[andyk]

just started to sort out half of the plot next to mine with agrement of the plot holder (she cant work it that well but still likes to pick the fruit from the trees) but the whole plot is covered in carpet that the weeds have covered or grown through, why do some say put capet down as weed control when it does not rot, in the old days when carpet was made of wool it was ok, but now it is all man made it does not rot and i know when i put the rotavator across it i am going to find some more what is wrong with turning the soil as a way of controling the weeds
andy

[Aunt Sally]

... the whole plot is covered in carpet that the weeds have covered or grown through, why do some say put capet down as weed control when it does not rot, ...  what is wrong with turning the soil as a way of controling the weeds

 I enjoy digging  :roll:  but many people prefere an "easy option" nowadays  :!:

[shaun]

totally agree with you andy,some sites are banning them they are a real curse :evil:

[DD.]

Absolutely agree. Weeds had grown through the stuff on Mrs. Digger's plot when we took it on. Took some pulling off. Goodjob I told the council not to rotovate it, or we'd still be digging bits out!

[Aidy]

Go to Bridge farm by Harrowside bridge and they have banned all but natural carpets. IMHO all carpet is good weed control but the secret is to turn over once a month, if left you will end up with the mess next door but if you look at my mound that I inherated i use carpet on that with good success.

[Bobby T]

No carpets for me either.A section of my plot must have been covered years ago.All the pile had gone leaving just a nylon mesh which the weeds had grown through.Could not get a spade in so had to get most out with a pickaxe! Still getting pieces wrapped round my tiller tines after two years :evil: ...Bob.

[Trillium]

A lot of people don't realize that carpet, in itself, is not a weed controller, but a base for something else like several inches of gravel or slabs, etc. Most carpets are woven so thinly that weeds can easily get between the weave threads. Natural fibres, because they cost more, tend to be woven more closely, hence their better barrier qualities.

[mkhenry]

Modern tuffed carpet is also treated with cheap chemicals to stop moth attack,and is not very good for your veg beds.The chemical may wash out and cover your new beds. :?

In years gone bye carpets were made of wool and the dyes were ok.Now most lower priced carpets are full of the most obnoxious things that you do not want to eat.  :?

Mary had a little lamb
She tied it to a pylon
A 1000 volts shot up its leg
And turned its wool to nylon.

[DD.]

Natural fibres, because they cost more, tend to be woven more closely, hence their better barrier qualities.

That doesn't sound logical! You'd have thought the reverse would have applied. Natural fibres being weaved LESS closely because of their cost.

[mushroom]

just started to sort out half of the plot next to mine with agrement of the plot holder (she cant work it that well but still likes to pick the fruit from the trees) but the whole plot is covered in carpet that the weeds have covered or grown through, why do some say put capet down as weed control when it does not rot, in the old days when carpet was made of wool it was ok, but now it is all man made it does not rot and i know when i put the rotavator across it i am going to find some more what is wrong with turning the soil as a way of controling the weeds
andy

[begin rant]

I think that carpet on an allotment has to be one of the most unsightly and disgusting things going, especially when it has been buried for years and forgotten about. I had to dig up loads of this stuff to get a usable plot, and it all had to be pulled up by hand, a backbreaking, filthy, dangerous (embedded metal and glass in there too) and laborious undertaking. As others have said, it doesn't decompose, and if it did, who wants bits of * carpet in the soil. sheesh. Whats wrong with planting it with a cover crop, or mulching with cardboard? If they want to lay it and leave it to kill buried weeds, then why not cover it with concrete. And then park their * 4x4 there, A rhetorical question.

[end rant]

[Lesley Jay]

If you Google carpets contain chemicals then you can read the facts about chemicals in carpets. I certainly wouldn't use them.

[shaun]

and another one is blooming bricks,I kid you not when I took my second plot over and cleared it there was enough bricks to build a house. :evil:

[mkhenry]

Natural fibres, because they cost more, tend to be woven more closely, hence their better barrier qualities.

That doesn't sound logical! You'd have thought the reverse would have applied. Natural fibres being weaved LESS closely because of their cost.

The point is not if its natural or nylon or one of the other types of manmade fibre.
It is how it is made that matters.
Quality carpets are literally woven on to a hessian web backing and it is very difficult to separate the two.Because it is woven in lines,this can give a less dense appearance when you fold it.In fact it is the best way to get good finish on the floor.
Lower priced carpets are called tufted and the carpet is made first with cheap manmade materials by looping it on to a very thin membrane secured only by a mist of glue.. Then it is taken to another part of the factory or even in some cases a different factory and stuck on to a cheap backing,again useing cheap glue.
This carpet can and does separate (its called Delamination)
Because of the cheap glues and materals used they are more prone to insect and moth attack,and are therefor treated with chemicals in the country of origin,often because the use of these chemicals would be banned in this country.


I believe that this at least one of the causes of chest complains in babies and other people who spend lots of time on the floor. :?

[mushroom]

and another one is blooming bricks,I kid you not when I took my second plot over and cleared it there was enough bricks to build a house. :evil:

was fortunate not to have that, but buried broken greenhouse glass door and greenhouse panes was enough! took "under the (rotten, filthy, infested) carpet" to a whole new level!

[leeky]

Fella next to me has made paths from carpet, but he has put black plastic under the carpet.

It turns out one of the runs he made covers some of my plot, I claimed half the path back (tucked the carpet under) and found smooth soil, not a weed in sight.