22-10-2003, 02:23 PM
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Cement guard against weeds
(Jim Butts) wrote in message . com...
First off, I was wrong about the mulch. I did not put mulch on top of
the weed barrier.
And some replies to comments...
I'd suggest moving that plant. Sounds like it's in the way.
Why would I want a garden with no plants?
I think if you ... lay down landscape fabric, ...you will be fine
for 5-10 years.
I have probably misused weed barriers in several situations by
replacing a small amount of dirt on top. I find that grass has no
problem forcing its way through the barrier. Perhaps if I bought a
lot and put down 12 layers of the stuff, it might work for 5-10 years.
Cement is a poor choice for a variety of reasons.
The area is only about 3-4 feet across. Why would cement under the
rocks keep water from draining considering the small area of the
quarter circle? And I do not have plans to put more plants in such a
small area nor do I plan on increasing the size of the garden.
Water can't drain through concrete. The point is, even if it's only 4
feet wide, the concrete needs to be pitched to take the water
somewhere where it can drain. For example, a typical situation would
be to have a sidewalk which is several inchs higher on one side of a
bed and the house foundation on the other. Concrete this over and you
need to figure out where the water is going to flow and how it should
be pitched. If there is a downspout nearby, it only gets worse. You
can easily wind up with a small pond pooling water up against the
foundation where it will cause problems, particularly through
freeze/thaw cycles.
And to top it all off, eventually, organic material is going to make
it's way through those rocks and wind up on top of the concrete.
Small dirt particles blow in with the wind, small leaves decay, etc.
When enough accumulates, you're back to having at least some weeds
grow anyway.
Finally, the garden is right next to a sidewalk and children have a
habit of picking up a rock from the garden. I do not plan on chasing
down the parents of every child that does this and accept the fact
that they are just being children. It does make me hesitate spraying
poisons on the rockbed.
I suppose early next spring I could try the weed barrier again. This
time I would put down multiple layers and nothing on top but rocks. I
would still have problems around the rim of the garden which would
require chemicals to kill encroaching grass.
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