Monkey Grass & Basjoo
 

I am getting ready to put my bananas in the ground, but the border around my pool is smothered with monkey grass. Should I rip it all out, or can the two peacefully co-exist? My plan was just to clear out and mulch around the drip line, but it will take a fair amount of maintenance to keep it from filling back in. I was also thinking about using landscape edging in a circle, but I don't want to restrict the banana roots either. Ideas, suggestions anyone?

Re: Monkey Grass & Basjoo
 

Do like you would for a flower bed, dig up an area about 3 feet wide, 18 inches deep. Amend and roto-till it real good and stake down weed barrier. After weed control is down, cut an 'X' in the middle, plant nanner, and mulch or rock for looks.

That would be how I would approach the situation, just incase the monkey grass does undermind the virility of the basjoo.

Also, you could just try planting the basjoo 1 or 2 inches (25-50 mm for the Imperial Impaired) deeper than you planned since roots of most grasses only stay in the upper layer of soil. Add slow release granular fert to lower half of basjoo hole when you plant it to keep the grass from taking all the fert.