The trouble with weed mat and what to do about it.

Nathan and Lucie from

Weed mat is used extensively as a weed suppressor in gardening and landscaping and is often covered with a load of gravel, bark chips or compost mulch.

Gardeners who don't know any better alternative, (me included at one stage) will spend a lot of money on weed mat - fabric or polythene, pegs, and a chiropractor after folding and laying it! Then, on goes the mulch or the gravel or bark chips and there you go - no weeds, ever!

This, unfortunately is not the case, using weed mat is ineffective in landscaping . It will end up causing you extra work and is harmful to the health of your garden and our environment as a whole.
WHY?
Weed mat is a temporary fix at best. The roots of the trees will push it up and allow light to penetrate it, thus allowing weeds to thrive. Bulbs, general growth of plants and harsh weather will have your smooth, uninterrupted level bed looking like a toddler's bed in the morning.


Weed mat will only work for a short amount of time until enough dust and dirt has accumulated and enough of your ground cover has broken down over the weed mat. Then it is the perfect environment for weeds to start germinating above the weed mat.

Their roots will grow into the fabric making them hard to remove and providing a perfect environment for weed seeds. The moisture that your soil needs to retain over the seasons is run off from the weedmat and not going to the correct plant, it is also watering the weeds.


After laying your weed mat and covering it with your chosen cover, you are creating and impermeable barrier to your soil. This destroys your soil as it is physically separated from any organic matter or nutrients that would normally break down over time, into the soil and increase the amount of microorganisms and nutrients need to provide healthy nutrient rich soil.
The Mulch that is placed on top of the weed mat needs to come into contact with the soil. It is a waste of time putting a layer down and then mulching on top of that. Your soil becomes sour and no worms will want to live in such an inhospitable environment.


The overall health of your soil will decline, get more compacted and lose nutrients. It will not hold water well and as a result your whole garden environment, including your plants, will suffer.
WHAT IS THE ALTERNATIVE?

If you want your plants to thrive and your soil to become nutrient rich and feed your plants, you need to apply at least 10 cm of compost mulch to your garden- letting the tree roots breathe and not putting it right up to a tree. Mulch does a fantastic job of suppressing weeds and feeding your soil so if your ph and nutrients are right- you should have a lot less weeds to pull. It can be applied in any season as it provides shelter and warmth in the winter, while rotting down to give you a lovely spring garden, prepares the soil in Autumn for the winter, Is nice for putting down in the spring for a fresh look and essential in the summer for moisture retention and burning.


So if you need to mulch with premium compost mulch, the best people to see are Masterton Mulch who provide weed free, organic, compost mulch which is lovely. There are two blends, one is very aromatic and is good for an average size garden and a commercial mulch which is a lot darker in colour and a heavier grade.

Call us today for your compost mulch and put your garden to bed until spring!



www.mastertonmulch.co.nz...

Negotiable