Matting

jim8888

The previous owner of my house had the garden landscaped and put down matting to prevent weeds coming through. Unfortunately our garden is pretty dry because of two big trees, and I think the matting (although it's permeable) exacerbates the problem. I've started ripping the stuff out when I'm planting, but is this worth the bother? Does the matting make the soil less healthy and should I just ignore it?

-taff

Matting just makes a barrier for weeds and worms [although worms can find their way into any tiny bit of soil anywhere as anyone who's moved a pot that has leaked some out can testify. Unless it's impermeable or not giving you a deep enough root run for whatever you're growing there's no real need to remove it.

twopenny

Mixed blessings. Cuts down weeding and keeps things a little tidier. 
If it lets rain through then it will also let moisture evaporate leaving the soil drier or wetter for longer
I'd have it up and if necessary use a bark mulch thickly spread after heavy rainfall.
My friend has put this stuff down to try and keep it less work but she's finding the plants aren't thriving the same. So it's now coming up bit by bit.