My preferred weed control, no chemicals

Geo-TH,In · Aug 7, 2014

I was given some junk carpet. Turned it upside down and park my Jubilee toys on it. I have a total of 7 toys. I'm tired of fighting the weeds. The pic doesn't show the 2x4's I put down by the edge so I can put the wheel of mower on board and keep the carpet out of the mower.

George

Dave H (MI) · Aug 7, 2014

A word of warning. I tried that in the pumpkin patch under the giant pumpkins. Weeds will grow up thru it eventually and in a surprisingly short time you will have a carpet of sod. It is very hard to pull up at that point. I still find pieces of it when I work in that area. And the nap come off too and is part of your landscape forever...doesn't seem to rot.

Geo-TH,In · Aug 7, 2014

I removed all the sod. If the weeds grow, I will pull the carpet up and flip it over. Will post back when that happens.

25 years ago I used old carpet to landscape around my house. Many times better than fibric mulch. I covered carpet with wood chips, some with pee gravel. After a while, dirt will get there and you need to remove it and start over.

It's no big deal if it dosn't work, wait and see.
George

Glenn/Mn · Aug 7, 2014

Be sure to let us Know how your bug control works, you are sure to start a big collection doing that

redforlife · Aug 7, 2014

Good idea, but if I was to do that, I would need about 3 acres of carpet. I use to have a plan that worked pretty good. Whenever I hooked something up and used it, I would un-hook it someplace else just for the purpose of mowing. Worked pretty good for awhile, but now I either have to much stuff, or don't use it enough. Some stuff don't even get used over the coarse of a year and it sure can make your yard start to look junky. Sure glad I'm in the country with no close neighbors.

PJH · Aug 7, 2014

You've got it weighted down good, but it reminds me of the time I was going to slip past a tarp that I had laid out on the grass to dry. My Grasshopper sucked that whole tarp under the deck in a heartbeat and wrapped it around everything, killing the engine. Had to cut it out with a linoleum knife.

Geo-TH,In · Aug 7, 2014

Far enough away from buildings. I think the bugs are more interested in the horse poo pile and wood chip pile behind the fence.

Kickinbull · Aug 7, 2014

George M, A friend recommended the carpet deal to me for around trees. It worked fantastic, except when the carpet frays and I catch it in the mower. Not so good.

Geo-TH,In · Aug 7, 2014

I make home made mulch, horse poo. Put it around trees, them plant irises, tiger lillies or seedem. Saves weedwacking. Makes the circle around tree bigger and easier to mow. I have everything ringed or lined with flowers.

I've lost many trees because a mower deck hit the trunk or damages the roots. More flowers, less yard to mow.

old · Aug 7, 2014

My dad would use carpet in his garden which is now my hay field but the problem was he did not pick it up in the fall so guess what?? I am still fighting it and every once in a while I end up with some of it in a bale of hay

showcrop · Aug 7, 2014

I have run across too many partial old carpets that were left outdoors. They never give up moisture, they harbor mold, plants grow through parts and put roots through other parts. Very hard to pull out, and they come out only in many heavy pieces

Geo-TH,In · Aug 7, 2014

Old,
how are you? Everyone seems to worry about things growing it the carpet. I have a backhoe. Also recently bought a device called a brush grabber. It's easy for me to move my toys with the hoe and hook on to the carpet with the brush grabber and pick it up.

Long term plans are to get my tree trimmer to drop off wood chips. Cover the carpet with chips. That will be good for about 4 years before chips turn to a weed bed.

Then I'll move those chips and weeds to horse poo pile and let them decompose into the best fertilizer.

Everyone is worrying for nothing. Done this before.
Take care old.
George

ShadetreeRet · Aug 7, 2014

George thanks for the tip. Been wondering how to dispose of a couple rolls of old carpet and several dozen 2x2 ft carpet squares.

old · Aug 7, 2014

Ya it is not much problem if you pull it up and flip it every once in a while or other such things

jon f mn · Aug 7, 2014

Several years back I hauled dirt for a summer and one of the jobs I worked was moving the Duluth Mn. landfill because it was leaking. The part we moved was filled in the 70's. There were a good many rolls of carpet in there that you could still tell the color of. After 30+ years there was little deterioration of the carpets and diapers.

showcrop · Aug 8, 2014

(quoted from post at 19:21:15 08/07/14) Several years back I hauled dirt for a summer and one of the jobs I worked was moving the Duluth Mn. landfill because it was leaking. The part we moved was filled in the 70's. There were a good many rolls of carpet in there that you could still tell the color of. After 30+ years there was little deterioration of the carpets and diapers.

Jon, that is known to be typical of modern landfills, simply because of the cap. The water is essentially sealed out to prevent contaminates from leaching into the soil below. I was involved in the capping of my town's landfill.

My preferred weed control, no chemicals

Geo-TH,In

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Dave H (MI)

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Geo-TH,In

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Glenn/Mn

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redforlife

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PJH

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Geo-TH,In

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Kickinbull

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Geo-TH,In

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old

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showcrop

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Geo-TH,In

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ShadetreeRet

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old

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jon f mn

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showcrop

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