Weed control fabric, also known as landscape fabric or ground cover membrane is a chemical free solution for controlling weed growth in gardens, paths, driveways and allotments. It is a permeable fabric, which allows air, water and nutrients to pass through it but is designed to block out the sun to reduce photosynthesis and stop weed growth.
When choosing a weed control fabric, go for the widest available for the area you need to cover, as the wider the fabric the less joins/overlaps you will need. Also, if you want it to last more than a couple of years then buy one that is UV stabilised which will help protect it against the sun’s rays and increase its longevity.
Prior to installing weed control fabric you need to weed the area concerned and then rake it flat to disperse all the dips and bumps in the ground. At the same time remove extraneous objects; especially sharp objects that may puncture the membrane. Also prior to installation you need to ensure you have the required number of weed control fixing pegs for the job in hand. These pegs are either plastic for very soft to medium soft ground and metal pegs for hard or stony ground. As a guide, you would use 1 peg per linear metre around the perimeter of the area covered and along all overlaps if you are laying more than one row of fabric.
Before unrolling the fabric on the prepared ground, it’s best to first pin down one side of the fabric with the weed fabric pegs (especially on a windy day) and then spread the rest of the fabric over the area concerned, pinning the pegs through the fabric at one metre intervals as you go. When laying more than one row of fabric, you lay the first row as described above but do not put pegs in the side that is going to be overlapped by the second row. You then lay the second row ensuring you overlap the first row by 20cm and then put pegs through both layers of the fabric at one metre intervals on the joined side. If you are laying more rows then you continue in the same vain ensuring you peg down the final perimeter edge.
Once you have laid and anchored the weed control fabric in position you can then concentrate on planting out whatever trees, shrubs, or plants you require in the area concerned. To do this you simply cut a small “x” through the weed control fabric at the position you wish to plant. Cut small to start with as you can always increase the size as you go if you need a wider opening. Then peel back the fabric, dig the required hole, place plant in hole, refill with earth and then push back the fabric.
Finally, you may have to cover the weed fabric with some type of mulch. If you are using the woven heavy duty weed control fabric then a covering is not essential but may be preferred for aesthetic reasons. If you are using the non-woven landscape fabric then it is essential to cover this with at least 8cm – 10cm of bark, mulch or stones to provide added protection for the effects of sunlight on the fabric.
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