Use weed retainer or not?

delmar39

Hi I've recently moved into a new house and have just about finished the garden planting. I didn't opt for the weed retainer membrane because I wanted to keep on top of the weeds myself, but did put a layer of mulch down. I want to continue planting things as I go along and didn't want the hassle of cutting through the membrane everytime plus it limits the type of plant you can have. However, the weeds are starting to come through, little ones, big ones etc, and I'm beginning to wonder whether I should have indeed put the membrane down. Anybody else been through this type of decision? Would be interested in views.

Kay_Peel

When it comes to weeds, my best friend is a hoe.

I can weed a big area in a short fraction of the time it takes to weed by hand and at less expense and trouble than weed suppressing material.

I hoe little and often during dry spells with a really sharp blade. It keeps the surface soil nice and loose.

I skim just under the surface - I don't dig in or go very deep - and the hoe severs the tops of weeds from the root. It may grow back if it's a tough perennial weed, but gives up the fight after a few weeks of regular assault and battery.

I find it quite therapeutic and it has the added benefit of making the soil surface look all fresh and lovely.

If you haven't got one then I'd recommend it - especially if you want to be an organic gardener and don't want to use chemical weedkillers. If you've got one lurking in a corner then take it out, give it a good sharpening and a big kiss.:rotfl: It's going to be a very good friend indeed.

:beer:

[Deleted User]

I do use weed control fabric as I was sick of spending days just digging up one bed. I could have hoed but tend to be a bit forgetful about jobs I don't enjoy so for me the fabric was the best option. Its available inexpensively in most pound shop type outlets or on ebay.

So this year it was a joy to spend just a few minutes hand pulling the odd weed instead of two or three days of hard tussels with the weeds. I have planted quite a few plants and yes it does take longer but I'm just so glad to be weed free its a small price to pay.

ukjoel

Unless you have the time each week to spend keeping on top of weeds, and can ensure you have that time all year round suppressant is pretty brilliant stuff.

Where its a right royal pain is if your trying to grow veg or lots of small things. If you have a raised bed with 8 toms or runner bean plants its ok but lettuce or carrot from seeds wont work with it.

My advice is think about each area and try different things.

delmar39

Thanks for all your comments. I have never used a hoe before (we had weed retainer at our old house) so I think I'll invest in one and see how that goes. I've kept the borders failry low maintenance in terms of the plants I've used and our soil is really good so it shouldn't take long to hoe and I can do this at the same time as doing other jobs, such as mowing the lawn. Routine routine routine I guess. I've used quite a few low level spreading shrubs, such as cotoneaster, so there should be reasonable coverage once established. We have a 2 1/2 year old so my time is limited, but I do love gardening, so I'll keep it up. Thanks again.

Steel_2

We put down permeable weed membrane in all of our beds about three years ago, adding bark mulch on top, and this year on one bed I dragged it up. Even though we had thoroughly dug it over and added soil improver, the clay soil had basically swallowed all the improver and the earth was looking yellow and compacted and the plants were suffering. Plus the fact I had bindweed running underneath the membrane (very irritating).

So now it's off and I'm digging it over, adding more soil improver and digging up the bindweed by hand.

In future I'll use a hoe on this bed instead of membrane until i can get the soil to a better standard.

However, the other beds are absolutely fine - I think the soil there was better to start with - so I'll keep on with the membrane there for a while longer.

Kay_Peel

There is another advantage to using a hoe.

In dry weather my soil has a tendency to cake and go crusty - and rainwater can't get through efficiently. A hoe makes the surface powdery and crumbly and rainwater goes straight through it instead of running off and evaporating quickly.

angelavdavis

Steel wrote: »

We put down permeable weed membrane in all of our beds about three years ago, adding bark mulch on top, and this year on one bed I dragged it up. Even though we had thoroughly dug it over and added soil improver, the clay soil had basically swallowed all the improver and the earth was looking yellow and compacted and the plants were suffering. Plus the fact I had bindweed running underneath the membrane (very irritating).

So now it's off and I'm digging it over, adding more soil improver and digging up the bindweed by hand.

In future I'll use a hoe on this bed instead of membrane until i can get the soil to a better standard.

However, the other beds are absolutely fine - I think the soil there was better to start with - so I'll keep on with the membrane there for a while longer.

I would always recommend mulching over the soil with lots of manure, then covering with weed suppressant and top dressing with bark. I have done this in my last two gardens and it seems to be the best solution. I then use poultry pellets to feed the garden as required and top dress with bark every 4 years or so as the bark breaks down.

Steel_2

angelavdavis wrote: »

I would always recommend mulching over the soil with lots of manure, then covering with weed suppressant and top dressing with bark. I have done this in my last two gardens and it seems to be the best solution. I then use poultry pellets to feed the garden as required and top dress with bark every 4 years or so as the bark breaks down.

Cheers Angel.

What I didn't do is add a heavy layer of mulch before putting the membrane down. The soil seemed lovely when we dug it all over and dug in lots of good stuff, and we did cover the membrane with bark and that had begun to break down, but the soil underneath still had that damp oily shiny look of clay.

I'll remember under-membrane mulching for the future

delmar39

Thanks for all your comments. I'm going to steer away from weed retainer and buy a hoe at the weekend. I think they'll be a certain amount of satisfaction having a battle with the weeds. Since I weeded last weekend a few are beginning to show their heads again, but not that many that I can't keep on top of it. I've layed the soil with bark chips, but like the comment about manure first. I'll try this too.