I have been using the woven landscaping fabric for the past 4 years and the fabric is still holding up strong. I love having no weeding in the garden and still able to walk in the garden no mud to deal with.
Check out prior comment for more detail but it is largely not an issue with this fabric. It’s more of a concern when you are using one use plastics. When you burn holes, you don’t leave any frayed edges that continue to break down. There are no perfect solutions and everything has a downside but I don’t think that micro plastics is a big problem the way we’re using this. There are huge upsides to using this method. We have tried a lot of different things and this is by far the best solution for growing at scale.
BRILLIANT!!!! Nice looking lavender....it's going to be absolutely breathtaking when it blooms!! Necessity is the mother of invention....thanks for sharing!❤
Awesome!!! I am 70 years old almost and so often in the past I have thrown in the towel on my garden because of weeds. So this year....bought the woven weave. Putting it down now but stumped on how to quickly burn holes. Love your way...just not sure how to attach can to torch....Can you describe that in a little more detail? Appreciate you taking time to show us this method of burning holes. Jesus bless.
So glad you found it helpful! I cut a roundish hole in the bottom of the can first by using a drill bit to start a hole and then used tin snips to cut further out. You can use any type of metal cutter, but that is just what I had. I used pliers to pry back the metal and then cut it away with the snips. Once I had a hole, I drilled a few more holes along the sides to put wire through. I looped the wire through the holes and around the torch above the head. If you want to skip all of this I have seen people burn holes free-hand, but they just don't look as clean without the can. Best of luck!
A cross. A "+" cut. Not a large circle. Assuming the purpose of the fabric is to prevent any and all competition. A cross-shaped cut can also be taped shut, unlike a circular hole, if the event of re-use ever occurs. Right?
Yep. All of our stuff in plastic is permanent so we have no need to seal it back up. Also a cut edge in woven fabric gives you frayed edges which doesn’t occur when you’re burn. When we first started using this fabric, we did do some cutting and just didn’t care for the way it looked and the difficulty of planting into it. Both techniques have their uses though 👍
When I was young, weeding in the garden was rare until now it’s hard to control. It’s somewhat a world tragic. Now I use liner too. Even now at my childhood home, I can’t walk barefooted in the yard anymore. If you use seek app to identify weeds in your garden or yard, you will find that 5 out of 30 weeds are native floras!
I would say a big no I’m in landscape fabrics. First, you’re burning micro-plastics into the soil. Secondly, water will run off, rather than penetrate into the soil. Microbes could be killed off, beneath that hot fabric. You’re better off using wood chips as mulch. It’s better for the soil.
So you don’t think you’re gonna burn those plants up with the black canvas on the ground? That tarps going to get hot in the summertime. It has to affect those plants. Just a thought.
We had an extremely hot summer last year, and the lavender did just fine. We have grown various types of aromatic plants this way for years and they all seem to do really well. Also, something that I didn’t mention in the video is that it really helps retain soil moisture with the plastic over top. There is less evaporation which keeps the soil cooler👍
Nice! I have been doing research on what fabric to use for weeks now. I a finding so many opinions on brands and types. I am in a windy location so looking for a wide width. I want to do this once and will spend the money! Woven vs non woven, UV resistance with no mulch on top, and edible crop safe and good permeability! Try and get that info from the manufacturer? It will be walked on often and left on the garden all year. I had been looking at 8 oz Super Geotextile non woven as a choice, but am still confused with all the other choices. Help! thanks!
We really like the woven without mulch on top for ease with what we do. The woven allows water to pass through so you can overhead water. Piling mulch on top I think would lessen the life span. We get some good wind and have found that as long as the soil isn’t super loose underneath and if we used enough pins that it holds up great. That’s my opinion. Good luck!!
Micro plastics are the biggest risk with single use plastic products and plastic that is under the soil that can more readily break down. Although there is always a risk of this, when using anything plastic, some ways we have mitigated this are by growing plants that we do not harvest for food in the plastic and burning holes so that there are not frayed edges that lose small pieces of plastic. We have seen quite a few lavender growing operations, and it is very difficult to do anything at scale without some use of plastic. All things considered the type of plastic we are using and the technique we are implementing makes me feel good about our practice 👍
What if, you had put down some card board under your material? And perhaps, maybe a bit of shredded paper under the cardboard?… just to give it a little something underneath? Cmon pal? Huh? Whatdoyasay? I just don’t like reading that the fabric may possibly be a little harmful without organic material in between it and soil for those cutesy worms 🪱 & micro-somethings. And someone else comment about farming- which got me to thinking 🤔- about Farming! And the what’s & how’s of long ago, up to now. But… I think all this makes me Nervous for y’all… only bc I’m just Beginning! Like, I’ve been researching up the wahzoo for 3 years now & am literally taking a Break from the work right right now, this minute, bc im Just @about to Start planting! (Yay) and, Well I came to watch some of my favorite people for a few min. - for inspiration. And… I Happened upon LS Fabric Comments ONLY bc im in a pickle up front! (Yard) And you didn’t list your fabric name (😠) lol JK soooo I had to hunt it down in comments! But I kinda get the comments about the soil concerns. Bc it kinda popped into my brain too, as I ReWatched vid. Now, knowing more than I did first time. I donno Anyhow … why am I even commenting Get ta work ! I gotta get Ta Work! Thx ! I ❤ lavender !! (Sorry, had spelling errors, K teacher, bahahaha had to edit)
That’s great you are so excited about farming. We have some good organic matter underneath the fabric already but it never hurts to add more. We didn’t want to put cardboard or paper or anything like that because we are certified organic and it would make burning the holes and planting more difficult. Best of luck, farming!
Very depressing to cover the ground with so much plastic... Mulch and no-dig methods work just as well at making weed-free conditions and are so much better for the soil, and have the benefit that they don't create new microplastics. 😞
I understand the sentiment, and we have done that in the past. We used to have the whole area covered in mulch and it was a lot more upkeep. Also, when we harvest this keeps everything really clean. It stays remarkably cool under the plastic and the soil seems to be very healthy. We have very busy lives and we do this for profit and the fabric has been life changing. Thanks for the comment.
That hasn't been my experience, no matter what I do the weeds find a way. Especially with all the rain we're having, I wish my crops would grow as well. I make my own compost, my own wood chips, use drip irrigation, no dig..none have proven to work.
There is no perfect solution and it’s true that weeds will always find a way. A more accurate title would be minimal weeding necessary. We have very light weeding once the plants are big and healthy because there is hardly any real estate or sunlight available to the weeds. We have tried a bunch of techniques like yourself, and this has been the only sure fire way That we have been able to grow at scale without a lot of weeding. We do have a normal garden and some raised beds and there is always weeding a plenty. Best of luck this growing season.
Only the top layer is warmer. We’ve dug down to check on soil health and everything looks really good. Obviously it’s better if you have a ton of organic matter on top of it but the fabric allows water through and covers it from the sun. There are always small, trade-offs, no matter the methods you use. We are certified organic and the vast majority of our property is not covered with fabric. It allows us to grow lavender in a profitable way. Thanks for the comment.
@@FarmProjects Note taken. And. For what it may be worth. Please bear in mind H2O2 sanitation of plants. Preventative. 90,- 120cc of 3% in a gallon of good water. Test spray. Then. With no chemical burn. Wet all plants 100% . (Work up to 120cc/gal.) For an outbreak. Skip a day and repeat. Two days after spray bicarbonate of soda. 2 tablespoons per gallon of water. And again weekly for maintenance. Although H2O2 comes with/is in rainwater. H2O2 is not classified as organic. And when this may be an issue. Replace the H2O2 with HCIO / HOCl / hypochlorous acid / same thing. Which is produced by the human body as well. A 100ppm solution. Ecolox Tech in Florida can supply a little kettle to make this yourself. I'm in SA. Purchased one. And when looked after well. Lasted for umpteen cycles. Works wonders. Best of republican luck! (With HOCl I had 16 lab tests done before I perfected an acceptable formula. Can share this.)
@@noallpro Hello there noallpro. Hey. Maybe you're right. Maybe I'm crazy. But Iv'e researched too many excellent soil regeneration presentations on this channel. Although does each person do what he likes. And works for his system. For me. If i could create a 6" layer of mulch. So much the better. God bless.
