Weed question

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Bern41 Atlanta, GA Aug 20, 2016

Hi, beginning Gardner. I have a spot in my front driveway that has been covered by weeds. I want to put some ground cover in, or maybe some ferns. My question is, should I put a weed barrier down? Should I lay down pre-emergent? Or should I just put my plants in and cover with mulch? Maybe all 3. Photo attached. Thanks in advance to anyone who responds

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Pistil Lake Stevens, WA(Zone 8a) Aug 20, 2016

Hey Bern, the photo did not come through. You have to wait for the little thingy to stop spinning before it is done loading.
Personally I hate weed barriers, eventually the weeds do grow, then the roots grow into the cloth and it is impossible to get them out. Black plastic is even worse.
I had great luck with mowing the weeds as low as possible, putting down cardboard or multiple layers of newspapers, then putting some purchased "planting mix" on top about 6-8", just planting in that. It was actually easy, but I did pay for the stuff to be delivered.

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hcmcdole Powder Springs, GA(Zone 7b) Aug 21, 2016

Weed cloth works great - it will kill whatever is under it and keep weeds greatly diminished - any weeds that do sprout on top are much easier to pull out than if they are in the ground! That said, if you plan on planting perennials you will not want to use a weed cloth as the perennial will need space to grow outwards and you would be spending time cutting away excess cloth to allow this to happen.

If you are growing a shrub or tree then I would say use a weed cloth. If you want to kill the weeds in the area first then use a herbicide to kill everything or even weed cloth temporarily. Hoeing will only spread seeds and you will be redoing the area in a few weeks. Plant your perennials after the area has been cleared of weeds and stay on top of new seedlings with pre-emergent/herbicide/and removal by hand. Good luck!

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Pistil Lake Stevens, WA(Zone 8a) Aug 21, 2016

This is a great example of how techniques work differently in different locations, and with different gardeners. Hcmcdole is near you, the advice might be better for you :-)

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