How to stop help Dichondra and plants thrive in garden bed?

I’m seeking advice to improve my struggling garden bed. Here’s the situation:

1) Grass in garden bed: I am trying to make it better by plucking almost daily, planting ground cover like Dichondra silver fall and making mulch layer thicker. Some Dichondra plants die within a day while others survive. My plant app suggests I might be overwatering, but I’m not entirely sure. It’s been very hot recently.

2) Every time I dig to plant something, I find grub-like insects in the soil. Here’s a video:

https://photos.google.com/share/AF1QipOUzuW0Gli3Mqj7FG_gXisxKA17zf0LRaVokvVuSo5EAbUDOa3blZ9ygpj0x1joIw/photo/AF1QipNGD-V27l1G_EXQ04zXgwiUfefZsJFU22bHRTYU?key=bU40bG9QbldabFBvT3hEVGliUkYyaGcxSXpIREFB

I’m not sure if they’re damaging the plants or if they’re harmless.

Could the Dichondra be dying due to overwatering, the heat, or something else? Are these grubs harmful, and should I take steps to remove them? If so, how can I deal with them without harming beneficial soil life? Any other tips for reviving my garden bed and ensuring my plants thrive?

Find more posts tagged with

Gardening

Planting and Growing

Comments

MitchellMc

Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community @amanm. It's terrific to have you join us, and many thanks for your question about garden care.

It looks like you might be dealing with some common issues affecting your garden, but let's break it down and address your concerns. First, regarding the overwatering, your garden bed appears quite wet, which could be contributing to your plant struggles. Overwatering is a common cause of plant problems, including the death of your Dichondra. When the soil remains too moist, it can lead to root rot and other complications. To resolve this, it's important to only water your plants when the soil begins to dry out. If the soil is still damp, it’s best to avoid watering, as consistently wet conditions can harm your plants. The thicker mulch layer you’ve added can help retain moisture but might also trap too much, leading to excessive moisture in the soil. Be sure that the mulch isn’t too thick and allows airflow to the soil underneath.

Regarding the grubs (or worms), the creatures you’re seeing in the video are worms, which are harmless and beneficial for your garden. Worms help aerate the soil, break down organic matter, and improve soil health, so they’re not causing any harm to your plants.

The main takeaway here is to ensure you’re managing your watering practices carefully and not allowing the soil to stay too wet.

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Mitchell

amanm

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/46441#Comment_46441

Thanks a lot @MitchellMc

That's really good to know. Can you please suggest what can I do to control grass in the garden beds? I hand pick them and try to get the root but it just keeps coming back.

MitchellMc

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/85281#Comment_85281

You might want to try painting the grass blades with a herbicide instead of just pulling them @amanm. This approach ensures that the herbicide reaches the roots, effectively killing them off. It’s likely that there's a seed bank within the soil that’s causing the grass to regenerate, so with continued treatment, you should gradually get on top of it.

Alternatively, if you’re looking for a more physical solution, you could remove the existing mulch, lay down weed matting, and then replace the mulch on top. The weed matting will act as a barrier to prevent the grass from regrowing, while still allowing water and air to reach the soil. This method may require a bit more effort upfront but can help in the long run to reduce grass regrowth.

Mitchell

amanm

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/107802#Comment_107802

Thanks for the help everyone. The Dichondra are doing really good. I now feel the best way to tackle weed is to grow more good plants and ground covers and leave less place for weeds.

I have a different situation developing, in the front I planted Rosemerry plants, I thought these will stay low and cascade down from the wall, but this variety seem to be growing up and down and looking messy.Is it ok to trim these to a height? I saw some videos that say that we should prune when they are young. I am not sure if it's too late.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/s56gvhCQhnt2M58B6

JacobZ

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/122014#Comment_122014

Hi @amanm,

You can definitely prune your rosemary, and it's not too late. If you're aiming for a more cascading look, trim back the upright stems to encourage horizontal growth.

Avoid cutting into the old, woody parts with no leaves, as rosemary doesn't reshoot well from bare wood. Instead, focus on light, regular pruning rather than one heavy cut. This will promote bushier, more controlled growth.

Spring or Summer are great times to do this while the plant is actively growing but try to avoid pruning right before winter. You could get away with a light prune now, but I wouldn't commit to fully fixing the shape this year.

Luckily, through the pruning process, you will get some lovely herbs that can be used in your cooking.

Let me know if you have any further questions.

Jacob

Child Item