Topic: Weed Suppresent fabric

[lezelle]

Hi Ya, Due to on going medical problem the weeds have been going out of control. I have decided to try using some fabric for their control. I was looking to put some compost down under the cover I have put down but the weeds are still green under it then checking my diary realised it's only been down a week. How long before it takes effect? Could I still lay the compost? I would like to hear from those who use it regularly to see if it does do the job. I found it easy to trim using a blow torch and will cut holes in it using a tin on the end of a stick heated up by blow torch. I also have a flame gun should I remove said fabric, torch it, then lay compost and fabric. This is all new to me so any tips and advice would be most welcome. Thanks

[lezelle]

Hi ya, Just realised I may confuse things, when I say torch it I mean the ground weeds not the fabric. Sorry

[Vinlander]

If the weeds are annuals they can be cut off as they appear from your planting holes or even just  pushed back under the cover with a weight to hold it down. It's still going to take months for them to die completely.

If they are perennial weeds then you are in for a fight at every hole - so it's better to either dig them out first or accept you can have no holes until next year.

If you are in any doubt about the UV resistance of your fabric then mulch over it to protect it - woodchip is good if you can put down at least 5cm, tiling with newspapers can do the same job but you need something to hold them down - the classic method is just to chuck branches and prunings on top until every paper is held down in at least 3 places - the main benefit is that branches slow the wind enough to stop stuff lifting - it's amazingly effective and can also be used to stop chip blowing about.

One cm of chip on papers makes the whole thing less likely to trigger the OCD of the tidy police.

Once you have done this you might wonder why you didn't just use cheap tarp as the initial ground cover in the first place...

Cheers.

[ancellsfarmer]

The problem with using membrane in a cultivation setting is that you will have to lift it out again. Its fine in landscaping supermarket carparks etc when all they want to do is create a 'perfect' planting . Personally, in creating my no-dig plot from pasture, I :mowed to soil level, covered in corrugated cardboard boxes(from washing machines), applied 3" of well rotted fym compost
 and planted out vegetable plants strait through it, the same weekend. Very little weed appeared, the odd dock and thistle.
Annual weeds will not force through , perennials may, but its another sheet of cardboard straight on top to exclude light and repeat. I find the odd strand of sellotape occassionally but no trace of the cardboard. Now on the fourth season on this ground, I would think I had less than a 2 gallon bucket of 'weeds' this spring, from approx 350 sq metres.
This winter I decided that no longer would I mow paths, just for the sake of doing so, and have covered all the grass in the described manner, topping with 3" of coarse wood chippings from a tree feller. Now I have a weedfree, allweather surface(just like Lingfield Park racecourse!), which is likely to serve for 3-4 seasons. No mowing, no weeds, no slugs, no mud,no problem.
May I suggest that perhaps you apply the membrane you already have to the surface of part of your plot, allowing it to lie fallow this season while you recuperate fully, and have a headstart for the Autumn.
Good Luck, please don't think your beaten.
AF

[lezelle]

Hi Ya, Thanks Vinlander and AF. I am using the fabric to plant though and help keep weeds down. I believe you can move it along as required. I would go for the cardboard and manure but it's getting it delivered. I have bought some mushroom compost as where I am using the  fabric to grow my cabbage etc. I was looking at giving the weeds a good knock back and laying the 20 bags of mush compost and then the fabric and plant though. I had some damp proof plastic laid down and was impressed with the way it cleared all except the bindweed but soon sorted that. I don't like using weed killer and have even looked at the homemade ones containing white vinegar and salt etc with mixed views. I also looked at ammonium sulfamate but was warned against using it around fruit tress etc, I have also heard the use of Epsom salts but do they really work? I am open to all advice and appreciate it. I will get there AF albeit very slowly it will not stop me. Any more ideas or experience would be most welcome. The ideas and suggestions tend to urge me on and give me more up and at them, thanks all

[tricia]

Lots of knowledgeable advice lezelle. I have four raised beds all covered with membrane which is rotated each year but stays down to keep the cats off. Late Autumn  I take the membrane off, loosen the soil, add riddled compost to each bed and replace the membrane. I no longer have access to manure, unfortunately, so have to make do with compost and chicken manure which is added a couple of weeks before planting out. All this takes me a long time to do - not only because of my age - but restricted mobility and ability to stay on my feet for any length of time. In the four raised beds I grow squashes, courgettes, celeriac, sweet corn and tomatoes, beans and salad greens in tubs and strawberries in containers on legs. Of late I've had to employ a gardener to keep the weeds down under my fruit trees and the hedges trimmed, but I hope to continue growing my veggies as long as I can!

So taking it slowly does work! I hope your health soon improves and that you find the membrane as useful as I do.

Tricia 

[lezelle]

Hi Tricia, thanks for your reply it has given me more hope. I have laid some fabric and have got mushroom compost to lay under and I intend to grow my cabbages though the fabric. I also tend to rely on the compost I can produce and add the odd bag of horse manure when I can get it. The plot is looking better and I carry a chair with me strategically placed where I can rest to get the blood flowing into my limbs again. It is a slow job but I will get there. Good luck with your endeavours.