Tree planting

[DanVC]

Does anybody have experience of using terram weedguard? Planting season is on its way and I want to reduce the long term use of weed killers around trees. Any help appreciated.

[mdvaden]

Does anybody have experience of using terram weedguard? Planting season is on its way and I want to reduce the long term use of weed killers around trees. Any help appreciated.

 

Have not used that exact brand, but I don't use any fabrics for weed control.

 

A classic conversation was with a neighbor by the house we just moved from. I saw the wife putting fabric under decorative rock between sidewalk and street. I mentioned weeds would still grow. She pointed to her back yard and said it worked back there. I noted that she merely watched on single situation 100 ft. away and drew a conclusion. 3 weeks later, her husband is in the front yard and when I walked outside, he asks me "why are all these weeks and crabgrass growing in this fabric?

 

In a nutshell, if seeds will blow or fall on top of it, and there is ever rain or irrigation water, they will germinate and grow. Maybe a bit smaller, but they will still need weeding or herbicides.

 

I only use fabrics to separate decorative rock, etc., from pushing into soil right away. But almost never for weeds.

[matelot]

I've never used them. I've personally never really seen the point of weed control for tree planting. I dare say weed control improves growth rates in early years, but when you plant a tree with a 200 year life it doesn't make much real difference.

 

They must cost a fair bit in money and time? Have you factored in the cost of gathering them in 5 years time?

[Arctostaphylos uva-ursi]

I have used landscape fabric on planting schemes where the client has not wanted any use of chemicals and they have worked very well. The fabric holds off the weeds long enough until the plants become free growing. They do take time to install well but if it cuts down on weed control visits I think the time is well spent.

[aurelius wood]

Weeds will always crop up but in my experience, the advantage of this type of product is the weeds can be pulled out with ease because the roots cannot get to any depth so instead of snapping like they do in soil, they come out complete.

[farmer rod]

I have used landscape fabric on planting schemes where the client has not wanted any use of chemicals and they have worked very well. The fabric holds off the weeds long enough until the plants become free growing. They do take time to install well but if it cuts down on weed control visits I think the time is well spent.

 

We have planted our hedges through fabric and it does make the early management easier, but I am persuaded that all this plastic in the environment that eventually breaks down, is finding its way into our oceans fish and doing them no good.

 

Ive decided that in the future, I going with mechanical methods, backed up by a dab of weedkiller where necessary.

[mdvaden]

Weeds will always crop up but in my experience, the advantage of this type of product is the weeds can be pulled out with ease because the roots cannot get to any depth so instead of snapping like they do in soil, they come out complete.

 

In general, you are correct.

 

People who have used fabrics and then saw no weeds, tend to make assumptions. The same areas could also have had no fabric and seen no weeds, simply due to lack of weed seeds. The housewife I mentioned was a classic example. She installed, she saw no weeds, she assumed, she repeated an installation ... then she failed.

 

It's a simple fact of nature that if seeds blow on top and stay moist, they will germinated. Just as surely as seeds can germinate up in gutters where there is moisture at times.

 

Sometimes fabrics can hinder a few root systems existing underneath. But when it comes to hundreds of properties averaged, fabrics are not reliable.

 

Weed fabrics also prevent the option of manual weeding tools in conjunction with herbicides. Once fabric goes down, just like drip tube, it means a hoe or pick can't be driven into much of the area. Fabric is an obstacle to options.

Edited October 15, 2016 by mdvaden

[Marc]

Coming from a horticultural background and now working for a company that does a huge amount of tree planting each year mostly semi mature and hedge installation we do not use or advocate fabrics MDVaden puts the arguement well, we use mulch to help suppress weeds and retain moisture.