Pam wrote:

spampot wrote:


Thanks, Pam, that's very interesting. Some of the lawn is dead,
but some of it is just covered up. When I do uncover spots
that have grass clumps, I do dig them out, so I figure I'm
making some progress toward removing everything I don't want
there. So...how is it that mulch will retard weeds when mulch
on top of landscaping cloth won't? Or did I misread what you said?


Not exactly....:-)) For mulch to be effective weed control, the worst weeds need
to be removed or at least lopped off at the roots. Then a good thick layer of
mulch (3 inches minimum) will prevent much else from growing through, with a few
notable exceptions like horsetail, bindweed and blackberries. Any weed seeds that
germinate on the mulch are easily removed. Landscape fabric applied with mulch
will work pretty much the same way, however the tough weeds (like those
mentioned) manage to grow through anyway and the fabric just makes it that much
harder to remove them. And many folks tend to just lay the fabric over the top of
existing weeds without removal - that IMO is just more work in the long run.

pam - gardengal


Thank you. That's very clear. I actually have more grass
than weeds under the tree, and the weeds are just chickweed
which are rather easy to pull up. I'm digging the grass
clumps out of the parts that I didn't manage to Roundup
before laying down the cloth and mulch, so I suppose
everything will work out fine in the end. Sure is a lot of
work, though; I'll spend $200 and hours putting stuff under
that tree, stand back, and it's hardly noticeable!