Q: We have one particular area of our garden where no matter how many times we pull all the weeds up they come straight back. Can you tell me if weed matting or stones/bark etc would help with this? Elizabeth - Rochedale South
A: Please refer to an earlier answer - Grass and weeds growing on tree – The Gap for a part of the answer to your question. In THAT answer I was referring to ‘broad-leafed’ weeds as against grasses.
Some of your weeds may possibly be a collection of different species of grasses as well as broad leafed weeds. In this case you may still pull the weeds out, but you need to make certain that the grasses come out with their complete root system. With some species of grass this is very easy, but others invariably leave runners or stolons behind when one yanks them out … and these will start growing again.
They can ALL be controlled by spraying them with glyphosate, but you still need to make sure you spray them all BEFORE they set seed. Repeated sprays, as and when the seeds already in the ground germinate, will break the cycle, and you will get rid of your problem.
The use of weed matting and mulch (bark AND other products) will certainly control your problem straight away – other than if you also have nut grass in your patch of weeds.
Nut grass is amazing…I have seen it growing through plastic sheeting, and it will grow through pebble mulch as well. My personal preference is not to use stones and pebbles as mulch, purely because it causes maintenance issues. Grass clippings, leaves and other matter settle in between the pebbles and they are a problem to remove…IF you require your pebble mulch to look clean, neat and tidy at all times.
