Burlap sacks as weed barrier/mulch.

[Mel]

I have used straw for weed barrier/mulch in the vegetable garden. One season the wheat straw I got from the neighbor where I normally get it contained many weed seeds which I was not aware of. Since, It has been a nightmare trying to contain these weeds. Last season I used a straw product that is used for mulching newly seeded lawns that I found at the local Runnings store. Worked well but it was very cost prohibitive.
Nurseries use the burlap cloth for some applications but was thinking maybe the used burlap sacks, which I can get for 1.29 each, may have been treated in some way. I was thing of using them as a partial covering on my raised vegetable beds. Anyone hear of such? Anyone use burlap sacks for weed barrier or other garden applications?

 

[digitS']

Mel, it seems like a good idea to me.

I haven't tried them. We should have Marshall comment on binding up tree roots at the nursery - but that isn't what you are talking about.

I passed a guy selling a big stack of burlap bags in a parking lot this summer. I didn't have time to stop. They may have been for coffee beans because they seemed larger than what we used to have as feed sacks when I was a kid. Whatever they were, they seemed bigger . . .

Bags might work well for a season but I'm sure they can't go on forever. One thing - if the weeds do show up in them, it looks like you could move them easily, turn them over - kill the weeds just doing that.

Welcome to TEG ! I hope you can tell us about it if you do use them this year.

Steve

 

[Mel]

Thanks for the welcome Steve. I ve been following the TEG forums for a while . Some good stuff there.
I may try the burlap on the edges of my raised beds. The beds are just 12 inch mounds 10 by 20 foot with the sloping dirt edges.
Thinking they may work in a negative way by wicking moisture away from the ground and therefore plants. Going to give it a try though.

 

[Nyboy]

Dont know about burlap, just wanted to say welcome!

 

[Ridgerunner]

Glad you joined us.

I don’t know if they have been treated or not or what with. I have not used burlap. I think I’d want to know that and what they were used for before I used them, but they should help as mulch. I’d be tempted to cover them with some more mulch or maybe weight them down to keep them from blowing around if they dry out. I imagine you get some decent winds up there.


If you are talking about weeds, pulling them up and turning them over could kill a lot of those. But if your “weed” is Quack grass, Bermuda, or some other type of running grass, those roots will grow through and intermesh with the burlap. If you turn it over, it will just grow the other way. And you won’t be able to pull the grass without it pulling up the burlap. I’ve had that problem with woven landscape cloth.


I don’t know how long it will take the burlap to decompose especially if you keep it damp. I think in any case it will help, and if weeds are your problem, it may work pretty well. But if your problem is a grass that sends out runners, you may have to sacrifice it earlier than you intend. I don’t know how well it will work in your application. I haven’t tried it plus your situation is different.

 

[so lucky]

In my garden, I'd be afraid that grass/weeds would grow through the burlap and make it more difficult to clean out. I use layers of newspaper, then something more aesthetically pleasing on top, like straw. Also, paper feed bags make good weed barriers. And Welcome, Mel!

 

[NwMtGardener]

Hi, welcome!

I used those plastic feed bags (plastic weave) for growing potatoes for 2 years. I realize those are different than burlap, like you're talking about, but they held up well, even with as damp and moist as they accidentally were kept. The season after that I just tossed them down on a pathway and used them to control weeds, as they were too damaged to plant in again. I think the burlap would work well as mulch - I think it will help keep the ground damp, not wick moisture away from it, but I"m not 100% sure on that. And I think if it's "normal" weeds you're talking about (not the spreading grasses Ridgerunner mentioned) you will probably smother lots. In other words, even if there were some weeds sprout through the burlap, you would overall have a net gain from killing off more than ended up growing through.

 

[Mel]

Thanks again for the welcome every one. Its good to be in the company of gardeners.
The foremost reason I mulch is for moisture retention. A large garden combined with the normal dry and warm July and August had me running to keep watered during this important growing time of our short season. With mulching and adding drip irrigation to a large part of the garden, it has cut the watering by, I would guess, 50%. The weed barrier is an added bonus. I normally dont add the mulch till after the first weeding and then before the temp get to hot.
I do have quackgrass but I keep that at bay on the edges of the garden.
I will try the burlap sacks on the edges of the raised beds, partially buried at the bottom and staked well at the top edge because yeah, its breezy here most always. You know your climatology Ridgerunner. Newspaper is one I will try also along with straw again. The past seasons straw is spread over the raised beds after fall cleaning,then in the spring, pulled back off before adding amendments and tilling and planting. A lot is lost and gets tilled in but I still have a good amount to reuse. After mulching, I spray the straw and newspaper with my unfiltered well water which is high in iron. This creates a light crust (lol) holding it in place mostly. Rhino Seeds has a product called EZ Straw that works well. I wont use the feed bag and such on the raised beds but they my work well for garden edges or unplanted areas. Here comes spring. Its way out there yet but I do think I see it. You can put that smile back in your signature Heather.