Need a little help here!

Need a subject to catch your attention. I am knee deep in landscaping. I need to know what I can buy to trench for plastic edging? Please HELP! I'm tired of shoveling. P.S. my back say's thanks in advance!

 

What you need is a trench master, you walkbehind it and it will trench and push the soil away, it is perfect for installing edging my buddy has one, you can't beat the speed and your back will feel no pain

 

Have you thought about getting away from the plastic edging and using aluminium or steel?<br>Just a suggestion.

 

Aluminum or Steel?

 

In our area, most professional landscapes don't use any edging. Just a good, deep 'shovel edge' put in with a shovel or a power bededger. Sometimes, to prevent root run or contain an area of decorative rock, edging will be installed, usually aluminum with anodized finish. Several brands are available. One is Sure-loc. It comes it 16'lengths. Sometimes a local re-wholesaler will carry it which is a good way to buy just a few pieces to try it out.<p>----------<br>Lanelle<br>

 

lanelle, we stop using edging 2 years ago, we now just cut the deep edge like you wrote. no more fighting with edging. people like the natural look

 

The Trench Master is the machine you want for edgeing beds and installing plastic or steele edgeing. I bought one last week and have a sore a@* from kicking myself because I didn't buy it 10 years ago! I edged close to 100 tree rings 14' to 18' trees in under 2 hours with it last week! These trees had not been edged in 3 years.<p>Chris

 

I have done an edge a few times without edging. The question I have though, is with nothing but soft mulch holding up that edge, how long does it take (with foot traffic and mower wheels) for the sharp edge to get mushed out of shape and in need of another edging? I've talked to some people who end up putting in edging after a few years, because the edge just won't hold.

 

If the edge is cut straight down through strong turf (2-4&quotand then angled into the bed, like a checkmark shape, the turf should hold the edge and only need to be done twice a year although you can run a stick edger with sharp blade around the bed edge more frequently to give it that 'just edged' look without making a big mess. Maybe the hard clay in our area makes keeping an edge easier, but we really don't have much problem with it. Then we crown the mulch and taper it to bottom of edge line so weeds won't get a start there.<p>----------<br>Lanelle<br>