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.

Gravel mulch / weeds

kirstyjones17kirstyjones17 Posts: 22
in Problem solving
Hi,  I am thinking about using gravel on my flowerbeds and would like a little advice.

Earlier this year I made a bed and used weed membrane and bark and it was a mistake for me, I live in Cornwall in the country and it is damp and warm.  So no weeds, but masses of mushrooms and lots of fungal problems on those plants (bot not on the other areas I haven't yet mulched), plus I now have an earwig infestation in that area, eating all my flowers and a huge amount of slugs all hiding in the bark/  earwig traps don't work, either there are too may or they enjoy the bark so much they don't need the traps.

Anyway, my other beds are less infested with pests, but are weedy and so I am thinking of using gravel.  I have used some on a small flower bed and have only pulled out a few weeds so it is definitely much better than the beds with nothing on, which is almost daily, but I am not sure if a particular size or type of gravel will be best to work with?


«1

Posts

  • amancalledgeorgeamancalledgeorge Posts: 2,736
    I really don't get why anyone would spend serious amounts of money on gravel only to have a garden that's really difficult to look after. Gravel is fine for paths but on a flower bed you want access to the soil to feed plants. If that was my garden I'd take out the membrane and mulch everywhere this winter with soil improver/manure. It will feed the soil and organisms and also suppress some weeds. And then it should be easy enough to hand pull when anything seeds itself and use a hoe to kill any smaller ones. 
    To Plant a Garden is to Believe in Tomorrow
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    I'm going to slightly disagree with @amancalledgeorge ;)
    If the border has lots of young plants which are still to mature and spread, gravel helps to keep weeds at bay to a reasonable extent, and avoids having to poke about and possibly damage roots. It also looks very smart. The drawback is that you often need to use a liquid feed in spring rather than one like B,F&Bone. 
    I used pea gravel for that type of effect, although if you have large gaps and cats....bad idea. It becomes a large litter tray. Use a chunkier gravel if that's the case.

    Having said that, I prefer an organic covering too, despite copious amounts of molluscs, but I also avoid lots of plants which are susceptible, to make it easier, and to avoid using chemicals or spending hours picking off and dispatching them  :)

    I don't use a membrane though - a thick mulch is better without, and is then beneficial for soil improvement as it breaks down  :)
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • amancalledgeorgeamancalledgeorge Posts: 2,736
    About time we disagreed @Fairygirl :)
    To Plant a Garden is to Believe in Tomorrow
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    amancalledgeorge said:
    About time we disagreed @Fairygirl :)
    'Come and have a go if you think you're hard enough'.... :D
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • edhelkaedhelka Posts: 2,351
    I am not a fan of weed membrane. With an organic mulch, it beats the point of an organic mulch. The mulch decomposes but doesn't benefit the soil. With a stone mulch, it leads to a completely dead soil that can't breathe. Stones without the membrane get into the soil which could be tolerated or not, depending on your type of soil.
    I use bark mulch without the weed membrane. I haven't encountered any of the mentioned problems. My problem is birds spreading it around, they like to dig in it for goodies and can make it very messy.
    Compost or manure mulch doesn't really work for more than a month or two but makes weeding easier.
  • nick615nick615 Posts: 1,487
    edhelka  I'm going to mildly challenge what you say about manure mulch because it depends HOW you apply it.  Crops that remain in the soil until required for the kitchen tend to disappear in a sea of weeds.  I had a goodly crop of parsnips that started to suffer that way, and I also had a good stack of fresh farmyard, so I applied it liberally amongst my parsnips (foliage about 6 inches high) to a depth of about 3 inches and trod it down well.  That plot was still weed free when I lifted the last of the parsnips, so compact the manure down and it'll stifle weeds?
  • K67K67 Posts: 2,506
    There is a product called Strulch, its lightweight but doesnt blow about, supposed to deter slugs and snails and last for 3 years.
    It didn't last on my garden but that's because I had to move a few plants. Only drawback it did cling to the dog so you could follow a trail through the house.

  • edhelkaedhelka Posts: 2,351
    @nick615 I was talking about perennial flowers beds (or shrub beds) mulched once per year in late winter/early spring. And composted manure, not fresh. Which I would assume is the normal garden situation. Annual weeds start to grow quickly in compost/manure. Perennial weeds aren't stopped by it. On the other hand, bark mulch prevents germination of a vast majority of annual seeds and stops smaller perennial weeds.
  • nick615nick615 Posts: 1,487
    OK, thanks.  Your call.
  • kirstyjones17kirstyjones17 Posts: 22
    Thanks for all the advice guys, I obviously still have some considerations to take into account before making a choice.  Perhaps I shall practice a few things on some smaller beds and see what seems best here. 
Sign In or Register to comment.