Rubro update

[Matt in TN]

Pictures by request - I transplanted nine P. Rubromarginata diggings last year from a 3 or 4 year old plant. Last year I did nothing but water when it looked bad (via soaker hose) and mulch with horse manure and grass clippings, and I got quite a few smaller (under one inch) shoots this spring. This year I have been fertilizing as well and the rhizomes look like a bunch of big boiling spaghetti under the ground! I'm hopeful for some significant upsizing next spring -

Just transplanted, 8-17-08:


Today, 8-22-09:

[bambootony]

The yard and Boo look GREAT after just 1 year Matt...
Wish my yard was that flat.
Hopefully it will happen in time???

[David]

Very nice Matt! Your screen will likely fill in next spring with the rhizomes following the soaker hoses. Prepare to rhizome prune! You can borrow my backhoe if if they start attacking small dogs and children

[Iowaboo]

Looking great, guess baxter is where I need to move to

[GrowingHabit]

Such a difference in such a short time.

[Matt in TN]

Wish my yard was that flat.
Hopefully it will happen in time???

You don't know how much it pleases me to hear you envy the "flatness" of that spot of land! We have absolutely worked our proverbial rhizomes off to get it to that point. Two years ago it was literally a trashpile:



With lots and lots of dozer work, tractor work, and manual labor we cleaned and burned our way to this:



Just this spring we finally got enough of the trash hauled away and the area dragged flat enough to finish planting grass. This summer is the first time we've really started to be able to see our progress. Keep working at it - you'll get there one day!

[Matt in TN]

Very nice Matt! Your screen will likely fill in next spring with the rhizomes following the soaker hoses. Prepare to rhizome prune! You can borrow my backhoe if if they start attacking small dogs and children

Thanks for the offer, David - but if it will attack small dogs maybe it'll help me keep my local fox population in check too!

[GrowingHabit]

I love before/after garden pictures.

That is amazing and I'm exhausted just imagining the effort expended!

[Jerry Hamilton]

Great looking. You did a great job. Can relate to the cleaning up part. Have two acre's that is overgrown with wistera and lots of gum trees.

[Matt in TN]

I figured it was time to fix the old broken links and post an update:

01/30/10 - a hard winter


10/17/10 - coming back strong!


09-14-12 - for a size reference, the torii (large wooden structure on the left) is 12' tall

[johnw]

You must be tremendously pleased Matt. And deservedly proud as well with all that hard work.

johnw

[oobmab]

You don't know how much it pleases me to hear you envy the "flatness" of that spot of land! We have absolutely worked our proverbial rhizomes off to get it to that point. Two years ago it was literally a trashpile:

That looks like it would have been a good opportunity for hugelkultur. I bet bamboo would do well in such an environment.