[nowthenallotment]

I have decided to try growing vegetables through MyPex weed suppression fabric.  Notice that I paid for the real deal - the market leader - so that I would not scupper my trial by using a cheap imitation (although I doubt there would be any difference).  So, I've laid it, burnt holes in it with a blow torch, to avoid fraying, and then i have sown seed and onion sets through those holes.  It looks very promising, but then I threw some water on the fabric and noticed that it just sat there on the surface and did not appear to soak through at all.  Rain water appears to do the same.  Does anyone have experience of using this stuff?  Does it allow water through?  If it does, what percentage of water gets through?  Does it do better after it has been down being attacked by the UV for a bit?  I know these questions might be difficult to definitively answer but I thought that you might like to throw out some theories.
Thank you

[GrannieAnnie]

I don't know about MyPex, but I havew Terram, which is a good make too.  The water does seep through, but slowly.

How did you manage to sow seeds into the holes?  Weeds will still grow where it can see the light, but it will be a lot better than having nothing there at all.

The only things I have grown through the Terram was potatoes, strawberries one year and courgettes.

[nowthenallotment]

So, if it is slow, I guess the question is whether or not it manages to seep through before it has evaporated.

I have  a mini blow torch that I used to cut out a circle about 3inches across.  I put 2 or 3 seeds into the soil and pushed them down with a finger and made sure they were then covered with soil.  It's a bit painstaking but not as painstaking as having to weed around my vegetables all summer.  I will just have to deal with the weeds that make it to my holes (and the light).

I'm going down the allotment now.  I'll be back later.

[Runwell-Steve]

I also use terram.  Never used it for seeds though.  I plant a lot of things through the holes in the terram, lettuce, strawberries, onions, brassicas.  I think terram is better as it doesn't fray.  I also have a free supply of it as my Dad obtained some whilst working in the Road construction industry (It is used under paving).

Water does penetrate, but slowly, this also works to your benefit though as it helps to prevent evaporation.

[arugula]

We have Terram here under the heavier traffic areas but not for planting and have used Plantex in the polytunnel  among other places. Both good quality products.

[The Golden Heap]

terram or otehr very similar geotextiles are the best, the woven types often need doubling up as couch etc always find a way

[goodtogrow]

All of the brands mentioned are permeable but the rate of permeability various with the weight of the fabric, and the method of manufacture - woven or spun.  I suspect that in hot weather the micropores close up and there may be a temporary slower rate of permeability for that reason...

For me, the weight of the fabric is most important because that is a good indicator of the fabric's ability to prevent weeds from penetrating it.

I've found 100grms/m2 fabric will stop everything except mares-tail (equisitum) - I think Mypex weighs in at that, but Plantex doesn't, and Terram is heavier.

I've not found it necessary to add a layer of say bark chippings to the 100grm stuff but it is recommended for the lighter stuff.  I still think that it's a good idea to mulch the fabric to protect against UV degradation, and also to keep the soil beneath cool in hot weather.

Tom

[bazh]

I have decided to try growing vegetables through MyPex weed suppression fabric.  Notice that I paid for the real deal - the market leader - so that I would not scupper my trial by using a cheap imitation (although I doubt there would be any difference).  So, I've laid it, burnt holes in it with a blow torch, to avoid fraying, and then i have sown seed and onion sets through those holes.  It looks very promising, but then I threw some water on the fabric and noticed that it just sat there on the surface and did not appear to soak through at all.  Rain water appears to do the same.  Does anyone have experience of using this stuff?  Does it allow water through?  If it does, what percentage of water gets through?  Does it do better after it has been down being attacked by the UV for a bit?  I know these questions might be difficult to definitively answer but I thought that you might like to throw out some theories.
Thank you

What are you hoping to achieve by growing through weed suppressant?

 I have a bed set aside for tomatoes, courgettes, cucumbers and squash that has weed suppressant but it's purely to keep the various fruit off the ground and aid in moisture retention.

[nowthenallotment]

I am trying to suppress weeds - I find that my schedule does not allow me to visit my allotment frequently enough to keep the weeds down.

[goodtogrow]

I am trying to suppress weeds - I find that my schedule does not allow me to visit my allotment frequently enough to keep the weeds down.

That's a compelling reason for using it, nta.  I use it on part of my plot, and plant transplants grown at home through it.  If the soil's in good condition - organic matter - you don't need to water either.

Evaporation losses at the surface are nothing compared with the amount of water taken up then 'breathed out' (transpired) by weeds.  So if you can't keep on top of weeds by hoeing or using heavy dressings of mulch then this stuff (micro-porous sheeting) is the answer 

Tom

[brotherdeal]

I also use mypex, it's great stuff, not cheap but lasts much longer than other fabrics.
I have it in soft fruit area, also I bank up my strawberries and then grow through mypex, it saves so much time on weeding. I also use it on the sweetcorn blocks. Great stuff!

[nowthenallotment]

I think that Terram's Weedguard looks like one of the spun-woven fabrics.  I have a small sample of that kind of stuff - the water drains through it much faster than the MyPex style woven fabric.

Tom, I had always had in my mind that weeds were competing with my plants for nutrients from the soil.  I know this is really daft but I hadn't thought about how much water they were using.  On an allotment with no mains water supply, this is massively significant.

I am glad to see that you have used MyPex to good effect brotherdeal.  I can see that the durability of a woven fabric is very attractive.  If I were using it in my garden and I could water using a hosepipe then it would undoubtedly be the answer.  BUT when water is in such a short supply (rain water) then if I were to lose 50% of it because it was evaporating before it was getting through, then it might rule out the use of MyPex and I would be better using a spun-woven fabric.  These are typically 50g/m2 whereas the woven MyPex is 100g/m2.  However, you can buy heavier spun-woven stuff and maybe that lasts longer.

[nowthenallotment]

Various people have mentioned Terram.  From what I can tell, that seems to be the name of a manufacturer.  Could someone please post a link to the Terram product that they use?  I am not sure which one people are talking about.
Thank you

[goodtogrow]

Voici un link:

http://www.lbsgardenwarehouse.co.uk/product.asp?src=BGWebsite&pf_id=TDP115&name=terram&sfile=1&jump=0

Yes, Terram is a brand, and it comes in different grades.  As a geotextile, as opposed to a weed suppression fabric, it's intended for construction projects, but it's permeable, so can be used in horticulture.

It seems to me to be more than necessary for what we growers want.  100 grm/m2 Mypex/Phormisol/et al, particularly if mulched with any old waste, lasts for years, and I haven't found puddling of rainwater on the surface to be worth worrying about, cos the mulch stops any evaporation, if indeed the evaporation loss is significant at all...

Good luck with your research...

Tom

[nowthenallotment]

Tom

Many thanks for the link and advice.  I apologise for having not replied; my email notification has not worked.  I thought my settings were right for that; I'll have to look into that.  My life is one long distraction and if I don't receive notifications it is often a long time before I check back on that forum.  Anyway, I hope you are still receiving notifications yourself so you can receive my thanks.