Weed control fabric.

[tim]

Keeps getting spoken about, as though it suppresses weeds on its own.

So why do all the instructions say cover with bark or gravel??

It actually grows wonderful weeds!!

[tim]

[Ant]

the bark or gravel is to make it look less of an eyesore and the weight of gravel stops it blowing away if not properly secured.

We use it on the allotment (as seen in my other thread) and at home, and no weeds ever come through.  ;)

[Fork]

Keeps getting spoken about, as though it suppresses weeds on its own.

So why do all the instructions say cover with bark or gravel??

It actually grows wonderful weeds!!

I totally agree.You do get some wonderful weeds but if the weed control fabric is decent stuff,the weeds should not be growing up through it.The seeds would have been carried by the wind or birs or whatever and will be growing in the gravel or bark.A simple tug will remove them easily.

I gravelled a large area at home and the gravel was quite sandy.I started to wash it before I put it down but it was far too time consuming.The weeds grow in the sand between the fabric and the gravel.Like I said though,very easy to remove and not as prolific.

[jjt]

People think it means maintenance free gardening. It doesn't. Low maintenance maybe, but long term and neglected it's a nightmare.

[tim]

OK - we now have it from the Horse's mouth!!

1. Yes, the gravel etc is mainly for appearance - in the decorative garden. But extra cover can be needed in periods of bright light - May to July sort of thing. Permealay is only 80% 'light supressant'.

2. Since one would not use gravel etc in the veg bed, the options are to double up the Permealay or use Paper Mulch, which is 90% 'effective'.  Or, of course, your own stuff.

3. The other ploy is to lay the fabric early - before the light increases. The weeds will germinate & then die.

[Ant]

not sure if your comment was aimed at me or one of the the others, but just to confirm.

Given a choice between old carpets, brittle blue plastic sheet and plastic sheet covering half the plot or weed fabric and planting through... seemed like the obvious choice  :)

Even so, its only for this season until we can weed that section properly.

People do a similar thing for strawberries and onions on our site.

[Robert_Brenchley]

Avoid blue plastic! It disintegrates under ultraviolet, and the bits are next to impossible to get rid of. If you're going to use it at all, keep it short-term, and keep a sharp eye on it.

[Gazfoz]

I intend to place the fabric over a fairly weedy bed and plant sweetcorn through it and then put a thick mulch of bark chips on top to suppress the light from the soil and then get stuck in and clear the bed  properly after the harvest.
Some of my plot has started to levitate under the mulch but as I clear it and roll the sheet back it becomes double thickness and hopefully less light porous. I then just jump all over it to flatten it down.

[Ant]

Avoid blue plastic! It disintegrates under ultraviolet, and the bits are next to impossible to get rid of. If you're going to use it at all, keep it short-term, and keep a sharp eye on it.

Viscuene, or builders membrane. Nightmare stuff. It is usually used to line concrete footings and act as a damp proof membrane between setting concrete and the underlying soil.

As Robert says, it breaks down into brittle, small pieces... I know, I pick about a dozen bits up a day after dragging the remains of a sheet left on our plot into my skip bag.

[bupster]

Yup, I've got remnants of the same on mine. The weed suppressant black stuff though I swear by, as I'm trying to manage a full size allotment on about six hours a week. It doesn't suppress the damned bindweed, and also levitates, but it makes rampant couch manageable when it comes to dig over the beds properly. I use it all the time with tomatoes and courgettes as it means I don't have to weed those beds at all, and they seem to like the extra warmth. It is a sod to pull up if you leave it more than a season, but so are the weeds if you don't leave it down, so on the whole it's a winner for me. This year I'll be trying to use less of it, planting straight to green manure when a bed's cleared that won't be used in the winter, but I can't guarantee that all my plans will come to fruition...

[Si D]

Using weed con fab on mine...it's keeping the weeds at bay well.  But it does provide a great home for the slugs if you don't bury all the edges.

[bupster]

Everything on my plot is a great home to the slugs, slimy little sods.

[Andy H]

I found it stops growth of anything under it but weeds grow on top when I bung bits of weeds and soil on it thinking I will pick that up later!!! :P :P :P