Q&A for How to Install Plastic Lawn Edging

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Question

What is the best lawn edging?

Jeremy Yamaguchi
Lawn Care Specialist
Jeremy Yamaguchi is a Lawn Care Specialist and the Founder/CEO of Lawn Love, a digital marketplace for lawn care and gardening services. Jeremy provides instant satellite quotes and can coordinate service from a smartphone or web browser. The company has raised funding from notable investors like Y Combinator, Joe Montana, Alexis Ohanian, Barbara Corcoran and others.

Jeremy Yamaguchi

Lawn Care Specialist

Expert Answer

Commercial-grade edging will be more durable and last longer than cheap plastic edging.

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Question

Can I use plastic edging to form a rectangular flower bed?

Community Answer

Yes you can. You can make ground stakes to put into each corner out of any scrap wood you have handy. You can paint the wood first to match the edging if you'd like. Pound your wooden stakes (maybe you chose 2x2s) into the ground and then cut your edging sides one at a time stopping after every cut to glue that end to your wood corner blocks. Ask at your home improvement store for help selecting an appropriate plastic-to-wood glue suitable for the type of plastic edging. (PVC notably requires specific adhesive) Measure twice and cut once with your edging to ensure sharp looking corners as they come together at the corner block.

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Question

Should I cut the edging to get over tree roots?

Community Answer

Yes, you should, since your alternative is to cut the tree roots and you rarely want to do that. In some cases, it makes more sense to skip the tree root altogether if the root is above ground. If it's just underneath the ground, you can cut the underside of the edging, leaving the top intact.

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Question

Can I install plastic edging in a new landscape before sod is established?

Community Answer

Yes, just leave it high enough to account for the height of the sod.

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Question

How do two pieces hook together?

Douglas McClung

Community Answer

Most forms of edging, like the above, come with inserts to hook two sets together. If not, you can use a dowel rod, stick, or anything that would fit in the opening to tie them together. I have also used a wooden block about a foot long on straight runs and screwed the edging to the block to hold them together. Just leave the block below the top of the edging 1 to 2 inches so it will cover up.

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Question

How do I make corners with plastic lawn edging?

Community Answer

Determine what type of plastic your edging is made from and get a construction adhesive/PVC glue/gorilla glue type of product capable of bonding the type of plastic product you have to wood. Find or buy a piece of wood you can use to make corner stakes. You could also spray paint them to match the edging. I'd probably cut a 8" wood stake piece for every corner and pound those stakes into the ground in each corner spot. Then I'd affix the facing plastic edging to each side of the 'box', being careful to measure twice and cut once to assure a good fit at each corner. The wood stakes/blocks will not be visible but will provide something to glue the plastic to while providing extra strength.

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Question

What do I cut it with?

Community Answer

You can use a fine tooth hacksaw, or even yard, hedge, or metal shears depending on what you have handy and how thick it is. Some of the thinner kinds can likely be cut with a strong hand using a bread knife or kitchen shears. But I'd start with a standard hand saw/hack saw, the kind that comes with a miter box for cutting baseboards and frames. If you'd rather use electric tools, get an appropriate blade for your table saw, but that's surely more than is needed for this job.

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Question

What do I do when the plastic edging is raised on one side? Can it be pounded back in?

Community Answer

Probably not. There is one type of plastic edging out there that is meant to be pounded in with a mallet, but most kinds are not like that and will break. Just dig out that section and reposition it, then refill with your dirt.

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Question

How do I get plastic edging back down after it's worked itself out?

Community Answer

Just dig around the area you need to put back, exactly as shown in the article above. Reposition your edging and replace the dirt. You can add stakes to make sure it doesn't happen again if you want to, before refilling with your dirt.

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Question

Can I cut the edging to fit over tree roots?

Kaitlyn Wislang

Community Answer

Absolutely. Use a utility knife or scissors to make a notch of the appropriate size.

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Question

At the end of the edging, do you need to seal the hole in the tube to prevent water and such from entering?

Kaitlyn Wislang

Community Answer

No, you can just leave the edging hole exactly how it is. The hole will most likely join onto other edging anyway.

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Question

Can I mow over plastic edging? My border and grass are the same level, but the grass keeps growing into the border.

Community Answer

I don't recommend mowing over plastic. It will get shredded. Try spraying some herbicide next to the edging.

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