Weed Suppressing Membrane

[Flump]

Just wanted to know where everyone gets theirs from and what is the best make etc?

[robemat]

I got some from poundland which funnily enough cost a pound. Its 5m by 2m. Quite thin but you can double up etc.

I'm sure there are much better products elsewhere.

[Farmer_Gyles]

i have been getting it in 8mx1.5m rolls from Aldi or garden centres, normally £3-£5 per roll, BUT
a friend of mine is an upholsterer and they use exactly the same material on the underside of sofas etc, and it comes in a big roll, about 100mx2.5m i think, for about £35

[Earthbabe]

Have a look at some of the wholesalers etc like NA Kays. We had some from Lidl but it doesn't last more than a season. The stronger stuff we think is from B&Q but there are all sorts of types available.

[Stacey Steve]

All depends how much you are going to need.

The heavier grades are quite expensive bought from gardens centres etc, you can get heavier grades from builders merchants but they only sell by the roll.

I needed quite a lot so got mine of of EBay

[lottie dolly]

try a nursery,some get rid of the used stuff,as it's cheaper for them to use new than clean of the old to re-use,always worth a try,see how much they charge,if any thing,

[Matt.]

If its for your allotment to supress weeds and you plan to cut holes to grow though I'd try cardboard instead. There are loads of threads about layering with manure/compost to get a better result. Normally Halfords is a good source because of the big boxes bikes come in. If its for paths or gravel drives then stick to the membrane stuff.

[sewer rat]

Just wanted to know where everyone gets theirs from and what is the best make etc?

All really depends on how much you need.
I get from Tildenet but they really only do commercial rolls - but they do 50 metre lengths in various widths from 1m to 4m wide.
Take a look at their site
Netting specialists - TILDENET - Horticultural Netting, Sports Nets & Mesh, and Construction Netting
and at their horticulture section

[sallym]

It might be worth checking Ebay, seem to remember seeing it on there.

[SunnyU]

I know this thread is pretty old by now by I've just recently been thinking about getting some membrane to grow through for a year and then remove it along with the first harvest and then just use mulch afterwards. My allotment is still badly overgrown and it seems to me the only way forward now after having read a really interesting thread on here about no dig allotments.

I was just wondering that some of the black kind of plastic sheeting I have seen around on the lottie seems to have sort of unravelled and seems to get tangled up in/around anything.

So my question is, if I want to avoid this (thinking of birds and the resident cat), is it the unwoven membrane I should be going for?

Many thanks
Sonja

[zazen999]

What is it you are trying to do?

Would cardboard not work?

[SunnyU]

I'd like to try and follow Supersprout's approach and I think she used black sheeting in the first year and then simply mulched afterwards.

The plan is to mark out my beds with the membrane and then grow through it for one season.

I guess cardboard would do the trick just as much but I'd be worried about how to secure it properly, especially once it starts to rot down - the site I'm on is pretty much unsheltered and it gets really windy so I thought that membrane secured with pegs and some rocks might be the way to go...

[roitelet]

I would use cardboard with a mulch on top like grass cuttings. Ince te cardboard gets wet it should stay in place. I use it under straw and it works a treat.