plastic or weed suppressant fabric?

scarepanda · 09-06-2016 08:15PM #1

Hi all,

We're doing some work in the garden at the moment. I plan on moving the veg beds and putting a gravel pathway around them in their new location. I also intend on making one area primarily gravel so that we don't have any small bits of lawn to cut. This area will be sort of a 'back' area of the garden.
I'm wondering if id be better off using heavy duty plastic or a weed suppressant fabric down prior to the gravel?

_Brian · 09-06-2016 09:14PM

The only thing I've seen is that with the plastic the rain runs off immediately. If the slope is somewhere water doesn't gather then it won't matter. But I've seen instances where the water is collected by the plastic and deposited into a low spot in a lawn flooding it every time there is heavy rain. The weed membranes let the water down through.

DX85 · 09-06-2016 11:15PM

This post has been deleted.

DANNY2014 · 10-06-2016 07:48AM

Weed barrier fabric will do the job but you will still have maintenance as last poster says weeds will grow on top of the gravel. http://www.thegardenshop.ie/weed-control-fabric/ this is decent enough value IMO for weed fabric gonna be putting a bed in soon and will use this.

scarepanda · 10-06-2016 10:47AM

Thanks guys! Not worried about the weeds, for me that's just normal maintenance. Want to put down the gravel so that we've less crappy bits of lawn to be cutting/strimming.

It's drainage mainly i was worried about regarding which works better, and then obviously cost. I must measure up exactly how much area I'd have to cover.

LaChatteGitane · 10-06-2016 11:14AM

Cardboard ! It's what I use everywhere.:D

_Brian · 10-06-2016 01:15PM

scarepanda wrote: »

Thanks guys! Not worried about the weeds, for me that's just normal maintenance. Want to put down the gravel so that we've less crappy bits of lawn to be cutting/strimming.

It's drainage mainly i was worried about regarding which works better, and then obviously cost. I must measure up exactly how much area I'd have to cover.

The thing to remember about putting down gravel is that you just cant turn your back on it..

I run over ours in the spring and pull any larger weeds by hand and rake off leaves as there are large trees overhanging, then again when growth has started with roundup being careful to avoid shrubs and flowers..

plastic or weed suppressant fabric?

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