Terram?

Anyone heard of Terram? Our back garden is terrible for flooding as soon as there's a teeny bit of rain. The housing assoc finally agreed to uplift the crazy paving and cultivate it for us. (I have pestered them to help us with it since we moved in here 5yrs ago, finally they agreed to do this much now that we have a 1yr old and it now poses as a drowning risk).

Now I'm left with an area of soil which has been cultivated. The workman who turned all the soil recommended laying down "terram" - he couldn't recall the name but I've since googled it and found it. Seemingly it stops weeds growing upwards, but is breathable and so allows water to drain downwards.

I've searched B&Q, Wickes, Homebase websites but none seem to sell it. Anyone know where I can buy it, and is it expensive? I'm a stay home mummy whilst hubby works, so we've not got a lot of spare cash. Ideally I'd like to slab the area as it's below my washing line. Neither hubby or myself are very green-fingered so we need to do something asap before weeds grow and that is within our capabilities :hehe:

If you made it this far, thanks for your time!!

 

Thanks for the response, the link you posted doesn't go anywhere for me though?

Wood chips is like bark, yeah? Would I just lay the sheeting stuff on top of the soil which is there now then lay the chip on top of that? Can it really be that easy?

 

There seems to be some confusion with 'Terram' , originally I knew and used Terram as a white, heavy duty, spun fabric to lay under roadways etc preventing hardcore sinking into the subsoil. This material is still available but the name Terram is now used for a brand of black, woven membrane used for the same purpose and as a weed supressant. This stuff is also sold under the name of 'Mypex' and 'Phormisol'

The black, woven stuff is readily available from builders merchants, horticultural suppliers and in narrower widths from some garden centres. It comes in different thicknesses or weights and you need to take this into account when comparing different suppliers.
The woven stuff is in ny experience much more effective than the lighter weight, black spun fabric which is widely sold as a weed supressant.
When installing I find it important to get it fairly tight and well anchored round the edge or it can be lifted in windy conditions. You can buy plastic pegs or wire staples for this and hammer them into the ground but I usually make a slit trench with a spade then push the membrane in with the spade, pulling tight and repeating on the opposite side - it's not difficult when you get the hang of it and anchors it really well
Good luck with the project

 

Alternatively, plant so densely that weeds don't have a chance to grow!

Well, it works for me!

 

Thanks for your responses. I did wonder about anchoring it. I'll need to have a look into that part of it. We went to B&Q today, it's sold in rolls, so the overlapping sheets - would I need to anchor them together & into the ground?

 

I used terram under the gravel on my front garden, we had a bad neighbour and need to hear if he was in our garden as the gravel crunchs.

Its a white thin mat. I dug off four inchs of soil, layed the terram and stoned it with four inchs of stone. I still have to use weed killer twice a year.

 

Best to get wider roll if you can to, smaller rolls are great for paths but on large areas mean more overlaps and more pegs!

 

Thanks Marley, i wonder why I couldn't find it earlier!

Anyway, thanks guys, my local B&Q only sold it by the roll, so I assumed that's how it came.... therefore I bought it already yesterday. oops. Oh well, I'll need to get pegs and just secure it down. I don't think it would take all that much to fix down.

 

You can use wire coathangers. Cut them and bend them easily into L shapes.

 

Such a great idea!!! unfortunately, I don't have any though Ours are all plastic.