The Dewitt 20 year Weed Barrier it’s not sold here and Amazon doesn’t have the 4’ wide in a smaller roll. I’ll keep looking. Will it hold up to TX’s 110+ degree summers and it doesn’t have to be covered with mulch?
I hate weeds so much I’m this close to using some plastic sheeting we have in the garage but it might reflect too much heat back onto the plants unless it gets dirty enough. I know there’s some clear plastic but that would grow weeks but I’m thinking there’s some black, too. I didn’t want to slip on it when wet but maybe it’d get enough dirt blown onto it that it wouldn’t be so slick. It was left over from another project a few years ago so it needs to be used before it rots. What do y’all think?
I can’t say how it would hold up to TX summers, but it held up to a 105 degree Wisconsin summer just fine. And mine has never been covered with mulch.
Johnny has had success with solarizing using plastic sheeting. But when I tried it the plastic seemed to encourage the weeds instead of killing them, and then it started to crack and tear. I tried both the clear and the black, and the area where I tried it is first on my list for the Dewitt’s fabric this year. Maybe the plastic works better in Texas? I’m afraid you’d have to ask him.
Random thought, try watering with boiling hot water (BEFORE you plant, obviously). That would kill the tops of the weeds, at least, and possibly the seeds closest to the surface.
I’m actually thinking of doing that with my backyard garden beds. There was a touch of powdery mildew last year, and while I got rid of all the infected plant parts that I could find, I’m still worried I might have missed some.