How to Lay a Weed Barrier
Weeds are a hassle for every gardener. Today's options for weed control have made the problem easier to solve than ever before. One of the more popular choices available is a cloth or fabric weed barrier that can be unrolled, much like a rug, and cut to either allow for new plantings or to fit closely around the base of growing plants. The weed barrier acts as a gas- and water-permeable lining to protect the delicate roots of the growing plants from invasive weed species. Garden beds prepared this way often yield plants that are stronger and larger than those cultivated by traditional means. Does this Spark an idea?
Things You'll Need
- Gardening gloves
- Garden rake
- Organic garden compost
- Fertilizer (optional)
- UV-coated polypropylene-based weed barrier fabric
- Scissors
- Plastic landscaping spikes or stakes
- Shovel
- Planting soil mix
- Utility knife
- Plants
- Mulch (such as cedar chips or pine straw, etc.)
Instructions
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1
Put on your gardening gloves to protect your hands before you begin. Rake the area where the garden bed will be placed to remove rocks, sticks and other obstructions.
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2
Use a rake to mix in organic compost with the soil in the garden bed. Sprinkle or pour an even layer of compost over the area and use a back and forth "combing" motion to mix the top 2 to 3 inches of soil and the compost together. If you're using fertilizer, mixed it in.
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3
Unroll the barrier fabric, cut or trim it to fit, and drive landscaping spikes or stakes into the ground through the fabric every 5 inches along the perimeter. If the planting area is wider than the width of the fabric, cut more than one piece that measures the correct length. Place the pieces of fabric over the soil next to each other, overlapping the edges by about 7 inches until the surface of the soil is covered.
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4
Shovel a 1.5-inch deep layer of potting soil mix over the surface of the weed barrier fabric. Spread the potting soil evenly over the fabric using the rake. Decide how you will arrange your new plants.
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5
Select the first plant for your garden bed. Use gloved hands to reach beneath the soil to expose a portion of the barrier that is at least 2 inches wider than the root ball of the plant. Cut a cross or an "X" directly into the fabric with your utility knife, remove the fabric barrier, and plant the root ball of the plant into the soil.
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6
Return the soil that was removed from beneath the fabric and press it around the root ball of the plant. Cover the area again with the potting soil/compost mixture. Repeat for each plant to be placed in the garden area.
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7
Water your plants according to their care requirements and spread a 1-3/4-inch layer of mulch over the surface of the garden around the base of the plants.
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References
Resources
- Photo Credit weed image by Antonio Oquias from Fotolia.com
