Aftercare
Compared to bedding plants, hebaceous perennials, roses and many other popular garden occupants, Enviromat is remarkably easy to care for.
The propogation has already been done, there is no need for daily watering or weekly feeding and it doesn't need mowing or trimming unless you are looking for a textured ground cover rather than a flowering one.
So what steps do you need to take in order to keep your Enviromat in good order for years to come?
Watering
In general, Enviromat is more likely to be damaged by too much water than too little. Sedum plants hate to have soggy roots. Having said that, Enviromat will tolerate heavy rainfall, as long as its growing medium is well drained.
Enviromat will survive for a month or so without being watered. In most cases therefore, the British weather will absolve you of all watering-can duties but, there are situations in which a little extra help is advisable.
Enviromat in containers is more susceptible to drying out, so keep an eye on the plants. If the foliage starts to take on a wrinkled or rubbery texture, then a good watering is in order.
Enviromat on sloping roofs will need extra attention in long periods of drought because water tends to drain away quite quickly when the roof is wetted. Laying a water-retentive fleece underneath the Enviromat will help the plants to survive in long periods of drought. If the roof slopes very steeply, it is advisable to consider installing an irrigation system.
Feeding
Sedum plants are very economical when it comes to fertilizer. A slow-release, low-nitrogen granular fertiliser applied once a year (preferably in spring) is really all that is needed.
Overfeeding is not only a waste of money, it allows plant nutrients to leach into water courses where they are a pollutant.
Weeding
The geotextile matting that Enviromat is grown on will stop some, but not all, perennial weeds growing up from underneath. Q Lawns recommend that Enviromat be installed on to a weed resistant membrane to help keep weeds under control.
Enviromat has a very dense covering of plants that prevents the majority of weeds from germinating. However, there are always the occasional opportunists that do manage to grow. A thin layer of pebbles or gravel, spread over Enviromat won't damage the sedum plants but it will act as a deterrent to weeds and help to weigh the material down in windy weather.
At Q Lawns, we have found, that in high summer, the sedum plants in Enviromat relish the hot dry conditions while any "imposters" soon languish and die. The few surviving weeds are quickly and easily removed by hand at the end of the summer.
Mowing
Most people grow Enviromat for its spectacular and long lasting floral display, in which case the plants will not need any sort of mowing or trimming at all.
Enviromat also has some wonderful textural qualities and can be used by the adventurous gardener for accentuating features such as waterfalls, rills, statuary or stone. Using a set of sharp garden shears, Enviromat can be trimmed down to as low as 2cm, in this way the workload is increased but some truly amazing patterns and textures are revealed.
Bare Patches
When Enviromat leaves the production fields, roughly 95% of the sedum matting has a dense covering of plants. Occasionally though, small areas of the growing medium becomes visible. Over time, the plants will spread and fill in those patches. It is possible to speed up the process by breaking off little pieces of plant material from the more dense areas and sprinkling them on to the bare patches. Within weeks, the "sprouts" will have grown roots and established themselves.
Pests and Diseases
There are very few pests and diseases that affect Enviromat, in fact it is remarkably trouble-free. When Enviromat is grown outdoors the only 'pest' likely to invade is the aphid.
Aphids love the succulent leaves of sedums but they actually do very little harm to the plants, it's just that large clusters of aphids aren't particularly attractive to look at.
Insecticidal sprays that eradicate aphids are available from most garden centres, however MANY SPRAYS ARE NOT SUITABLE FOR USE ON SEDUMS, they burn and scar the leaves.
Q Lawns believes that aphids are an important part of the food chain for a wide variety of creatures, including ladybirds, lacewings and many songbirds and that encouraging these so-called pests into the garden is ecologically quite sound. However, there are many who would not agree.
A useful and natural insecticide is an infusion (tea) made from the chopped green leaves of the herb tansy (Tanacetum vulgare). Alternatively, use a proprietary aphid spray that is suitable for use on blackcurrants (blackcurrants are closely related to sedums).