Hi I am very new to the site and not good at DIYs.
We have made a garden box with sleepers but not sure what flowers to plant.want somethng needs less attention and flowery most times.
Do I put weed mat first and garden soil on top?
Please help...
Hey ambily,
Welcome to the community.
IMHO, Soil, Weed mat, Flowers, Wood Chips, in that order.
I have a rose garden in the front on one side and a absolutely really productive strawberry area on the other side.
To prepare for it, I softened up the soil in each area, put down garden soil and mulch, THEN the weed-matting. After that I cut small holes in the weed mat, and put the roses in. Then I put wood chips around all of that I've never had an issue with weeds there, sure some try to get started, but I keep a look out, and top up the wood chips once a year. Normal feeding and pruning of the roses.
On the other side, I softened the soil, put the weed mat down then put pots of strawberries down, and spread woodchips. The strawberries grew so fast out of their post, I just let the runners take root along the wood chips and keep them watered. Now they say strawberries don't last a long time and you have to uproot them and start again. We are on our second year of strawberries, that have completely taken over that side, and I cannot see the weed mat, because it's so thick. We share the strawberries with the native birds. If they get there before we do, they win, so we have to get up early in the morning, and see how the ripening is going.
This year should be another bumper crop, though the leaves need a bit of a trimming and thinning out.
Hope that gives you an idea. I know others on the community will jump in with ideas.
Thank you.
Really confused as someone said to me to put weed mat first and then garden soil and plant.
No worries @ambily.
Perhaps @Noelle might like to share her vast experience with you to reassure you.
Let me also extend a very warm welcome to the Workshop community. We're really pleased to have you join us and I'm sure you're confidence will grow as you get helpful advice and encouragement from our wonderful members.
Jason
Thank you very much Walter and Noelle.. Good information in depth..
Hi Project Pete
Weed mat can be used in many different situations, including as a planter box liner or to keep weeds at bay in the garden.
If you are building a planter box, then the weed mat isn't used to control weeds but rather to line the box to stop potting mix or soil washing out, contamination from the soil beneath and to prevent any roots in the underlying soil growing up into the box.
In the garden, the aim of putting down weed mat is to supress weed growth completely. If you put soil on top of it, weeds can germinate and grow in that soil, defeating the whole purpose. Before laying weed mat, it is important to ensure the soil underneath it is weed-free. The mat is then laid on "clean" soil and forms a barrier preventing weed seeds and runners from taking root in the soil beneath.
Before weed mat, which is a breathable, permeable fabric that allows air and moisture essential for healthy plant growth to penetrate into the soil beneath, thick black polythene was used . It still is in some market garden situations - commercial strawberries for example to keep the fruits clean.
Weed mat, when laid correctly over garden beds, minimises weed growth - put soil on top of it and you might as well not bother putting the mat down at all!
Interesting and thanks for taking the time to explain it. I'll stick to woodworking and such 🙂
Hi Walter and the rest of the discussion contributors
Weeding an established rose garden 4m x 0.5 m
The information here is great but I wanted to clarify a few things. I have an established section of 4 roses in a 4m x 0.5m area. I plan to whipper snipper the grass and weeds down between the roses and then use a Tiller (Honda FG110) to loosen the soil and clear any grass or weeds.
My question is after I tiller do I use a garden rake to remove all visible grass and weeds?
From my research, some information says that the weeds/grass provides nutrients to the soil.
Now after the soil between the roses are cleared and I can put the weed mat down, do I then cut segments of the weed mat to fit in between each rose? Do I need to overlap or cut each weed mat on each side of the base of each rose?
I am wondering if the weed mat will be secured enough with the pine bark mulch on top.
Also is mulch and wood chip the same? I put wood chip or mulch in the search function and got the same page on the Bunnings website.
Hope you or someone else can confirm.
Hi @Jarrod,
Love the avatar photo! Nice work. Let me extend a very warm welcome to the Workshop community. We're really pleased to have you join us and trust you'll get loads and loads of helpful info, advice and inspo from our amazing members.
Let me tag the super knowledgeable @Noelle who might like to share her thoughts on weeding your established rose garden. Personally, I hate weeding so there is no way I would risk putting any weeds back into the garden to spread - there are other ways you can boost the soil so your roses bloom beautifully.
Thanks again for joining in the discussion. I'm looking forward to reading more about your projects and plans for around the house and garden.
Hi @Jarrod
Your weeding plan seems somewhat drastic and extreme for a 4m x 0.5m garden bed! While it may seem tedious, you will get a much better result by removing the weeds by hand. Whipper-snippering is not great around plants because there is always the risk of damaging the main stems/trunks of the roses; it also disperses any seed heads that may have developed on the weeds. Using a mechanical tiller is an even worse idea! As a horticulturist, I believe a tiller should only be used in the preparation of a garden bed, prior to planting, to break up the soil and turn it over. Using it among established rose bushes will almost certainly damage their roots.
My preference would be hand weeding or using a fork to assist in lifting out the weeds without damaging the roots or dispersing seeds, followed by an application of rose fertiliser (as per label instructions) and then 10cm deep layer of wood chip mulch (not compost mulch). The mulch will stifle weed growth and eventually decompose down to add organic material to the soil. It can be topped up every 6 months or so to maintain the depth.
I certainly would not be putting down weed mat - it can reduce aeration of the soil and moisture penetration, both of which are vitally important for the continued health and vigour of the roses. Once the area is weed-free, it is reasonably easy to keep it that way by hand pulling weeds every couple of weeks when you notice them and without letting them get out of hand again.
Thank you Noelle for your quick and detailed response. It was very useful information. Thank you to Jason for welcoming me and referring me to Noelle.
I actually did initially what you mentioned but with a hoe a couple of years ago. After hoeing I placed wet newspaper and then the wood chip mulch. Unfortunately, the weeds came through and it got out of hand. I will attempt to do exactly what you mentioned and see what happens. I think my mistake last time was that the depth of the wood chip mulch was not enough.
Thank you again 0)
Great, thanks for letting us know. It can be a constant battle against weeds in the garden @Jarrod but I'm sure that now you are armed with such fantastic advice from @Noelle that you will get much better results. Feel free to post anytime you need a hand with anything.
