bark chips???

carlos700

My garden used to be a nightmare with weeds growing in my boarders .I have a gardener doing my garden for me every two weeks but when he comes and does the weeding after about a week they are all back again so by the time the gardener comes in two weeks the garden really needs doing.

I have now put small bark chips on my boarders and for the last 2 weeks i can see no weeds .How quick will the weeds grow now the bark is down ?the reason i ask is because i am thinking now do we need a gardener .We can cut the grass just as long as the weeds do not start to grow back because that is what i needed the help with.Could somebody please advice on this matter .

System

I had weeds, I introduced about six bags of bark in November and today I see weeds, I see lilac, I see bramble all finding their way through. Maybe if I'd placed a liner down first.....................hindsight is a wonderfull thing.

Kay_Peel

You need to put a big dollop of bark on your border, I'm afraid. Someone told me I should have laid the stuff about four inches high. To cut down on the expense, transportation of heavy bags and all that malarkey, Islandman is right - put some sort of barrier over the soil.

I don't think this is the time of year to put down bark chippings - I could be wrong. The best time is when the soil is nice and warm and the growing season is coming to an end - late September, probably.

Do you need a gardener, you ask? Only if you can't keep on top of the weeds yourself. Little and often is good. Ten minutes every evening, pulling up or hoeing the little blighters.

Kay

nodwah

I'm pretty lazy so I do a blitz on a small area at a time, get all the weeds out esp the dandelions, docks and buttercups that plague me, then cover with several layer of a quality broadsheet newspaper and then good thick dollop of bark.
The areas that I did last summer are still weed free and I'm gradually working my way round bit by bit when the notion takes me

paddy's_mum

carlos700 - the only really effective way to use bark to suppress weeds is, as islandman says, to lay an impermeable (to light) barrier down first.

I have used the technique very successfully in part of my garden. I bought a roll of weed control fabric (from a specialist supplier it was around £40 for a 100m x 1m width roll) dug out only the largest or most deeply rooted of the weeds and then laid the textile on the bare soil.

After that, you can put on your barkchips. About a 2" deep layer is adequate for a cosmetic finish since it is the fabric which suppresses the weeds. (Just be aware that it might attract neighbouring cats as it makes a lovely, easy to dig, outdoor toilet for them!)

I do still get the occasional weed growing, probably from windblown seed, but a very quick poke about with the hoe gets rid of them easily as the membrane prevents them from developing substantial roots and what roots there are, are only at the surface.

You can do a similar job with bits of old black plastic but this is not as effective and does not let water drain away as quickly as the proper textile does. I have, over the years, also used old cardboard or thick layers of newspapers but within a year or two, that has rotted away and then the weeds can so easily return.

I have, at times, saved a fortune on buying bagged barkchips from a garden centre by spotting pruning work going on beneath overhead powerlines or at the edge of, say, a park. Most of the pruning crews use a heavy shredder to reduce the waste on site and I have never had one of them refuse me permission to grab a couple of sacks to top up my barkchipped borders at home. Have you a tree felling firm anywhere near you? They often have mountains of the stuff and for just a few quid in the beer money pot, they'll let you loose with sacks and a shovel.

It is one of those jobs that if you are going to do it, do it properly. It will save you hours of work in the long run. Hope that helps.

brogusblue

Hello

If you want bark chips cheap try the yellow pages for tree surgeons or tree fellers they normally shred the tree and sell it by the ton i ordered 8 tons 2 years ago and put a good quality landscaping fabric underneath and i have a few weeds come up but they are easy to clear. Don't use a cheap fabric look on ebay for woven fabric it normally has blue lines on it i paid £40 inc delivery for 2m wide by 100 foot long on ebay. i suffer in my garden brambles and bindweed so far so good if you use wood chip it does need topping up now and again.

I have just ordered 2 tons for £40 from my local guy.

Cheers
Brogusblue