Weed barriers are a constant nightmare for gardeners because the longer they are down the more chance of weeds poking through. Yes, all weed barriers will fail at some point, maybe one year, two but weeds are going to take hold and sprout through the cloth, fabric or plastic sheeting!
We have tried many varieties of weed barriers from plastic, fabric and other types of breathable cloth barriers! Depending on what type of weed barrier you want to use depends on the ground you are covering! Reducing light is a must, if a sprout gets enough light then it will grow towards that light, which is normally around your veg or towards the edges of the weed barrier.
If you are using it for vegetable patches, then you can roll it up and the end of the summer, unless you are growing winter veg! In this article, we are going to share our recommended products and give our readers some tips from the experience we have gained over the years!
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Plastic Weed Barriers
A thick, durable plastic sheeting tends to be one of the best weed barriers because it lets in very minimal light. Although this stuff is not suitable for the environment and will take many years to disintegrate! It blocks any sunlight from reaching the soil below and keeps weeds under control by starving them of UV rays!
- Bad for the environment
- Last around two to three years before weeds start to show
- Cheap and effective!
Cloth Or Fabric Weed Barriers
Cloth and fabric weed barriers are suitable for a few months; Our advice would be to use this on vegetable patches and remove/replace them when your veg has been harvested.
This advice also applies to flowers, pebbles and stones! Controlling weeds is a never-ending chore, so do NOT depend on weed barriers alone because they will always fail a few months or years down the road.
- Good for the environment
- last about 6/12 months before weeds appear
- More expensive than plastic sheeting
Most Common Use Of Weed Barriers
Pebble, shingle or bark chippings: If you are using a weed barrier for stones, pebbles or shingle then we would advise you to use plastic sheeting. This is because it lasts the longest and will not allow weeds to creep through its strong material and flexible material.
Pin the corners and make sure you have doubled up so it lasts that little longer. Another solution would be to concrete the ground and then lay the plastic sheeting over the 1/2 inches of concrete, which will make your project last many years!
Vegetable patches & flower beds: For veggie patches and flower beds, we would advise you to lay a fabric or cloth weed barrier because it is easier to remove and store indoors for the winter months.
In the spring, layout your weed barrier and mark/cut your holes for veggies or pants and you will be weed-free for many months.
After you have grown your veg remove the sheeting and store until next year. If your plants are perennials then be sure to keep a close eye on holes and deterioration of the fabric/cloth!
The Best Weed Barriers
Listed below are the best weed barriers for pebbles, vegetables and flower beds. What makes a sound weed barrier is a tightly woven polypropylene, if you use a looser woven sheeting, then there is more chance of weeds growing!
Never add mulch or soil above the weed barrier, because seeds will find their way to you and germinate in only a few millimetres of soil or mulch!
The Wezaggle Team!
Yuzet Heavy Duty Weed Barrier
The Uzet brand claims the top spot because it provides a thick membrane @100gsm woven polypropylene. It allows nutrients and water to soak through so you are not faced with puddles and accumulations of surface water. Yuzet is suitable for driveways, paths, flower beds and shingles.
GroundMaster Weed Barrier
Coming in at second place is the GroundMaster polypropylene sheeting, its hard-wearing and suitable for any project from under decking to shingle/stone driveways. What we like about the GroundMaster is the simple to use lines for planting and
Becko Weed Barrier
The Becko Weed barrier is our third choice in the list because its easy to lay and effective. You can use this stuff on driveways, flower/vegetable patches, paths and shingled areas.
If you are going to ONLY use a weed barrier in the spring and summer months, then the Becko brand is excellent for this because it’s easy to cut and does not tear so that you can re-use this product with ease!
The Conclusion!
Like all weed barriers, you are going to have to keep an eye on it. If you are going for shingles, pebbles or bark ETC, you will want to use a heavy industrial plastic sheeting.
For all other tasks such as flowers, pots and shrubs, the options above will guarantee results! Do you have any ideas or tips to share with other readers? If so, then we want to hear about them, just use our contact form and we will be happy to share any new ideas you might have!