Aldeer.com Forums Alabama Deer Talk AL Garden and Farm Landscape Fabric/Plastic question

I have noticed several gardens that have a landscape fabric or a type of plastic laid down to keep the weeds from taking over the plantings. I want to know which of these you use and where did you get them. I am ready for my second planting and I want to do this to keep the weeds out. Does the plastic or fabric allow for water to reach the plantings roots? I have never done this before and I am tired of using a hoe every time I go to the garden.

TIA. B

The fabrics I've used allow moisture through, but block most, not all weeds. Better than without it.

One fella I've watched videos on ran irrigation under thick black plastic. Then heated a petal circle that melted a perfect hold for his seedlings. All the moisture kept under it. Just the plant above. No room for weeds at all.

If I had room for in ground planting, that's what I would do. Then cover the plastic with pine straw or pea gravel to help hold it down and give a surface to walk on without slipping.

But that's just me.

I have some landscape fabric under pine straw mulch around my blueberries and my muscadines. It definitely helps. I still get a few shoots of grass right by the stem of the blueberries from time to time but usually pretty easy to just grab it and it comes right out.

The muscadines, it’s not hard to spray glyphosate under them to keep the grass back. But the blueberries are another story. They’re still low to the ground and any drift at all might kill them. The rectangular beds of pine straw, fabric, and brick around them are fine but the grass grows like crazy around the beds so I’m probably going to get some clethodim to spray about a 1’ barrier around the beds for easy mowing. Apparently it kills grass and grassy weeds but doesn’t harm any sort of broadleaf crop including the blueberries or the muscadines or even the peppers or most other crops you could grow.

Wolf dog-Be careful on the fly with grapevines. The roots are close to the surface and gly can kill them. Had a friend that sprayed his and he don’t have any grapevines anymore!

Back to the plastic cover………..

Bought mine from vevor. Im pleased with the way it keeps weeds out

Look at lazy garden ground cover at hoss tools for a small garden. Farmers freind has bigger rolls of the mesh, and jonnys seed carries plastic. You need something to lay plasic though.

Berryhill irrigation had the cheapest price on woven ground cover and plastic mulch the last time I bought a large quantity. As BC said, plastic mulch is much easier to lay if you have a mulch layer. I’m currently searching for a decent used one. Most people that have them won’t turn loose of them. I found one local but it’s only a 36”. I’m wanting a 48-60”. Also in the market for a water wheel transplanter.

If you run across on up my way, you dont want to come get, let me know. Im looking for one for my tractor. I have the one that goes on my grillo, works great for aboit an acre too an acre and a half.

I get 1000’ x24” rolls of craft paper for around $35 from U-Line and put a little wheat straw on top then till it in end of season.

I started using this, this year. Will get more next year

https://www.farmersfriend.com/p/quick-plant-fabric?Pattern=1+x+18&Width=4-ft&Length=12-ft

I am going to try that, this upcoming plating season

That looks like the best thing since sliced bread. I will be ordering a roll before I plant again.

I have a legit question about it. Thought of it this morning as I was prepping my fertilizer for my garden. Everything I have is in grow bags or raised beds.

So I don't really need this stuff. We use some in the front flower bed. I know water gets through and we don't fertilize the shrubs.

So, how do you fertilize a garden with vapor barrier like that? I'm going to use granulated fertilizer in a bit. I made a little device that lets me work it into the soil.

I wouldn't be able to do that easily with any vapor barrier installed. Would you just have to settle on spraying liquid fertilizer instead?

As soon as my stuff popped up through holes i grab some fertilizer in my hand and throw it at the hole

I apply a granular fertilizer before putting the fabric down, then use a liquid fertilizer at the base of the plant followed by watering. Farmer's secret fertilizer has done excellent for our plants. It was our first year using it. The bloom booster from them definitely increased the number of vegetables per plant and it mixes at a cap full per 2 gallons of water.

Next year I plan on putting an injector right before the sprinklers to put out the bloom booster.

I apply fertilizer through my drip irrigation

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Vigoro-...ier-Landscape-Fabric-NMV04100B/314273724

I used that kind. It’s done a great job keeping grass/weeds out so far but it’s breathable and allows water to pass through. So if you have some sort of mulch (I have pine straw) the pine straw holds the fertilizer until it dissolves down to the dirt.

Can’t speak to how many seasons it will last. I put squares of it around each plant this spring.