Liner for landscape boxes
Dawn
and filling them with mulch. I don't want to purchase the expensive ground
liners from the garden store that are put on the ground prior to adding the
mulch, but was contemplating using shower curtains that I can purchase from
the local dollar store for $1.00 per curtain.
Just wondering if this would be okay. Certainly would save me a bundle of
money.
thanks,
Dawn
*e-mail is fake to avoid spam
<<< My mind not only wanders, it sometimes leaves completely>>>
p...@somewhere.net
Pat Meadows wrote:
>
> On Mon, 3 Jun 2002 12:10:42 -0400, "Dawn" <da...@comcast.net>
> wrote:
>
> >I am in the process of surrounding our house with landscape boxes (36"wide)
> >and filling them with mulch. I don't want to purchase the expensive ground
> >liners from the garden store that are put on the ground prior to adding the
> >mulch, but was contemplating using shower curtains that I can purchase from
> >the local dollar store for $1.00 per curtain.
> >Just wondering if this would be okay. Certainly would save me a bundle of
> >money.
> >thanks,
> >Dawn
>
> Dawn, our house has two flowerbeds in the front. They have
> the expensive 'ground liner' things - I mean, they were
> there when we bought the house.
>
> I HATE them, I HATE THEM, I HATE THEM, I HATE THEM!!!!
>
> I would tell you how I *really* feel about them, but it
> wouldn't be fit for a family-rated group! Putting it
> mildly.
>
> I think they are an invention of the devil.
>
> The weeds grow anyway, either through them or on top of
> them, I'm not sure how they do it.
>
> And then you can't plant anything, you have to cut a hole in
> the stuff around your planting area. And maybe what you
> planted doesn't get enough water either.
>
> I'm trying to rip them both out (two flower beds) but it's
> got to be piece by piece, I can't do it all at once without
> uprooting some nice plants...so it's piece by piece.
>
> YMMV. Maybe they'd serve your purposes admirably and you'd
> LOVE them.
>
> I don't know if shower curtains would work as well, these
> things are VERY thick and heavy - they're even difficult to
> cut with a scissor.
Hi Dawn..
If you have the time and energy to price out per square price you might
want to go to stores like Walmart and your local hardware. Check out
prices for rolls of poly sheeting. You can get black/brown that is sold
for gardening projects. But, you might be able to get clear poly on
sale because it is often used for sealing up windows in the winter
months.
Sudden thought..
Couldn't you use nice flattened out plastic grocery bags?
I'm sure you have an overabundance of these like most people I know.
You could do a few layers and offset each layer to fill in all the gaps.
PC
The Real Bev
>
> I am in the process of surrounding our house with landscape boxes (36"wide)
> and filling them with mulch. I don't want to purchase the expensive ground
> liners from the garden store that are put on the ground prior to adding the
> mulch, but was contemplating using shower curtains that I can purchase from
> the local dollar store for $1.00 per curtain.
> Just wondering if this would be okay. Certainly would save me a bundle of
> money.
What purpose do the liners serve? They don't sound useful, especially if
they cost money.
--
Cheers,
Bev
==================================================================
"America is at an awkward stage: it is too late to work within the
system, but it is too early to shoot the bastards." -Claire Wolfe
Bob Ward
<bas...@myrealbox.com> wrote:
>-:Dawn wrote:
>-:>
>-:> I am in the process of surrounding our house with landscape boxes (36"wide)
>-:> and filling them with mulch. I don't want to purchase the expensive ground
>-:> liners from the garden store that are put on the ground prior to adding the
>-:> mulch, but was contemplating using shower curtains that I can purchase from
>-:> the local dollar store for $1.00 per curtain.
>-:> Just wondering if this would be okay. Certainly would save me a bundle of
>-:> money.
>-:
>-:What purpose do the liners serve? They don't sound useful, especially if
>-:they cost money.
I believe that they use opaque plastic liners to suppress anything
unwanted from sprouting in the landscape box - like weeds, bermuda
grass, etc. Only useful if you want to minimize the time spent
keeping the landscaping in check.
--
This space left intentionally blank
The Real Bev
I was assuming that the box is a few feet high and the darkness would kill
anything growing under it. OTOH, my son has some St.Augustine-like grass
that sent a runner up through his wall, erupting inside the house next to
his bathroom window. Creepy.
--
Cheers,
Bev
================================================================
"Some people say that when it rains it means that God is crying,
probably because of something that you did." --Jack Handey
JoelnCaryn
>> unwanted from sprouting in the landscape box - like weeds, bermuda
>> grass, etc. Only useful if you want to minimize the time spent
>> keeping the landscaping in check.
>
>I was assuming that the box is a few feet high and the darkness would kill
>anything growing under it.
Liners don't work so well, especially after they degrade. I've spent a lot of
time retrieving bits of ripped black plastic from a few inches below the ground
-- placed there originally below the landscaping gravel to subvert Bermuda
grass and weeds. The grass and weeds come through anyway -- you have to poke
holes to place the plants you want -- and in a few years plastic starts to
protrude above the ground and rip off the main sheet in roughly 3"x4" pieces.
It is NO FUN to get all the plastic out of a previously desert-landscaped
backyard so you can seed wildflowers and plant a garden.
OTOH, underneath landscape boxes it might work for a while longer, and it
certainly wouldn't be buried. Bermuda grass would just send runners over the
plastic and into the drainholes, but this may not be a problem in individual
circumstances.
--
Caryn
Be nice to your neighbor. Be hell to his ideas.
Nicole H
ideals way to use them is to lay the fabric on top of the bed, cut thru them
to plant, then put mulch (shredded redwood, bark, etc). No dirt!
Some of the landscape fabric (when used properly is awesome) but some weeds
(the strong sturdy ones) will still come thru regardless... but 1 weed is
better than 100. =)
From UC Davis http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/PESTNOTES/pn7441.html
Inorganic mulches, which include both natural and synthetic products, are
generally more expensive and less widely used in the landscape. Natural
inorganic mulches are stable over time and include materials such as sand,
gravel, or pebbles. Most of these products are used in public and commercial
plantings. If using a rock mulch, consider placing a landscape fabric
underneath it. The fabric creates a layer between the mulch and soil,
preventing rock pieces from sinking into the soil. The fabric prevents soil
from moving above the rock layer, which would bring weed seed to the
surface.
Black plastic (solid polyethylene) can be used underneath mulches to improve
weed control. It provides excellent control of annual weeds and suppresses
perennial weeds, but lacks porosity and restricts air and water movement.
For this reason, black plastic may not be the preferred long-term weed
control method in landscape beds.
Synthetic mulches, which are manufactured materials that are called
geotextile or landscape fabrics, have been developed to replace black
plastic in the landscape. Geotextiles are porous and allow water and air to
pass through them, overcoming the major disadvantage of black plastic.
Although these materials are relatively expensive and time-consuming to
install, they become cost-effective if the planting is to remain in place
for 4 or more years. Geotextiles are used mainly for long-term weed control
in woody ornamental trees and shrubs. Geotextiles should not be used where
the area is to be replanted periodically, such as in annual flower beds or
in areas where the fabric would inhibit the rooting and spread of ground
covers. Tree and shrub roots can penetrate the materials and if the material
is removed, damage can occur to the plant's root system. This might be a
concern if a fabric has been in place longer than 5 years. At least one
geotextile fabric (BioBarrier) has an herbicide encapsulated in nodules on
the fabric that reduces root penetration problems.
Placing a landscape fabric under mulch results in greater weed control than
mulch used alone. There are differences in the weed-controlling ability
among the geotextiles: fabrics that are thin, lightweight, or have an open
mesh allow for greater weed penetration than more closely woven or nonwoven
fabrics.
To install a landscape fabric, you can plant first and then install the
fabric afterwards using U-shaped nails to peg it down. After laying the
cloth close to the ground, cut an "X" over the plant and pull it through the
cloth. If laying down a fabric before planting, cut an "X" through the
fabric and dig a planting hole. Avoid leaving soil from the planting hole on
top of the fabric because this could put weed seeds above the material. Fold
the "X" back down to keep the geotextile sheet as continuous as possible.
Weeds will grow through any gap in the landscape fabric, so it is important
to overlap pieces of fabric and tack them down tightly. Apply a shallow
mulch layer (about 1-inch deep) to thoroughly cover the fabric and prevent
photodegradation. If weeds grow into or through the geotextile, remove them
when they are small to prevent them from creating holes in the fabric.
Maintain a weed-free mulch layer on top of the fabric by hand-weeding or by
applying herbicides. Use of a rock mulch above a landscape fabric can have
greater weed control than fabric plus organic mulch combinations.
Yellow nutsedge grows through all geotextiles but some fabrics are better at
suppressing yellow nutsedge than others (for more information, see Pest
Notes: Nutsedge, listed in "References").
Problems with Organic and Natural Inorganic Mulches. There are several
problems associated with the use of organic and inorganic mulches. Perennial
weeds such as field bindweed and nutsedges often have sufficient root
reserves to enable them to penetrate even thick layers of mulches. Some
annual weeds will grow through mulches, while others may germinate on top of
them as they decompose. Weeds that are a particular problem are those that
have windborne seeds such as common groundsel, prickly lettuce, and common
sowthistle. Applying mulches at depths of greater than 4 inches may injure
plants by keeping the soil too wet and limiting oxygen to the plant's roots.
Disease incidence, such as root or stem rot, may increase when deep mulches
are maintained.
When mulches are too fine, applied too thickly, or begin to decompose, they
stay wet between rains and allow weeds to germinate and grow directly in the
mulch. For best weed control, use a coarse-textured mulch with a low
water-holding capacity. When used alone, mulches rarely provide 100% weed
control. To improve the level of weed control, apply preemergent herbicides
at the same time as the mulch (see Table 3). Supplemental hand-weeding or
spot spraying may also be needed.
"Pat Meadows" <p...@meadows.pair.com> wrote in message
news:e9nnfuoasb7pg5qpr...@4ax.com...
> On Mon, 03 Jun 2002 12:44:09 -0700, Bob Ward
> <bob....@verizon.net> wrote:
>
>
> >
> >I believe that they use opaque plastic liners to suppress anything
> >unwanted from sprouting in the landscape box - like weeds, bermuda
> >grass, etc. Only useful if you want to minimize the time spent
> >keeping the landscaping in check.
>
> They don't work. The ones at our house don't, at least.
>
> Pat
ari...@pepper.eajenkins.earthlink.net
>
>We have these things down on the ground, underneath mulch
>(and underneath some soil too) in flower beds. They are, I
>assume, supposed to keep weeds from growing - which they
>don't do.
>
>I really do detest them.
We have that stuff in some of our flowerbeds, and it's a
real nuisance. The weeds are still there, naturally, and I keep
having to dig up and dispose of bits of ratty plastic. It was even
under the lawn!
Ariane
onelith
> I am in the process of surrounding our house with landscape boxes (36"wide)
> and filling them with mulch. I don't want to purchase the expensive ground
> liners from the garden store that are put on the ground prior to adding the
> mulch, but was contemplating using shower curtains that I can purchase from
> the local dollar store for $1.00 per curtain.
> Just wondering if this would be okay. Certainly would save me a bundle of
> money.
Dawn,
I use discarded old carpeting to keep weeds out of
my garden. Cut the carpeting as close to the correct
size of the box, lay it in place and cover with mulch.
Water soaks thru it but weeds don't come thru.
The inexpensive black plastic mulch never really works
in the long term.
bob y
JBgoode
You will want something that lets water through.
Marcella Tracy Peek
"Dawn" <da...@comcast.net> wrote:
> I am in the process of surrounding our house with landscape boxes (36"wide)
> and filling them with mulch. I don't want to purchase the expensive ground
> liners from the garden store that are put on the ground prior to adding the
> mulch, but was contemplating using shower curtains that I can purchase from
> the local dollar store for $1.00 per curtain.
> Just wondering if this would be okay. Certainly would save me a bundle of
> money.
> thanks,
> Dawn
I skip that stuff entirely. It is a royal pain as some weeds always
seem to grow through and eventually the plastic gets old and holey and
you have to dig it all out and replace it. I can't imagine a shower
curtain being any better to deal with.
When I did our front yard planter area I put down "preen" it's a
granular chemical mixture that prevents seeds from germinating. I mixed
it in the soil. Then I planted what I wanted and laid down a four inch
layer of mulch. It's been 2 years and the only time a weed sprouts up
is when the mulch layer had gotten too thin. Mulch needs to be at least
4 inches (6 inches is better) deep as blocking the light to the soil
also helps prevent seeds from sprouting.
good luck with whatever you decide
marcella
baron48
shower curtains wouldn't work (unless you want to poke lots of little
holes in them). You can buy a 3'x50' sheet of landscaping fabric
for less than $10 at Home Depot. Unless you have a huge house, I
would think you could get all done for < $50 (or maybe $50 is a
bundle of money to you??).
Landscaping fabric works very well if is done right. I wouldn't
use it in a flower bed or a garden where you plant a lot of plants
because you just end up poking a lot of holes in it thus reducing
it's effectiveness. It works great in areas where you have mulch
or gravel and just shrubs or trees planted. On the parts that border
your lawn, use landscape edging and actually fold the fabric under
the edging before pounding the edging into the ground. Over time,
you will still end up with a few weeds and grass here in there as
dirt builds up on top of the fabric over time, but I've had fabric
that was over 15 years old and still in pretty good shape.
-Tom
"Dawn" <da...@comcast.net> wrote in message news:<adg4fs$10skqe$1...@ID-65940.news.dfncis.de>...
The Real Bev
> I use discarded old carpeting to keep weeds out of
> my garden. Cut the carpeting as close to the correct
> size of the box, lay it in place and cover with mulch.
> Water soaks thru it but weeds don't come thru.
> The inexpensive black plastic mulch never really works
> in the long term.
Kikuyu grass (After 30 years I finally got around to doing a web search and
finding out what it is) LOVES carpeting and happily sends its stolons over,
under and through it.
We have one of those little metal sheds in the far back yard. Its floor is
composed of black plastic and roll roofing (not tarpaper, asbestos
shingle-stuff), and it's dark inside. There are little weeds (oxalis, I
think, the stuff with the little yellow flowers on the long stems) that poke
through this, looking like sickly pale long-stemmed mushrooms.
As Jeff Goldblum said, life will find a way.
--
Cheers,
Bev
666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666
"I wish I had more time to seek out the dark forces
and join their hellish crusade." -- Clarice
B
> and filling them with mulch. I don't want to purchase the expensive ground
> liners from the garden store that are put on the ground prior to adding the
> mulch, but was contemplating using shower curtains that I can purchase from
> the local dollar store for $1.00 per curtain.
> Just wondering if this would be okay. Certainly would save me a bundle of
> money.
You don't want to use shower curtains if you're going to be growing anything in
the boxes, the curtains will not allow water to go through to the plants.
We use newspaper, several layers, then top that with hardwood mulch that we get
from our shredder/mulcher. Just like with any type of liner when it, the mulch,
starts to break down you'll need to replace the mulch or you'll have a rich soil
that weeds will thrive in.
HTH,
Buttons
Valerie VanCleve
> liners from the garden store that are put on the ground prior to adding
the
> mulch, but was contemplating using shower curtains that I can purchase
from
> the local dollar store for $1.00 per curtain.
Cardboard always works for me.
suzn
> Dawn <da...@comcast.net> wrote in message
> news:adg4fs$10skqe$1...@ID-65940.news.dfncis.de...
> > I am in the process of surrounding our house with landscape boxes
(36"wide)
> > and filling them with mulch. I don't want to purchase the expensive
ground
> > liners from the garden store that are put on the ground prior to adding
the
> > mulch, but was contemplating using shower curtains that I can purchase
from
> > the local dollar store for $1.00 per curtain.
> > Just wondering if this would be okay. Certainly would save me a bundle
of
> > money.
I usually use packaging peanuts in the bottoms of my planters. The water
is able to drain without taking all the dirt with it.
Chloe
few smallish clay pots sitting around the garage (I get a bunch every year
when I buy Christmas poinsettias, for one thing). I take them out on the
driveway and smash them with a hammer to use the pieces for a drainage layer
for pot plants.
suzn
>
> An alternative idea is to buy some fiberglass window
> screening, and put a sheet of screening (cut to fit) at the
> bottom of each pot. That's what I do.
I have used screen also....I have to replace the screen in my back storm
door regularly due to 3 cats and a dog who have a habit of climbing up the
screen. :) So I just save the torn screen for other uses and one is for
planters.