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Black weed suppression plastic

jamesholtjamesholt Posts: 593
in Problem solving
I am confused!  Should I use black plastic or or not.  I watch gardners world.   Adam frost is using it in his garden but  I see it really despised by others?  Yes or no
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Posts

  • FireFire Posts: 19,096
    edited January 2021
    I think it's brilliant stuff. Lots of people on this forum don't like it and say it doesn't work well. It's a charm in my garden. My garden isn't big and I only use it over certain areas. It stops weeds getting deeply rooted, so much easier to take out. It limits invasive plants coming through from next door, like bind weed and brambles. I inherited some in the garden ten years ago, under gravel, and it's pretty much as new.
  • PosyPosy Posts: 3,601
    If you can keep it hidden and in one piece it's alright but if you look at public places and other people's gardens you will observe that it almost always resurfaces and shreds and looks awful. In my garden badgers, foxes and cats are forever digging and exploring, sometimes rabbits, too. It wouldn't last five minutes.
  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,147
    It doesn’t prevent weed seeds taking root in whatever is covering the plastic ... and then it’s impossible to use a hoe to remove them so it’s a hands and knees job. Not for me. Don’t like it. 

    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





  • Hostafan1Hostafan1 Posts: 34,889
    If you plant your garden then never add / remove anything it's fine. But if you want to , eg, pop bulbs in afterwards, it's a faff and it stops worms doing their job .
    Devon.
  • KeenOnGreenKeenOnGreen Posts: 1,831
    We find it's perfect for paths and areas with no planting, although I assume you mean membrane (which is permeable) and not black plastic (which is not).  Yes, weeds grow in the bark chips/gravel that we have on top of the membrane, but not nearly as many as there would be if we had no membrane.  We fold over the edges of the membrane, and pin it with metal clips, as otherwise the edges do fray.  

    We wouldn't use it in areas where there are plants.  It is too much of a faff to cut holes in it for the planting holes.  We mulch with manure or bark chips, and hand weed in such areas.
  • Busy-LizzieBusy-Lizzie Posts: 24,043
    I used it in a shrub bed, covered with bark chips, worked well, was a permanent bed, and also in the vegetable garden. But not black plastic, it was a permeable weed suppressant fabric.
    Dordogne and Norfolk. Clay in Dordogne, sandy in Norfolk.
  • jamesholtjamesholt Posts: 593
    Thank you for the advice lots to think about.  Sounds like a good tool in certain situations
  • Hostafan1Hostafan1 Posts: 34,889
    weed membrane is usually made from  polypropylene, so it's still  plastic , which most of us are trying to avoid when we can.
    Devon.
  • nick615nick615 Posts: 1,487
    The main hurdle I found when first using membrane was that it's woven, which means any cutting or hole punching results in fraying.  Confusing by its name, 'builders' membrane' is simply sheet plastic that's excellent for suppressing weeds for a time, e.g. over winter.  For making holes in, as attached, roofing felt will suppress weeds whilst allowing things like seedlings and onion sets to grow in the holes until they're mature enough to lift it off and leave them to grow on.
  • SkandiSkandi Posts: 1,723
    @nick615 Yes never CUT weed fabric, always melt it. If you do cut it then go back and melt the edges, but it's much easier to melt it with a hot knife as you cut or in my case a bent gutter hanger, once it's melted it doesn't fray. Unless something decides to chew through it which does happen.
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