plastic edging - what's the secret?

[shnelson]

I have some areas I need to mulch and was going to use some plastic edging around it. I know a lot of guys are going to tell me to use something else, but these are areas where I'm more concerned about keeping the mower out of the mulch than I am about looks... just maintaining a clean edge.

What's the best way to straighten this junk out? The roll I have wants to keep its form, making it pretty difficult to lay it in where I want it.

So I'm asking the pros, whats your trick? I left the rolls I have unbound in the garage hoping that will release some of the memory before I try it again this weekend. The last time I tried using this stuff, I got so frustrated from kinking it that I threw it away and put in some concrete edgers - that got pretty costly though

[sticknstring]

Spread it out in the yard in the sun. Don't fight the curve it was rolled up in, work with it.

[pureinsanity]

If it is kinking on you, you must have the small cheaper stuff. I always use the heavy duty stuff and it is very hard to kink. I also mainly use the stuff that is bought in 16' piece and is already straight. I only use the rolled up stuff is the home owner purchased it and wanted me to use that.

as S&S said let the sun do the work! It will be warm when installing but that is a price you have to pay.

Get someone to help you unroll it. Once unrolled flip it over so it doesn't want to curl back up.

They way I work with the curled edging is just dig my trench the for the whole area and start installing. Unroll as you go working your way to the end and unrolling as you move forward. That is the best advice I can give you.

[pureinsanity]

Oh and make sure you have the edging set at the correct height and use extra spikes. Do you have any areas that need to be pieced in? or is it going to be one solid piece? I do a little trick to reinforce joints!

[panski master]

Do not buy the stuff from box stores that is rolled up. Buy it from your landscape/ nursery places. It comes in 20 ft lengths (contractor grade) and it isn't rolled up. It is also a heavier grade and will last a lot longer. The price will be higher but well worth the extra $ and you don't have to worry about kinks and trying to straighten it out.

[shnelson]

When I bought it, I made sure to get the bigger/higher quality stuff.. at least that's what the price and big box store told me! Must be lower quality, as the kinking occurred while I was working with the natural curve .

Where can I get the straight 16'ers? That seems ideal, it should cover a couple of the smaller areas I have to do without any joints. I also need to do the perimeter of the deck we just put up, that area will require at least one joint.

Planning on using some larger spikes to anchor it, was reading about them in another thread where you can get 8 for a couple bucks.

[shnelson]

Do not buy the stuff from box stores that is rolled up. Buy it from your landscape/ nursery places. It comes in 20 ft lengths (contractor grade) and it isn't rolled up. It is also a heavier grade and will last a lot longer. The price will be higher but well worth the extra $ and you don't have to worry about kinks and trying to straighten it out.

Missed this post when I made the previous one.. Thanks for the tip, I'll see if I can find some on the way home!

[pureinsanity]

Missed this post when I made the previous one.. Thanks for the tip, I'll see if I can find some on the way home!

They will have spikes and connectors too in a kit like package. 5 or 6 flat spikes and one plastic connector for joints. They will also sell boxes of spikes if you just want to have large spikes for odds and ends at home. Tent stakes, landscape edging, timbers, running string lines, nailing big things together, tying off trees. Spikes have endless uses

[LwnmwnMan2]

Forestland Nurseries just south of Forest Lake will have the larger pieces.

[Steve Foss]

Do not buy the stuff from box stores that is rolled up. Buy it from your landscape/ nursery places. It comes in 20 ft lengths (contractor grade) and it isn't rolled up. It is also a heavier grade and will last a lot longer. The price will be higher but well worth the extra $ and you don't have to worry about kinks and trying to straighten it out.

Yup.

But if you DO buy the stuff in rolls, stretching it in the sun is the way to go.

[Duffman]

I've fixed kinks before by shoving a connector down the tube into the kink area. If left out in the sun too long on a hot day, the edging will actually kink easier when it gets that warm. That's what I found out using those 60' rolls a couple of years ago.

(And I liked the 60' rolls, less connection points....less future troubles)

Back in my landscaping days, we'd buy boxes of 10" pole barn nails and use them for securing the edging.

[pureinsanity]

yup heated up edging will kink easier.

[bowhunternw]

That rolled up stuff is junk. I had some curves and I couldn't prevent it from kinking. If want to do a good job go to a greenhouse/landscaping place and get the black diamond. I think that is what it was called, it comes in long straight lengths. Made the world of difference for me.

[shnelson]

Got it figured out - took the roll I had and left it unbound for a few days, the day I intended on putting it in I wrapped it around the perimeter of my truck tires and let it sit for an hour or two in the sun. Seemed to do the trick. Here's the project from the weekend, probably going to use the black diamond straight pieces for doing under the deck in a couple weeks though!

Before

After

Still need to back-fill it a bit but overall I'm happy how it turned out.

[jjohnson5150]

That looks really nice. Good work.