killed it. It won't come back unless you get a new infestation. This really works but you have to be diligent. From the sound of it, that won't be a problem for YOU.

The trouble with Roundup is that it will kill your desirable plants too--the products I mentioned only kill grasses so you don't have to be as careful about overspray, etc. Either one should kill the bermuda, so it's a question of how easy it is to work around your other plants. Of course if you grow a lot of ornamental grasses then you need to be careful either way!

ecrane3;
You're exactly right. I failed to mention it specifically, but it does interrupt photosynthesis on EVERYTHING.

There's a grass-only product called Fusilade II that can be used in beds without harm to other plants. Again except ornamental grasses. I use so much ornamental grass like feather grass and blue fescue that if I have a Bermuda infestation, I prefer to deal with that before I start a bed.

This message was edited Apr 3, 2009 10:27 PM

Welcome, shelbsyd!

You will absolutely love DG. Lots of cool stuff here. I started with the rose forum and have expanded to many more. the pics will inspire you to buy some of the same plants--bring your wallet! I have only joined this forum for a short time but I really enjoy it. I've been a member of DG for a few years now. I think of these people as virtual friends!


Glad to have you on board.

I think Fusilade has the same active as the Green Light & Ortho products...as far as I know there's just that one particular chemical that kills grass but won't hurt other plants. Luckily for me I don't have my ornamental grasses planted in the same area that I tend to have bermuda popping up so I don't have to worry about it.

Welcome Shelbsyd!

ecrane3;
Sounds like you know more about it than I do. See, shelbysyd, there's always someone on here you can learn from. I just love this site. You're gonna love it too ss.

Thank you everyone for your help with the Bermuda grass. It was getting in my garden beds so I started digging along side of my garden to get rid of the weeds, since my whole lawn is pretty much bermuda grass. Next thing you know I made a path that follows my garden. Now this summer I am going to put in flagstone or something. I just have to get edging to try to keep the weeds at bay.

I am so happy to be part of this group, everyone seems so nice. I look so forward to reading your stories and getting advise because I have alot of questions. lol

Have a great night!

You also need to worry about the Bermuda seed. An emergence will take care of the seeds. Bermuda grass or weeds. It stops the seeds from germinating. I use Preen. I get a large container at COSTCO and it is much cheaper. I have crushed granite in part of the back landscape and it keeps everything out with only a spring application. Of course that is after a few years,. Soil surfer will soften up your dirt and make it easy to work. Just apply, water and wait a few days. The dirt will be easier to cultivate. One thing about Bermuda is it is like a mint. Leave one root and it will reappear. Just plan to be in the garden on a daily basis just to take a walk around and see if anything is growing anywhere it should not be. Only takes a few minutes. Oh, by the way I live in Las Vegas with a large home with two guest bedrooms. All you DG's come on down and the room is free. Just need to walk the garden and give advise. We are not near the strip. We are close to the mountains. But you can get to the strip if you want to or you can walk about a mile and get to two different casinos. We are stay at home gardeners but we have many young neighbors that can tell yo where you want to go and why. I have lived in Las Vegas since 1960 and did mortgage since early 1970. God came down from Heaven, kissed me on the forehead and put me in an industry that I would succeed and love. I was the first female loan officer in the western United States and the first at Transamerica!!!!!. I loved people and gardening and they both went together. The photo is myself and my husband on our 35th anniversary.

Great photo of you two. Congrats on making it for 35 years too!
Thanks for paving the way, if you will, for so many other women in the professional world.
It has made it easier for those coming after us.
WIB,
SW

Many individuals wanted to know how me made it 35 years. "KEEP YOUR MOUTH SHUT. JUST THINK IT, DO NOT SAT IT." LOL

LOL!
WIB!
SW