I have a front yard soon to be left in the tender loving care of tenants who don't care very much. It is about 1000 sq ft, mostly woodchips, a few lavender bushes, and a path lined with silver grasses. There is a weed barrier under the woodchips, and the only weeds growing are rooted in the woodchips. I wonder about salt - since it would only be in the chips and not get down to the earth below, presumably the yard itself would not be harmed? but I worry that our Seattle rains will wash the salt down the slight slope of the yard towards the street, getting into my plants along the way. If salt is ok it would seem to be the perfect solution - ? if not, I need to find some way to stop anything growing in the woodchips... help!
Weed control for woodchips over weed barrier
- Thread starter dwdanby
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What if it is just a light rain and doesn't flow downhill? Where does it go? Into your soil perhaps? Weeds are going to be a problem no mater what you do. Many weeds have windblown seeds. Others come with flowing water. Others distributed by birds and animals. Salt is not the answer. I guess in your situation chemical herbicides or vinegar would work. Just don't spray it on plants you want to keep.
My suggestion was to use salt on the woodchips, and then hope that the salt would not penetrate the weed barrier. Does salt penetrate a weed barrier? If not, then a light rain is not a problem, right? but I'm asking about rain that would flow downhill, would the salt also flow downhill? If not, then it would seem to be a good solution. I am trying to avoid chemical herbicides. Vinegar washes away in rain quickly. So I'm asking about salt.
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If the salt dissolves, which it will, of course it will go through the weed barrier unless it is plastic sheeting or rolled plastic. Yes, the salt will flow with the water. It dissolves, it doesn't stay in granules. The secret to using vinegar is to add some dish soap and horticultural or orange oil to it. The preferred mix is 2 oz orange oil, 2 oz dishsoap to a gallon of pickling vinegar. Kills weeds quickly. Salt destroys soil and moves through the soil. It is as likely to damage your plants and your neighbors plants as it is your weeds. It also lasts a LONG time
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I have no idea and therefore I came to this forum for help. Instead you attack me. I withdraw from this forum and will get help elsewhere. Thanks Chuck for your help. DirtMechanic - try to be nice to people, eh?
Water will go through weedblock but not plastic unless it has a hole in it. Salt will flow with water so if the water drains sideways down a hill, it will go that direction. If it flows straight down into the soil, the salt will go that way. Any plant in the way of the water would get the salt.
As long as there is some light vegetation will grow. What I did, to completely remove both Saint Augustine grass and marsh grass, was to first trim everything down I didn't want, cover it with a bit of soil, then cardboard, and then sand (more mulch can be used as an alternative to sand).
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The answer is "do nothing", where supposedly most of mankind's ills can be traced to the inability to sit quietly in a room. The setup for the joke was that you feel like you have to do something. I have owned more than a few rentals and at some point those tenants will "undo" your efforts.