Weed control - whats your mulch process? - Page 4

NewWestGardener · May 22, 2017

I was looking for at the same Dewitt ones at Amazon. I forgot if they would ship it directly to Canada, then I discovered that you can order it at Home Depot's online shop, they'll ship it free to the specified local store and you can go and pick it up.

Then while shopping at Costco, I found they have rolls of weed barrier fabric, 1.1 meter widex70 meter long, which is like over 250 feet long , for under $35., actually cheaper per foot. Not sure the actual performance difference, but it's good enough for me, so I bought a few, nice and easy.

Thought I would post this if others are also shopping for similiar stuff.

[QUOTE=PureHarvest;641331]

Quote:

Originally Posted by oakley

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

This is the brand and mil I use. Comes in other widths and lengths too.

PaulF · May 22, 2017

I have used fabric and as a weed barrier it is excellent. My only problem is once fabric is down it wants to stay down and when I want to rotate crops it needs to get rolled up and then re-applied after tilling and adding organics to the soil. Mine was fairly expensive and lasted only a couple of years before it began to tear. That's when I switched to cheaper newspaper and just tilled it all in in the fall.

oakley · May 22, 2017

I just returned from the Catskill farm last night. Three days, first visit. I was reminded
of all the stupid things i've done over the years. I have a few varieties in the garden
shed. Rarely use them. The Costco roll bought probably 6-7 yrs ago is fine for some
things. It is great for a summer squash mound if a week of rain is predicted as it does
repel about 50% water. Also feels weird, kinda thick and not 'conforming' to the
landscape. Seems it would be best under gravel/stones/sand. For pathways. Some
non-decomposing weight on it would improve drainage.

I stupidly put it around my blueberry bushes, over some aged clear pine shavings. Then
covered with a couple bags of bark mulch. That is the stupid part. I just wanted do
smother some horseradish roots popping up everywhere.

The bark broke down year two and started growing hay like a cow pasture, then grew
down through the barrier. What a mess. Seems stuck for life.
-lesson 2, plant horseradish far away and contained in its own bed.
Straw has saved that mess over thick wet newspaper. Sort of.

The good news - the narrow paths between some beds using wet newspaper are clear
of all weeds. The beds properly put to bed in the Fall and covered are a dream to work,
double dig, and ready to plant.
Two new beds, one i used straw as a mulch, one was not mulched being a late
planted tom bed. Neither beds were put to bed properly last Fall. The straw mulched
bed had minor weeds. The other is a mess, like starting over in a hay field. Nasty weeds.

All weed barriers have their place and use. Covering fabrics with something organic will
extend their life. As long as they are remove in the Fall clean-up and stored.

Free organic matter is best, if it does not cause problems like suffocation and attracting
slugs. Organic mater can be dug in improving soil.

Using a neighbors lawn and leaf bags could contain pesticides.

BigVanVader · May 22, 2017

Weed barrier is great and when used properly saves a tremendous amount of labor BUT most people make a few mistakes. I have been a landscaper for 22 years, take it from me you need to get the thickest stuff you can find. I use 6 oz, and if I cant find that I use the 5.2 oz. Second- If you cover any weed barrier you 100% will eventually have weeds grow on top of it. For garden use I don't recommend putting anything over it unless it is pine straw or something similar that wont break down rapidly into soil. Straw works well too but really no point unless you just hate the way it looks.

NewWestGardener · May 22, 2017

Thank you for your informative posts, Oakley and BVV. I was just thinking about making some similiar mistakes, coving up the ever.rigorous gout weed in my berry beds and put mulch on top of the fabric. Now I have to be more careful about what to use as mulch. Every year I dig and pull countless gout weed tuber/roots in the spring, then they will come back in no time next season around, it is a losing battle for sure.

isuhunter · May 26, 2017

Here is what I settled on. 1.5 bales across the garden mainly the tomato area. I can't believe how strong the waterhemp is coming in my garden. Its really becoming an issue in the fields around here.

Cole_Robbie · May 26, 2017

That's a neat idea, putting the pieces of drainage pipe around the plants. I have not seen that before.

Salaam · July 13, 2017

[QUOTE=PureHarvest;641331]

Quote:

Originally Posted by oakley

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

This is the brand and mil I use. Comes in other widths and lengths too.

I like your method and I've seen it elsewhere on the web. Would it be overkill for my four 4x25 foot beds? I could have four different 'cut-outs' and rotate them as I rotate my beds. Does it really let water through without any problem?

I've been using composted pine mulch so far, and I'm trying to save the time of going and getting a yard of it and spreading it, plus I'm ignorant of what years of repeated pine mulch might do to my soil composition.

creeker · December 5, 2017

Quote:

Originally Posted by BigVanVader

Weed barrier is great and when used properly saves a tremendous amount of labor BUT most people make a few mistakes. I have been a landscaper for 22 years, take it from me you need to get the thickest stuff you can find. I use 6 oz, and if I cant find that I use the 5.2 oz. Second- If you cover any weed barrier you 100% will eventually have weeds grow on top of it. For garden use I don't recommend putting anything over it unless it is pine straw or something similar that wont break down rapidly into soil. Straw works well too but really no point unless you just hate the way it looks.

So, Big Van Vader and others, do you have a favorite brand of weed barrier? I have been thinking about DeWitt Pro-5 but would be interested in others experiences with other brands. My garden used to be a pasture and still wants to be, so need something to keep down the grass or I may give up! Thanks for all replys.

Cole_Robbie · December 5, 2017

I have been experimenting with old carpet. It works better than even the most expensive weed cloth with UV-inhibitor, which weeds grow right through...expect from the top down. The seeds sprout on top, grow through the cloth, and then the cloth acts to help the weed, by mulching everything else out.

taboule · December 6, 2017

I use a combo of things, including plastic mulch/fabric. My favorite however is salt marsh hay, a bit expensive in large quantities, but just the coolest stuff. Over a couple of years, it gently breaks down and adds to conditioning the soil.

SueCT · December 8, 2017

I use something that is a "salt hay substitute" that it says is chopped hay and straw dehydrated at high temperatures to kill weed seeds and fungus, etc, on the package. Also a little pricey, but works great for me. I spend very little time weeding, maybe 5 minutes at a time 3 or 4 times per season, if that, and it also breaks down to condition the soil. Mine is called Mainely Mulch. Anything you can buy similar should do the same thing, I would think. The price is worth the decrease in work for me, but I don't have a huge garden, maybe 12x15 ft or a little bigger. If you plant 100+ tomato plants per year or have a 1/4 acre garden, it is probably going to be more expensive than most people would like.

BigVanVader · December 9, 2017

I've switched to carpet as well. The weed fabric works great for me in row but it wears out to fast on the areas that have heavy foot traffic. I got a huge roll of auto carpet for free and it should last years. I've found stale seed bedding and cover cropping very effective for weed control as well. Many techniques are needed to beat weeds but with patience it can be done.

Cole_Robbie · December 9, 2017

I haven't yet used all of what I already have, but I have thought about putting up a craigslist ad offering to remove old carpet for free. I think people would jump on that offer. No one wants their stinky old carpet.

pmcgrady · December 9, 2017

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cole_Robbie

I haven't yet used all of what I already have, but I have thought about putting up a craigslist ad offering to remove old carpet for free. I think people would jump on that offer. No one wants their stinky old carpet.

A guy runs a worm farm close by and wants everyone's old carpet for
his worm beds, not sure how he uses it.

May 22, 2017	#47
PaulF Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Brownville, Ne Posts: 3,284	I have used fabric and as a weed barrier it is excellent. My only problem is once fabric is down it wants to stay down and when I want to rotate crops it needs to get rolled up and then re-applied after tilling and adding organics to the soil. Mine was fairly expensive and lasted only a couple of years before it began to tear. That's when I switched to cheaper newspaper and just tilled it all in in the fall. __________________ there's two things money can't buy; true love and home grown tomatoes.

May 22, 2017	#48
oakley Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2015 Location: NewYork 5a Posts: 2,303	I just returned from the Catskill farm last night. Three days, first visit. I was reminded of all the stupid things i've done over the years. I have a few varieties in the garden shed. Rarely use them. The Costco roll bought probably 6-7 yrs ago is fine for some things. It is great for a summer squash mound if a week of rain is predicted as it does repel about 50% water. Also feels weird, kinda thick and not 'conforming' to the landscape. Seems it would be best under gravel/stones/sand. For pathways. Some non-decomposing weight on it would improve drainage. I stupidly put it around my blueberry bushes, over some aged clear pine shavings. Then covered with a couple bags of bark mulch. That is the stupid part. I just wanted do smother some horseradish roots popping up everywhere. The bark broke down year two and started growing hay like a cow pasture, then grew down through the barrier. What a mess. Seems stuck for life. -lesson 2, plant horseradish far away and contained in its own bed. Straw has saved that mess over thick wet newspaper. Sort of. The good news - the narrow paths between some beds using wet newspaper are clear of all weeds. The beds properly put to bed in the Fall and covered are a dream to work, double dig, and ready to plant. Two new beds, one i used straw as a mulch, one was not mulched being a late planted tom bed. Neither beds were put to bed properly last Fall. The straw mulched bed had minor weeds. The other is a mess, like starting over in a hay field. Nasty weeds. All weed barriers have their place and use. Covering fabrics with something organic will extend their life. As long as they are remove in the Fall clean-up and stored. Free organic matter is best, if it does not cause problems like suffocation and attracting slugs. Organic mater can be dug in improving soil. Using a neighbors lawn and leaf bags could contain pesticides. Last edited by oakley; May 22, 2017 at 12:22 PM.

May 22, 2017	#49
BigVanVader Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Mar 2014 Location: Greenville, South Carolina Posts: 3,099	Weed barrier is great and when used properly saves a tremendous amount of labor BUT most people make a few mistakes. I have been a landscaper for 22 years, take it from me you need to get the thickest stuff you can find. I use 6 oz, and if I cant find that I use the 5.2 oz. Second- If you cover any weed barrier you 100% will eventually have weeds grow on top of it. For garden use I don't recommend putting anything over it unless it is pine straw or something similar that wont break down rapidly into soil. Straw works well too but really no point unless you just hate the way it looks.

May 22, 2017	#50
NewWestGardener Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: Vancouver, BC, Canada Posts: 564	Thank you for your informative posts, Oakley and BVV. I was just thinking about making some similiar mistakes, coving up the ever.rigorous gout weed in my berry beds and put mulch on top of the fabric. Now I have to be more careful about what to use as mulch. Every year I dig and pull countless gout weed tuber/roots in the spring, then they will come back in no time next season around, it is a losing battle for sure.

May 26, 2017	#51
isuhunter Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Apr 2015 Location: Des Moines, IA Posts: 140	Here is what I settled on. 1.5 bales across the garden mainly the tomato area. I can't believe how strong the waterhemp is coming in my garden. Its really becoming an issue in the fields around here.

May 26, 2017	#52
Cole_Robbie Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2012 Location: Illinois, zone 6 Posts: 8,407	That's a neat idea, putting the pieces of drainage pipe around the plants. I have not seen that before.

December 5, 2017	#55
Cole_Robbie Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2012 Location: Illinois, zone 6 Posts: 8,407	I have been experimenting with old carpet. It works better than even the most expensive weed cloth with UV-inhibitor, which weeds grow right through...expect from the top down. The seeds sprout on top, grow through the cloth, and then the cloth acts to help the weed, by mulching everything else out.

December 6, 2017	#56
taboule Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jul 2013 Location: MA Posts: 903	I use a combo of things, including plastic mulch/fabric. My favorite however is salt marsh hay, a bit expensive in large quantities, but just the coolest stuff. Over a couple of years, it gently breaks down and adds to conditioning the soil.

December 8, 2017	#57
SueCT Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2012 Location: Connecticut Posts: 1,460	I use something that is a "salt hay substitute" that it says is chopped hay and straw dehydrated at high temperatures to kill weed seeds and fungus, etc, on the package. Also a little pricey, but works great for me. I spend very little time weeding, maybe 5 minutes at a time 3 or 4 times per season, if that, and it also breaks down to condition the soil. Mine is called Mainely Mulch. Anything you can buy similar should do the same thing, I would think. The price is worth the decrease in work for me, but I don't have a huge garden, maybe 12x15 ft or a little bigger. If you plant 100+ tomato plants per year or have a 1/4 acre garden, it is probably going to be more expensive than most people would like.

December 9, 2017	#58
BigVanVader Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Mar 2014 Location: Greenville, South Carolina Posts: 3,099	I've switched to carpet as well. The weed fabric works great for me in row but it wears out to fast on the areas that have heavy foot traffic. I got a huge roll of auto carpet for free and it should last years. I've found stale seed bedding and cover cropping very effective for weed control as well. Many techniques are needed to beat weeds but with patience it can be done.