Everywhere you look in the garden, colorful flowers, lush shrubs, crunchy vegetables and lots of weeds are sprouting up. It says: weed, weed and weed, so that the rampant weeds don't soon grow over your head. This would not have happened with a mulch film - also known as weed film - because it reliably keeps unwanted growth away. Read the following guide on how to use the weed film correctly, what you should look out for when buying and which manufacturers are recommended.
Mulch film prevents weed growth
Our recommendations
our recommendation
30m² garden fleece weed fleece weed film mulch film mulch fleece 150g 1.2m wide + 10 ground anchors free
38.48 EUR To the product| material | polypropylene |
|---|---|
| broad | 1.2 meters |
| Enough for | 30 square meters |
| grammage | 150 grams per square meter |
| Weight | approx. 4.5 kilograms |
| particularities | UV-stable, rot-proof, incl. 10 ground anchors |
| Price/m² | approx. EUR {PRICE/30} |
This black weed film made of tear-resistant, rot-proof, frost- and hail-resistant polypropylene is easy to lay: simply cut to the desired size with scissors and lay it on the bed with an overlap of between ten and fifteen centimetres. To place perennials, shrubs or useful plants in the garden bed, cut crosswise incisions in the mulch film. The weeds don't stand a chance, as the film deprives them of light and thus stops growth. However, it is permeable to both water and air so that you can take care of your ornamental and crop plants appropriately. The mulch film is suitable for terraces and paths, for the rock garden, for flower and perennial borders and for vegetable beds. The foil does not rot and can be used several times.
our recommendation
Tear-resistant weed fleece garden fleece weed protection fleece with high UV stabilization 30m x 1.6m = 48m², strength: 50g/m²
29.99 EUR To the product| material | black synthetic fleece |
|---|---|
| Dimensions | 1.6 x 30 meters |
| Enough for | 48 square meters |
| grammage | 50 grams per square meter |
| Weight | approx. 2.4 kilograms |
| particularities | tear-resistant, rot-resistant. UV stable |
| Price/m² | about {PRICE/48} EUR |
This fleece is also rot-proof, tear-resistant, UV-stable and can remain in the bed for many years. It's easy to install: just cut to size, lay out in bed, cross cut foil for planting, plant in, then cover foil with mulch, topsoil or potting soil. Weeds can no longer grow, so you have less work with weeding. The mulch film is permeable to water and liquid fertilizer, so you can take care of your ornamental and crop plants as usual.
Another advantage of the fleece is its black colour: it retains heat, so your plants are better protected from the cold. You can use mulch film for all ornamental and crop plants, but it is not suitable for stabilizing slopes etc. Incidentally, you will not receive a roll - as shown in the product image - but a mat cut to the desired size and folded.
our recommendation
Windhager ECO weed fleece, garden fleece, anti-weed fleece, biological control of weeds, environmentally friendly weed film, 50 g/m², 5 x 1.6 m, black, 06719 5 m x 1.6 m
18.11 EUR To the product| material | Made from renewable raw materials, petroleum-free |
|---|---|
| Dimensions | 5 x 1.6 meters |
| Enough for | 8 square meters |
| grammage | 50 grams per square meter |
| Weight | approx. 1.3 kilograms |
| particularities | eco quality |
| Price/m² | about {PRICE/8} EUR |
If you don't want to put plastic film in your garden bed that you would eventually have to dispose of properly, this compostable mulch film is the right choice. This eco-mulch film is made from the bio-"plastic" PLA, which is made from corn starch and can be composted under industrial conditions (i.e. at temperatures in excess of 70 degrees Celsius). The sustainable, petroleum-free product is laid in the same way as synthetic fleece and has a similar lifespan in the garden bed.
Purchase Criteria
material
Mulch films are mostly made of plastics such as polypropylene, polyester or polyamide. These synthetic fabrics have the advantage that they are tear-resistant, rot-proof and therefore very durable. However, they are made from petroleum and are therefore ecologically questionable - not to mention that you have to dispose of them properly after a few years. If you don't want that, you can use compostable materials, for example based on corn starch. Such mulch films conserve resources because they are made from renewable raw materials and can also be easily disposed of - they are composted and thus returned to the raw material cycle.
properties
A good mulch fleece is permeable to air, because plants need sufficient oxygen to grow - only well-aerated soil is rich in microorganisms, which in turn are indispensable for the formation of humus and thus for plant health. Weed films should also be water-permeable so that you can water and fertilize your plants sufficiently. Very close-meshed nonwovens only let a little water and air through, and the water can accumulate here and lead to mold growth. Plants with a high water requirement should therefore be planted in a bed with foil that is not too close-meshed.
UV stability
On the other hand, the mulch fleece should not be translucent, as this only promotes the growth of weeds - for this reason, most weed films are black, as this color does not let any light through. In return, it stores additional heat, which in turn benefits your ornamental and useful plants. Also make sure you have a high level of UV stability, as UV light causes most materials to become brittle and brittle - you would then have to replace the foil, which quickly became unusable.
grammage / basis weight
The grammage refers to the area or square meter weight of a mulch fleece. Many products are offered with a grammage of 50, 100 or 150 grams per square meter. The higher the specified value, the tighter the pores and the denser the fleece. This means that while fewer weeds can get through, it also means that water and liquid fertilizer are repelled just as well. Therefore, mulch films with a basis weight of 50 grams per square meter are usually completely sufficient - unless the weed pressure in your garden is extremely high. Then you should choose a tighter mesh product.
Dimensions
Mulch fleece is mostly offered in roll form. These rolls are a meter or two wide and several meters long. There is also the option of ordering individual sizes. These nonwovens are usually folded into a rectangle. The product description states how many square meters the fleece is sufficient for - but be careful: When calculating the requirement, you must plan that the fleece will be laid with an overlap - between 10 and 15 centimeters per piece of fleece and side will be lost.
youtubefrequently asked Questions
When is which grammage useful?
Mulch film with a grammage of 50 grams per square meter is very suitable for the vegetable garden because it lets a lot of water and air through and keeps many weeds out. Only very stubborn weeds such. B. Giersch are not deterred and simply grow through the fleece. In heavily weed-infested gardens, a fleece with a higher grammage of 100 or even 150 grams per square meter makes sense - however, the latter can no longer be used for the kitchen garden, as it does not let enough water through.
Which manufacturers offer mulch film?
In addition to garden manufacturers such as Gardenmate, GardenFlora and Aquagart, there are some specialized manufacturers of nonwovens. These include, for example, the Polish company Plant-Protex, the Plantex brand belonging to the American group DuPont, and the German company AVO Vliesstoffe GmbH. There are also numerous other suppliers, such as hardware stores and garden centers, who offer their own brands.
How do you properly lay weed control fabric in the garden?
Before laying the fleece, you should carefully level the bed area, loosen it and free it from sharp stones and weeds. Always lay the fleece in such a way that the sides and edges overlap by 10 to 15 centimeters so that no weeds can get through any cracks. You can cut the foil with a simple pair of scissors. Spread them flat on the ground and make cross-shaped incisions at designated planting sites. Place the desired ornamental or crop plants in here, then cover the film with mulch, soil or pebbles. It should also be attached to the sides and thus secured against slipping, for example with ground anchors.
Which side should face up when laying?
Many mulch fleeces have a matt and a smooth side. However, this is due to the processing and has no influence on which side should be on top - the desired properties apply equally to both sides. So it really doesn't matter which side is facing up when laying.
equipment
ground anchor
our recommendation
GardenGloss ground anchors made of steel, non-galvanised (100 pieces) - stable ground anchors for weed fleece, garden fleece, fences and nets - 150 MM long, 25 MM wide, Ø 2.7 MM
12.95 EUR To the productSo that the mulch film remains immovable in the bed - and does not slip over time on (slightly) sloping surfaces or embankments - ground anchors are a good way to attach them stably and securely to the ground.