Weed membrane is a layer of fabric laid between the ground and mulch to help prevent weed growth in gardens.
The rest of this article will discuss what weed membrane is, why it is used, and if you should use it!
Table of Contents
What is weed membrane?
Weed membrane is a material placed on the ground in order to prevent weeds from growing. It is usually made from bonded plastic, or polypropylene, or textiles.
How is weed membrane created?
Weed membrane is created in one of two ways. Woven fabric membranes generally involve plastic fibers woven together. This ends up making a durable, strong material. Non-woven membranes are bonded plastics.
What do you do with weed membrane?
Many people use weed membranes in places they do not want weeds to grow so that the plants they are planting have a better chance of developing.
How does weed membrane work?
This fabric works by preventing sunlight from reaching the ground. This way, weeds are unable to grow. Additionally, this membrane also helps ensure that seeds spread are unable to reach the ground, therefore preventing them from growing in the first place.
Can you use weed membrane for shrubs or bushes?
Of course, you can! Using weed membrane where many plants are going to be located may not be the best idea, using it for shrubs or bushes is excellent since there will be fewer holes but more plants!
What do you want to look into before getting a weed membrane product?
There are a couple of things you’ll want to look into in order to ensure that you are getting the best product that will work the best for you!
The first thing to look into is the quality. With weed membrane, it’s better to purchase a quality material instead of a possibly cheaper option since the cheaper option will more than likely be harder to work with, lighter, and won’t work as well.
A better quality membrane will also last much longer than a cheaper version. Cheaper versions are also much harder to remove from your garden to replace and may cause an issue for you. Additionally, cheaper versions break down faster, making it a faster target for weeds, which defeats the purpose of you buying it in the first place!
The second thing to look into is permeability, which depends on where you are using the weed membrane in your garden. If it is being used for drives or paths, you will want a weed membrane that happens to a less porous, woven membrane. This is because it will not allow water through.
If you are using the weed membrane for bedding, you will want a non-woven, porous option so that your plants can still get the water and nutrients that they require in order to grow.
Pros of weed membrane
Weed membrane has many benefits. There’s the obvious benefit from preventing weeds and some less-obvious benefits! Lets’ take a look:
- Good weed membranes will last about ten years, which would make it a lot more cost-effective than using weed killers!
- Speaking of weed killers, weed membrane stops the need for them. Weed killers can be harmful to your plants, as well as animals you may have around.
Cons of weed membrane
Weed membrane can also have some cons too.
- It stops some needed nutrients from entering the soil, which can hurt your plants
- It is known to reduce the number of earthworms in the soil. These play a crucial role in keeping soil healthy!
- According to some, many weed membranes may not stop weeds from growing; they may grow underneath the fabric! If they do this, the weeds are still taking up essential nutrients your plants need, while your plant may also have a hard time getting enough with the weed membrane in place in the first place.
- Replacing the material can be time-consuming.
How can you use weed membrane?
Using weed membrane can be pretty straightforward. It’s important to note that holes cut into the membrane are where weeds can grow. Because of this, it’s most effective to use the fabric in places you have no plants growing.
Before you use your membrane, it’s essential to remove any weeds from the ground first. If you skip this step, they may just grow underneath the membrane, which would defeat the purpose.
You should also always add another kind of manure or fertilizer before laying the membrane down. This will ensure that your plants have excellent quality soil to grow.
To use, all you have to do is roll it out onto sections of your garden where you do not want weeds. Make sure that the fabric pieces overlap by about two to three inches. This will ensure that weeds don’t grow in the cracks!
After laying the membrane down, you can secure it in several ways. Some people use staples, while others use rocks or even just mulch. This will help make sure that it does not move around. Mulch will also provide moisture to the ground underneath of it.
For planting, you can use a flame torch, hand trowel, small shovel, or other cutting tools. Create your hole, and plant your plants! You should make sure that you are only cutting a space big enough for your plant to grow so that there is no unnecessary space for weeds to grow through the holes.
Other names for weed membrane
Weed membrane may also be called weed barrier fabric and landscape fabric!
Final Thoughts
There are only so many hours in a week, and if you have a big garden, many of those hours may be taken up trying to make sure that your garden is weed-free. In order to ensure that the garden you have likely put a lot of time and money into stays healthy and happy, you may want to look into trying weed membrane.
Not only will weed membrane keep the need for weeding down, but it will also help your plants by keeping moisture in the soil, which will help conserve water and keep your plants happy.