Will a bulk-ballast bag work as anti-weed membrane?

[Bert Coules]

The subject line says it all, really. Rather than buying custom-made
permeable anti-weed/anti good-soil-washing-away membrane in a new raised
bed, can I use material cut from those cubic-metre bulk-delivery bags?

Thanks.

[Tim Lamb]

In message <XZmdneyhK9XNHv7J...@brightview.co.uk>, Bert
Coules <ma...@bertcoules.co.uk> writes

I've used them under pea gravel. (one way of getting rid of agricultural
fertiliser bags:-) They are about as good as the cheaper brands of black
mulch.

If you are planting up your new raised bed, where are the plant roots to
go?

--
Tim Lamb

[Bert Coules]

Tim Lamb wrote:

> If you are planting up your new raised bed, where are the plant roots to
> go?

Into the layer of topsoil which will lie above the membrane. They'll be
ground-cover plants which will grow quite happily in a shallow bed. Thanks
for the info about the bags.

[Bert Coules]

Chris,

Thanks for all that but in fact the primary reason for the membrane is to
stop the top soil leeching away through the hardcore-topped-with-sand which
will constitute the bulk filling of the raised bed. I referred to
"anti-weed membrane" merely as a handy label.

[Bert Coules]

Chris, thanks for that: I thought they might do, but I wasn't at all
certain.

[Martin Brown]

Yes, but only if you want to cover a rather small area.

The rolls of the proper membrane are wider and the edges are always weak
spots where tough persistent weeds like thistles can lift it.

What are you going to put on top to hold it down?

Wood chips or gravel? (the latter works much better long term).

--
Regards,
Martin Brown

[Bert Coules]

Martin, your post overlapped with my reply to Chris. The membrane is going
over hardcore topped with sand, and there will be a layer of soil on top of
it. It's more to stop the soil leeching away downwards than to prevent
weeds growing up.

[Capitol]

Probably. It won't work anyway even if you buy the nominally correct
membrane. The damn weeds will always grow on top of the membrane even if
theory says not! As well as the ones which grow through.