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Hoovie
Devon DIYer
Joined: 27 Jul 2007
Posts: 7773
Location: East Devon
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 Posted: Tue Jul 01, 2008 6:32 pm Post subject: putting down landscaping membrane |
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Got a narrow border by the drive - about 18" wide by 1.5 car lengths long and plan is to just cover it with this landscaping membrane that stops weeds coming up but still lets water drain away, then put bark chippings on top.
does the membrane need to be pegged down at all or is it just a matter of laying it over the ground and pouring the bark on top?
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Bludall
Senior Member
Joined: 11 Apr 2007
Posts: 8557
Location: East Midlands
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| Posted: Tue Jul 01, 2008 7:18 pm Post subject: |
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Hoovie,
I've no idea if it's any help but I used to have an area at the front of the house that I used memraned and gravel on. I dug down a few inches, levelled it off, put the membrane down and poured a tonne of fine gravel on it. It was fine when levelled because the thick gravel layer kept the membrane down. The trouble was that the local cats eventually dug through to the memrane when using it as a toilet which forced the membrane to show through.
I removed it last year and the smell of ammonia was awful! I've now got a double height sleeper alpine bed at the front and I plan to just pour lots of bark chippings on the ground around it. If weeds appear they'll get sprayed with glyphosate.
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Hoovie
Devon DIYer
Joined: 27 Jul 2007
Posts: 7773
Location: East Devon
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| Posted: Tue Jul 01, 2008 7:33 pm Post subject: |
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interesting.
I have a much larger raised area that has membrane and chipping on top and that was getting lots of 'dug out' areas which we were blaming cats for. And then one day we saw about 3 birds in there digging around  not sure what they were doing? getting nesting material maybe?
I can see gravel keeping it down, but bark I am more doubtful of 
We have most of the front as gravel/shingle (it is a veritable beach!) for parking and we get few weeds there even without membrane
Ok - another question. I bought some Roundup ages ago, which is a glyphosate sprayer but is rubbish at actually using it.
I have a old hand pump pressure sprayer I used to use for fencing - is there a powder form of glyphosate I can mix with water and then use this sprayer for a decent application?
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thescruff
Senior Member
Joined: 10 Mar 2008
Posts: 4658
Location: Bath
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| Posted: Tue Jul 01, 2008 7:51 pm Post subject: |
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They only used bark about 50mm deep at the hotel private members club up the road.
They cut circles init to plant the shrubs.
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Hoovie
Devon DIYer
Joined: 27 Jul 2007
Posts: 7773
Location: East Devon
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| Posted: Tue Jul 01, 2008 8:08 pm Post subject: |
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I think that is what I maybe need to do - cart away a lot more soil, leave the membrane wrapped up and then have a nice deep layer of bark 
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Bludall
Senior Member
Joined: 11 Apr 2007
Posts: 8557
Location: East Midlands
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| Posted: Tue Jul 01, 2008 9:28 pm Post subject: |
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Hoovie,
I don't reckon much to the membrane anyway as it's a pig to lay alone, if the weather gets windy.  Thick bark will suit me too.
In answer to your sprayer problem, in B & Q, I saw a glyphosate, liquid concentrate that you could dilute with water and spray in your sprayer.
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bgatty68
Senior Member
Joined: 25 Jan 2008
Posts: 277
Location: Buckinghamshire
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| Posted: Wed Jul 02, 2008 11:15 am Post subject: |
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hoovie I have just put a membrane around my kids trampoline, with bark chippings on it, and my advice is do not peg it down as this will allow undergrowth to come through, just start to lay at one end and when you have the membrane down use a few bricks to hold it down so the wind down catch it, like bludall mentioned and as you lay the bark take the bricks away. Only other advice is get a good membrane or if you have to use a cheap one just overlap it otherwise over time the undergrowth will come through. (I was lucky as I work for a pond liner manufacturer and got the best stuff you can buy, and i have it in my garden and its perfect) you can buy it in garden centres, will give you the name of it if you want.
Hope this helps |
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Hoovie
Devon DIYer
Joined: 27 Jul 2007
Posts: 7773
Location: East Devon
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| Posted: Wed Jul 02, 2008 11:39 am Post subject: |
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When you say about you work for a Pond Liner comp and got the best, I presume that the membrane needed would need to be semi-permeable otherwise you will just get pools and soggy bark?
I have a roll of wickes membrane I bought many years ago but never used - it is probably on the budget end I am sure
It would be useful to have your recommendation
While we are on this kind of topic, anyone know a cost effective way of allowing a wheelbarrow to travel along shingle? I will need to be shifting a lot of dirt from front to back and with a full barrow it always gets stuck in drive. As this is a bit of a one off, don't want to be buying some special stuff.
Alternatively, I could buy myself a barrow with a balloon tyre? would that work well on a beach my current barrow is trash anyway 
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If you have a son, DO NOT name him after a verb ....
"Neil, Standup. Neil, Standup"
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darrenba
Member
Joined: 01 Feb 2008
Posts: 98
Location: Dorset
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| Posted: Wed Jul 02, 2008 12:49 pm Post subject: |
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| Hoovie wrote: |
While we are on this kind of topic, anyone know a cost effective way of allowing a wheelbarrow to travel along shingle? I will need to be shifting a lot of dirt from front to back and with a full barrow it always gets stuck in drive. As this is a bit of a one off, don't want to be buying some special stuff.
Alternatively, I could buy myself a barrow with a balloon tyre? would that work well on a beach my current barrow is trash anyway |
I guess the simplest way would be to lay some scaffold boards down and run the wheel along them. |
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bgatty68
Senior Member
Joined: 25 Jan 2008
Posts: 277
Location: Buckinghamshire
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| Posted: Wed Jul 02, 2008 1:16 pm Post subject: |
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hoovie, yes it is semi-permeable. I have sent you a link of the type of membrane but you can buy it in most garden centres and its called 'polyfelt 60' and is a commercial landscape fabric
http://flexiblepondliners.com/ |
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boots_n_braces
Junior Member
Joined: 25 Jul 2008
Posts: 2
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| Posted: Wed Jul 30, 2008 2:12 am Post subject: |
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evening all, well night if you want to be technical 
I work in my spare time as horticulturalist growing rare plants an designing gardens and hot houses for customers.
Personally i wouldnt waste your hard earned cash on membrane, at the best it may deter weed seedlings for a while but thats about it, especially if your covering it with wood chip. As soon as the chip starts to breakdown and compost on top of the membrane the weeds will simply germinate on top of it and root down through it making them harder to pull out!
If its for a drive and your not growing plants there a quick spray with weedkiller once a year will keep them at bay without all the hassle of membrane |
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bgatty68
Senior Member
Joined: 25 Jan 2008
Posts: 277
Location: Buckinghamshire
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| Posted: Wed Aug 06, 2008 11:23 am Post subject: |
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boots_and _braces
I dont agree that its a waste, if you get the good stuff and i mean good quality membrane that I mentionedas i have it in my garden and have for about 18months and i dont have any weeds coming through at all  |
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