weed-suppressant fabric + woodchip or woochip alone?

[Baldy]

Need to mulch the borders in the garden - I'm of a mind to use weed suppressant and then layer some woodchip on top for a bit of aesthetic improvement. Suppressant fabric is how I do it at the plot and it generally works well.

Mrs Balders has read 'somewhere' that it would be better to use woodchip alone. I can't figure out any scenario where this would be the case, but she is adamant.

Any comments? I know I'll end up just using woodchip - unless I can point to a random posting on a gardening forum where the mass consensus of opinion from experts 'in their field' support my position on the matter

[Small pumpkin]

Sorry old chap but I'm with the misses
If you're clever which I know you are . You shouldn't need either in the boarders. Just cram it full of pretty plants and lots of ground covering plants. Then neither of you will of won the "debate ", and happily married life can resume .

[Scarlet]

^^^ what she says!!

When you put wood chip on top of weed stuff ( not only is it ugly - fine for the plot) the chips needs removing at the beginning of spring, composting and starting with fresh stuff.....or the weeds will just start seeding in the wood chips.

I'm with your Mrs. Sorry women do know best

[Baldy]

hrmmph...

[roitelet]

I’m with the wood chip and no membrane too.

[veggiechicken]

...........and me. Definitely not membrane in the garden.

Mrs Baldy is right - as always.

[Baldy]

Drat !, Double Drat ! & Triple Drat !

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RXKJolS9Atg

[Greenleaves]

As a fellow bloke, and of course looking at this logically.......I am with the girls

[SarrissUK]

I don't use weed membrane... so you can guess what I'm gonna say lol

[rary]

Strongly disagree with Scarlet,but she is right about the membrane try paper or cardboard below the woodchip

[Scarlet]

Strongly disagree with Scarlet,but she is right about the membrane try paper or cardboard below the woodchip

I do use newspapers under my wood chip or grass clippings

I've also used weed membrane on my new hedge and I have it around my black currant bushes to, but if I don't replace the wood chips with new - removing the old "composted" wood chips the nettles seed in it beautifully. It doesn't look pretty. It's useful.

But my garden flower borders/ beds are planted heavily. I try to smoother out the weeds by growing close together. When things get too big I chop them in half to make another plant.



I think seeing weed membrane poking out would be horrible. Something similar to using artificial grass cos you can't be bothered to get the lawnmower out.

[rary]

I do use newspapers under my wood chip But my garden flower borders/ beds are planted heavily. I try to smoother out the weeds by growing close
I think seeing weed membrane poking out would be horrible. Something similar to using artificial grass cos you can't be bothered to get the lawnmower out.

Yes Scarlet I do agree with you, it is not very nice to see membrane showing around the garden, and I do like your garden looks very interesting with all the different shapes and colours, I take it a man set it out for you

And I am thinking of using artificial grass in a section of the garden rather than just using gravel, and I have my wife's permission to do that if I want

[mothhawk]

There is enough black plastic despoiling our beautiful planet already - why would you want to add to it?

[Baldy]

There is enough black plastic despoiling our beautiful planet already - why would you want to add to it?

Hmm. Nice comment.
Keeps weeds down... Pretty obviously.

Who said add?
It's stuff I've already got, I 'curated it' for about 3 years so far. Some of it was collected from people who were going to bin it or burn it.

[Jay-ell]

I'm with the no membrane group. I'm gradually digging out the weed membrane that was used to line the beds on in the New Territories as the weeds have their roots embedded in it and use it to wick water and out compete the plants.

I'm also digging out the black plastic that was used on the paths - organic matter fell on top, broke down and not theres a couple of inches of soil ontop of some of the plastic.

I would go with the newspaper/cardboard and woodchip route - the cardboard/newspaper should hold back the weeds long enough and as the woodchip breaks down you don't have to dig it out, just top it up.