Weed help!

s_carnage

Have two large areas with shrubs and only a thin layer of stones in parts over the plastic coating which was probably laid over 15 years ago. There is a good bit of soil also in parts between the plastic sheeting and stones and it leads to a good bit of weed growth. There is also plenty of weed growth in areas without any soil present. There are also some weeds which have grown through the plastic sheeting.

Just wondering what the best course of action would be to limit weed growth as much as possible. I do feel it would be a big job to lay down new plastic sheeting and I know I need to get new stones as it is very bare in parts. Would laying a thicker amount of stones be enough to stop the weeds growing as much as possible? Would I also need to try and remove the soil that has formed over the years on top of the plastic sheeting.

Very new to gardening so any suggestions would be welcome!! 

blackbox

Over a few years, debris that lands in the gravel will become compost in which weeds will grow. Also, the plastic membrane will probably get weak and allow weeds to grow through.

There's no easy answer. Lifting and cleaning the gravel section by section might work if the membrane is in fairly good condition.

s_carnage

blackbox wrote: »

Over a few years, debris that lands in the gravel will become compost in which weeds will grow. Also, the plastic membrane will probably get weak and allow weeds to grow through.

There's no easy answer. Lifting and cleaning the gravel section by section might work if the membrane is in fairly good condition.

Might be the best way forward I suppose. From looking in spots the plastic seems to be in good enough condition bar a few small holes where weeds got through. Would something like elephant tape be any good to fix small holes that have appeared?

Could clean it out as much as possible before putting down new stones.

looksee

Once you have lifted membrane to see the absolutely solid mass of convolvulus roots happily thriving below it and the convolvulus innocently popping out at the edges of the membrane and through any tiny crack you realise that membrane is actually a liability. You cannot see the top growth, except round the edges, but the root system is quietly robbing your plants under the membrane.

My solution is to not use membrane on beds but put down a thick layer of mulch - wood chip or stones. Woodchip eventually rots in and has to be topped up. Stones/pebbles/gravel tend to work down into the soil and are a bit of a liability if you want to change the arrangement. Either way you will reduce weeds by about two thirds. You will still have to weed but not as totally, and the weeds tend to pull up more easily. Its more about pulling individual weeds than digging the area - which is not good for the shrubs anyway.

There is no final solution for weeds, other than maybe concrete, so its best to accept that there will be some weeding, just a good deal less than if you had bare earth!