How I Plant Pachysandra

In this section I will explain to you how I plant Pachysandra.

First I dig up the area where the Pachysandra is going to be planted. I could use a Tiller, a Shovel or a Mattock. The idea is to get any and all weeds and vines that are in the area out before we put the Pachysandra in. If you have too much clay, just add sand and top soil. If you have too much sand just add top soil. Most of the work is getting the soil ready. I use a Mattock which most people have although they may not know it. The Mattock is about 3' long and has a solid hoe on one side and an axe on the other side. I always work from my knees when planting Pachysandra. I carve a little trench in the ground with the Mattock. About 3"deep and 42" long starting from the highest tops and working my way down any slope. If the Pachysandra has runners on, I lay the runners in the row. If a runner breaks, I simply lay the runner in the trench.

I have heard for over 50 years, about people planting Pachysandra that they ripped out of the ground, tied it into a knot and stuck in in a hole. Yes, that will work, but if you have a 18" piece of vine, it would be easier to lay it in the trench? By making the trench, it helps to get any of the weeds out before putting the Pachysandra in the ground. The closer together you plant the Pachysandra, the faster it will fill in. I typically advise 3 to 4 plants per square foot. I advise to sprinkle 1/2" peat moss on a new area every 2 weeks, to make it look fresh and to see any weeds that will appear. I just planted an area that was covered with maple tree roots, I put down 3" of top soil over the roots and because there were no weeds, I was able to plant 1000 plants in 3 hours of time using the trench or row method.