How to Fix a Messy Edging Job
Messy edging ruins the crisp sides of your lawn, or areas around your garden beds. Uneven edging materials, weedy perimeters and crooked lines are the common causes of a messy look. Fixing the edging so it looks better depends on the the edging material and the type of problem it's suffering. Clean, straight edging requires less work to maintain and looks better in the landscape. Does this Spark an idea?
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Shallow Edging
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Installing rubber and plastic edging strips too shallowly can cause them to heave and look messy. Heave usually becomes apparent in spring after the winter freeze and thaw cycles begin to push the edging strips out of the soil. Pull up the strips and dig out the trench. Make the trench deep enough so no more than 1 to 2 inches of the edging -- or the rounded top edge if applicable -- sits above the soil level. Install stakes or frost anchors through the holes punched in the bottom edge of the strips to further prevent heaving. Fill in the trench and tamp down the soil to finish securing the edging.
Crooked Cut Edging
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Cut or trench edging requires regular upkeep to prevent a messy appearance. This edging method requires digging a 6-inch deep, 2-inch wide angled trench around the perimeter of the garden or lawn area. Cutting an uneven line gives the edge a wavy, messy appearance. Time eventually corrects the issue as the trench fills in, but you can speed the process by cutting the trench slightly wider to correct any uneven edges. Fix extreme crooked areas by redigging the trench properly and installing thin strips of sod to fill in the too-wide areas.
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Uneven Brick Edging
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Brick and paver edging settles after installation. The settling isn't obvious and the edging usually stays level if the edging was installed properly. Messy, uneven edging occurs when some bricks sink deeper than others. The only solution requires removing and reinstalling the edging bricks properly. Dig a trench to the depth of one brick, ensuring that the bottom is level after tamping down the soil firmly. Place a 2-inch layer of gravel in the trench before reinstalling the bricks. The gravel provides a footing that helps prevent the edging from sinking unevenly again.
Unkempt Edging
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Edging requires regular maintenance to remain at its best. Dig debris out of trench edging at least twice a year in the spring and fall, removing fallen leaves, plant material and recutting the edge. Weed around the base of rubber and brick edging as needed to remove overgrown plants and grass that the lawnmower can't reach. Pull the plants by hand or use a string trimmer. Rinse brick and paver edging every one to two weeks to remove soil, dust and any residue on the surface to give it a fresh, clean look.
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