Can You Put Mulch Over Weed Mat

Even advocates of weed barrier cloth admit it has limitations especially when you add inches of mulch on top for a natural look.

Can you put mulch over weed mat. It is both decorative and beneficial to plants and soil. Mulch is any material laid over the surface of the soil to retain moisture suppress weeds regulate temperature and prevent erosion. If you have not yet planted your plants do not do so until after laying the weed mat. The shredded hardwood alone will block the weeds.

Bare soil exposed to harsh sunlight means plant roots suffer. Uses for weed control fabric. In addition to deterioration the breakdown of mulch plant debris and other materials that blow into landscape beds can form a layer of compost on top of the weed. Torn bits and wrinkles of degraded landscape fabric can make even a newly mulched bed look shabby.

While a mulch layer can be placed directly over unwanted grass or weeds it is not the most effective method of killing existing weeds or controlling new ones. Same situation as with mulch. Now the plastic weed barrier stops the decaying mulch from entering the soil. With stone it usually takes a little longer but it will happen.

Organic mulch will eventually decompose and soil and decaying plant material will collect on top the fabric beneath the mulch layer. Weeds can germinate in this thin layer of soil and compost. Weed control fabric is also great as a cover in the garden if you do not use mulch. Weeds seeds often get trapped in the surface material and sprout above the barrier cloth thereby defeating the cloth s main purpose.

Clear the garden area of debris and mulch. Eventually dust and dirt will find their way between the stones and along come the weeds. Leave plants in place. Places where dust and dirt will not find their way between the weed barrier and the surface so weeds can not grow.

Weed control fabric can be used under walking paths and decks. You check your mulched beds every few days and pull out the few weeds that make it pull seven weeds a day in spring and early summer keep up. Okay lots of great comments on this topic and some questions. Pull as many weeds as possible.

Cover the garden bed in the fall so weeds do not. Mulching is layering organic or inorganic material around plants or over grass and weeds.