Barking mad?

I did just that many years ago in my front garden but only about 2" of bark (I used the big bits of bark).
It helped, but there were still many weeds coming through.
So I swept it all back and put in a weed membrane then brushed the bark back in place.
That did work well as a weed suppressant for many years.
But the main problem I had was with blackbirds - in their search for insects they fling the bark all over the place so it does need putting back quite often as they soon make a mess of it.

About 20 years on now. The membrane is still intact.
The bark has been well covered over the years with leaf fall from my large acer, but it is still working.
The big annoyance I've had is that Spanish bluebells have somehow taken hold and they're a bu**er to kill or remove, but there are very few weeds that have appeared even after 20ish years.

 

I'm a big fan of membrane in certain situations. To make a border from scratch (or with just a few mature trees and shrubs) it's practical. Clear and fertilise the soil, fluff it up if heavy, pin down membrane, arrange pots until desired effect reached, then plant (deeply). It's not so good for borders with lots of bulbs or where you want annuals to self sow. Or for people who are forever moving plants around

 

Weed membrane is useful in places where you’re not going to grow anything and just want to deter weeds. Elsewhere it’s not good for the soil life beneath, particularly worms. I use bark on most of my borders, it needs to be at least a couple of inches deep and needs topping up every year. Blackbirds do throw it on the lawn sometimes but it’s easily kicked back into place.

 

That's a bit of a myth about lack of soil flora and fauna, Plantminded, at least in my experience. I've found earthworms the size of small grass snakes, as well as smaller species and all sorts of 'bugs'. Certainly in my garden the membrane provided a good start for pre-planned borders, with no competition from weeds and significant water retention through the dry months. As plants grow quickly here, it was covered within a year.

 

I have beem using bark chippings in my borders for a few years and it works well. It does help to reduce weeds considerably (not eliminate them of course), it makes the borders look tidy and when the bark breaks down, it feeds the soil.

This year I said I would avoid using it for my back garden. The reason is that every year between mid August and mid September, I get very intense bites by something I can't see - my guess is that they are chiggers. I suspect that the bark creates a great habitat for them (it provides them with shade and also retains moisture from my frequent watering sessions).

 

Not a myth in my experience @noisette47. A quick search on google explains some of the disadvantages:

• Impedes Water Infiltration:
  Weed barrier fabric can prevent rainwater from reaching the soil, leading to drier conditions and potentially forcing plants to grow roots closer to the surface where they are more susceptible to drying out.
• Stops Decomposition:
  The fabric isolates mulch and other organic materials from the soil, preventing them from decomposing and enriching the soil with nutrients and beneficial microorganisms.
• Reduces Soil Aeration:
  The fabric can create a barrier that prevents air from reaching the soil, which is essential for healthy root growth and microbial activity.
• Alters Soil Temperature:
  The fabric can reduce the amount of sunlight reaching the soil, which can delay soil warming in the spring and potentially harm plants.
• Compacts Soil:
  Over time, the fabric can contribute to soil compaction as it prevents the natural processes of soil aeration and decomposition from occurring.
• Weeds still emerge:
  Weeds can still grow through the fabric, and the fabric can be difficult to remove and can damage plants when pulled up.

 

Have you considered ground cover plants FC?

 

Do cats like to relive themselves with bark ?

 

Just try it FC, I use my own chippings in my semi wild garden and it doesn't totally eliminate weeds but it does make them much easier to remove.
Probably not everyone's idea of growing but once you get shrubs established and a mulch around them just a once a year spray of weedkiller if you get anything like bindweed coming through makes life simpler.

You have to time the application right, so early summer, bulbs died back and weeds in full growth.

 

Good old Google Here are my counter experiences : It's both air and water permeable. Whenever I've lifted a sheet, there was no evidence of surface rooting or stale sour soil.
Leaves and debris still decompose on top of the membrane. I tend to sweep this humus back into the holes made when planting, or around the edges.
It acts as any other mulch would in protecting the soil and roots from extremes of both heat and cold.
Far from compacting the soil, I don't need to walk on borders for endless weeding, so they stay uncompacted.
The odd hairy bittercress or groundsel is easily hoed off before it sets seed. If you need to adjust or add to holes, a pair of scissors is quite effective As I mentioned before, the only real drawbacks are where swathes of bulbs are required or where plants are constantly swapped around and in those situations ( or where self-sown annuals are wanted) then an organic mulch is better. With the proviso that a high-nitrogen fertiliser is added to compensate for the N used up.in the decomposition process.

 

Interesting conversation regarding the membrane, thanks both.

I have it under areas of gravel, including a considerable area (that used to be half of my lawn) where I have plants interspersed within it and I keep going back and adding more. While the presence of gravel does complicate things a bit, I think it should still be safe enough to draw some conclusions.

I believe that it does have a negative effect on the soil, but not so much that you can't live with it if you have to, in order to keep maintenance low. On a personal level, I don't like the idea of it in borders, but I can also appreciate that I am in my 40s and relatively fit, so maintaining the borders is OK. I wouldn't judge someone who wants to take action because they need to reduce maintenance.

Back to the effects on soil, I have noticed that it definitely gets more compacted. And while the membrane is meant to be water permeable and breathable, that just means that some water and air can get through it, not all. I do find worms though.

So overall I do agree with the studies that Google can lead you to, which are usually scientific, which say that the membrane does have a negative effect on the soil. But again that's not to say that it kills soil or that plants are bound to struggle, even if it does have some negative effects.

 

I hate the stuff, still digging up some in my allotments. If you put wood chips/bark on top, any weeds that grow will root into the membrane and are then harder to remove. So you need to stay on top of weeding if you use it, but the same can be said if you don't use it, then with the added benefit of a better top soil imo

This from the other week, I've had this allotment for many years now and still finding the stuff, both the fleece style like this and the woven type.