Forum home› Problem solving
This Forum will close on Wednesday 27 March, 2024. Please refer to the announcement on the Discussions page for further detail.

Porous weed-suppressant membrane

DianaWDianaW Posts: 62
in Problem solving

I need to line the outer side and bottom of a deep trench alongside the house wall (which is helping the damp wall and subfloor to breathe and eventually dry out) with a porous membrane. The plan is to prevent weeds from growing among the stones with which the trench is to be backfilled and (by also turning it under the top layer of pebbles) to limit the amount of leaf mould that will otherwise silt up the drainage trench.

Can anyone suggest what, in their experience, would be the right weed control fabric to use for this job (or warn me against anything they've found to be NDG)? I really want something that's environmentally friendly and/or made from recycled materials.

Posts

  • LynLyn Posts: 23,190

    There’s no point in buying something environmentally friendly or it will bio degrade in a  year or two.

    ive used this one, under a gravel drive and around my patio edge where there are stone chippings for drainage.

    https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2m-wide-100gsm-weed-control-fabric-ground-cover-membrane-landscape-mulch-garden-/141973641117?_trksid=p2349526.m2548.l4275

    Gardening on the wild, windy west side of Dartmoor. 

  • DianaWDianaW Posts: 62

    Thanks!

    I wasn't expecting to use anything overtly biodegradable, although - unlike a drive or patio edge - this trench won't have any footfall on it which could make the membrane prone to disintegrate faster.

    If it has to be some kind of plastic material, I did hope to find that this might be one of those products made of recycled plastic - but it seems hard to find that out.

  • LynLyn Posts: 23,190

    Plastics will always be with us, it’s a by product from the oil, better to make something useful from it than just dumping it somewhere. 

    Mine is showing no sign of disintegrating so far, it’s been down under the chipping on the drive for about five, maybe six years now, and has a small lorry driving over it twice a day, 

    Gardening on the wild, windy west side of Dartmoor. 

  • DianaWDianaW Posts: 62

    Better not to get into an argument over the necessity - or otherwise - of using plastic materials, especially new plastic, I think.

    Thanks for your time.

Sign In or Register to comment.