Do you need to put membrane down ?When laying bark to suppress weeds.?

Answer 1

You don't need to put a membane down if your mulch is thick enough. If it keeps out light, it'll work.

If you're using the bark next to plants, be careful. It's best to allow the bark to begin the decaying process before you apply it as a mulch. Bark, woodchips and bushchip decay slowly, & can deplete garden soils of nitrogen so you'll need to add some nitrogen-rich fertiliser or compost.

"Pinebark, pinechip and pineflake also decay very slowly, are low in nutrients but are useful around conifers. When using pinebark it is best to leave it to age for several months or by partly decomposing it in compost. This is because pinebark contains toxins which inhibit the growth of plants for a short period after the bark is first applied. They're not recommended for use near native plants, though, and can also cause loss of nitrogen (add a little organic fertiliser)."
http://www.sydneywater.com.au/SavingWater/InYourGarden/MulchAndCompost/Mulch.cfm
Good luck! Hope this helps.

Answer 2

I think it helps. I put down mulch and scraped all the weeds and grass off the top before putting the much down, but I still had some grass come back up through then had plenty of thistle come up through the mulch. I'm planning on scooping my mulch back up, cutting the thistle out then laying down some Preen to prevent the thistle from growing back up and then lay down some landscaping fabric like I should have originally done. Just make sure to tack it down good and leave a 2 inch overlap at the seams.

Answer 3

i find that when the few weeds do inevitably come thru the fabric/membrane, they are that much harder to pull BECAUSE of the membrane. just put down a 3" layer, and you wan't have much a weed problem i promise, except for the stuff that comes up from the seeds which were already in the soil when you put down the mulch. just keep pulling those out until they've all germinated.

Answer 4

I've found that a multi-layer of newspaper, 6-8 sheets put down before any mulch does wonders for stopping the growth of weeds and grass in my beds. Saves money and recycles too. I find it works as well or better then any membrane or ground cover.

Answer 5

You don't need to, but you will need to use more bark to make a thicker bed. I don't know where you are, but you might want to use material other than bark for the mulch. In the US, we have shredded bark that I think works better than the chunks. Also there are things like cocoa shells that seem to work really well and are great if you like the smell of chocolate.

Answer 6

many times while utilising a weed barrier of variety, you are able to decrease the quantity of mulch right down to 3-4 inches. Any much less and it merely would not seem almost as good. And it won't final as long the two because of the fact the climate can get to it swifter and reason it to decompose. yet another good, affordable and organic and organic answer instead of the cloth is a great thick pad of newspapers. merely the black & white ones, no dazzling classified ads. Lay pads of 6-8 sheets to conceal each and every thing (suits around flora genuine nicely) and soak them down with the hose. Then practice your mulch and soak that down with the hose to bond the two collectively. The newspaper will many times final a pair of years. and not using a weed barrier, i'd say 6 to eight" of mulch is sufficient yet bear in suggestions some flora do in comparison to being coated that deep. you will opt to have much less intensity around the flora to maintain them satisfied. yet another decision is a residing mulch. many times low starting to be, dense flora that upload texture and each each and every now and then they even flower for extra shade. We use a lot of untamed violets, bugle weed, lifeless nettle for our residing mulch. In dry factors, we are utilising many of the low starting to be sedums. and you will easily do a mix of any of the weed preventatives. None of them are one hundred% yet all help plenty!

Answer 7

It wouldn't hurt, also use pre-emergence. I have membrane down but somehow weeds still grow thru it, also bark has pine tree seeds in it.

Answer 8

No but it does help to keep the weeds down.
Membrane usually means something that is a solid sheet such as plastic which does not allow water penetration. That is acceptable if you have no plants growing there. If however you have plants it is better to use landscape fabric it allows for rain/moisture to penetrate.