Three homeowners and three Raintree board members made the extra effort to get up early Saturday (August 6th) morning to complete the second of four steps to establish our plots. The photos below show the steps taken to complete this portion: placing a layer of 10 sheets of newspaper over the plot, watering down the paper, and spreading three inches of leaf mulch. This will allow the sun to heat the plots and slowly kill the weeds, grasses and seeds.
If we had more used newspapers, we could have completely covered and mulched all the plots except the plot by the upper parking lot. The smallest of the plots next to the driveway was treated with RoundUp and will be treated again in two weeks before covering with black plastic. Saturday’s work took about three hours.
The upper parking lot plot was sprayed with RoundUp. [Note: RoundUp is not harmful to pets or animals once it has dried … 10 minutes after spraying.] This plot is so hard; it will have to be roto-tilled before mulch is applied. With much effort, we could only dig to about 2 inches.
When it is cooler (mid-September or later), these plots will be planted with plugs and potted plants. These plants will have root systems that extend well beyond or turf which extends 2-3” deep. They will anchor the soil and slow the stormwater run-off.
Pet owners: Please do not let your pets inside the taped plots. The plots need to be left undisturbed.
Sinkhole Caution: Anyone walking on the slope between the parking lot and our townhouses, take care. Two sinkholes have been staked and caution taped; others will also be marked.
