[bondra76]

I've got an area of my house that has a thin layer of mulch left in it - probably 1 inch at best. It has some weed fabric underneath but weeds are sprouting up all over the place.


I am wanting to lay down new mulch but hauling off the old mulch and weeds on top of it seems like an expensive move.

Is it acceptable to pull up the old weed fabric, maybe rototiller the whole thing and then lay down the new fabric + gorilla hair mulch?

It seems like hauling away the old top layer is going to cost just as much as the new fabric/mulch combined (about $300-$500). Are there cheaper alternatives to this?

Thanks for any advice. I'm obviously a rookie homeowner/landscaper.

 

[ZTMAN]

If you are on the cheap, spray the beds with weed killer, after the weeds die, then add new mulch

 

[bondra76]

that's a great idea I had never thought of - thanks!

 

[DexterII]

Or, not being a fan of any kind of fabric, I would be more inclined to rake the old much into a pile, remove the fabric, at which point you will probably see that it's not worth reinvesting in, pull the big weeds, cultivate the smaller ones into the soil, sprinkle Preen over the area, toss your old mulch down, and cover it with enough new mulch to give you at least 3-4" of cover. The Preen will slow down any sprouts on the front end, after which you can fluff the mulch with a rake once in a while to stay ahead of the next round of weeds.

 

[mathmonger]

Geotextiles might be good to prevent dirt from washing through your retaining wall or clogging up your french drain. But they are terrible for blocking weeds.

Mulch by itself doesn't always work so great either - especially if an area has been neglected and the weeds have well established roots.

I use brown builder's paper. It gives you a little extra barrier in that critical first season and then it breaks down into the soil. After that, a layer if mulch is all you need.