Weed free mulch beds without landscaping fabric.

Here's a quick video on how I prepared my new mulch bed without the use of landscaping fabric. You can find the Preen weed preventer below. This video is not sponsored.

Preen Weed Preventer.

[EddaElid]

The one thing I learned from this video is how to lay out mulch on a flower bed. Normally I pour the bag onto the flower bed. Takes forever not to mention the constant lifting. Now I know to lay the 20 bags of mulch on the flower bed and cut out the plastic and “presto” the mulch is instantly where I need it to be. Just minor leveling and I’m done. Thank you for the great idea.

[Tinyteacher]

To avoid mold in your mulch (which I am highly sensitive to), only apply 2” of mulch. That’s what’s recommended by professionals.
When I moved into my current house, the previous owner had layered about 5” of mulch on top of another layer of about 5”. It was full of mold including shotgun mold and dog slime mold. I was getting sick, so I asked the local nursery if there was anyone who removed mulch. He asked me if I was getting sick, and I said yes. He said he heard that all the time! No one wanted to remove mulch anymore, so I hired few guys who were scouring the neighborhood from another state doing tree pruning and they took it out. What a mess!

[robinjohansen]

Roundup does nothing on bare ground. It needs to be absorbed by the plant. Preen should be applied on top of the mulch according the label.

[ilblues]

Nice work! That makes it so much easier to mow and trim around.

[mickeyhughes]

1st class..good prep and super neat..👍🏼🇬🇧

[tylerk.]

I like how you used the stick edger to cut sod before digging. That saves a good bit of effort, I will use that trick next time. If this was me, I would use some cardboard or rosin paper underneath the mulch to forgo preen or roundup. Unless it’s a heavily weedy area, that seems a tad overkill.

[stuartkorte]

I like the idea of putting down the weed preventer. Laying the bags out is also an interesting idea because I usually skimp on mulch only for it not to work well.

[StewartHaasNewman]

I used preen AND landscape fabric in my front yard around 2 pine trees this year. Hardly anything has grown in that bed. Been so nice

[sphinxceo]

Great work! I have Creeping Charlie in my yard that grows on top of mulch so I can't win. 😸 Also established pokeweed that have roots that need to be dug out.

[stevebabiak]

I spread the Preen first before spraying the Roundup - that way I can avoid stepping in / on wet Roundup and the unwanted tracking of the Roundup onto grass from the soles of my shoes. Also, Preen relies on liquid to better activate its ingredients - hitting it with the Roundup does some of that activation.

[MrRaptorman]

I use the plastic landscape sheeting. The problem most have is the maintenance. Mulch eventually breaks down into dirt no matter what is under it. It needs to be removed and replaced every 5 or so years.

[webeducation]

As a side note to those who plan on spraying roundup. Please wear your P.P.E.. Long sleeves, gloves, pants, protective eyewear, and mask.

Regarding some of the comments: Depending on the version of roundup, will depend on how long it stays active in the soil. The "regular" version stays active 3-5 days. Preen is a preemergent, which I believe is isoxaben, which is technically "Gallery", which is best used for broadleaf weeds and not necessarily grassy ones.

[naturehacker]

I use contractor paper and it works well. Re-apply every year or so and mulch over it. I was interested to see the solution here but then realized the solution was pouring 2, 4 D on the lawn, an ingredient that was used in Agent Orange which caused a lot of birth defects and other horrific things. No thank you! It's not too long from now that sh$%t will hit the fan and you will need to replace that landscaping with fruit trees and vegetables and you will have wished you didn't pour poison on the only land you have. If the product wipes out vegetation and no life wants to grow there, there is a reason. It's toxic! 2, 4 D in Preen doesn't stay on the property. It washes off the lawn into waterways where it is slightly toxic to aquatic life, like the fish you will need to eat- you guessed it- when the sh$%t hits in the fan in the near future.

[SciaticaDrums]

Just get it delivered by the yard! OMFG! And sorry, no Round Up on my property unless it's killing Japanese Knotweed.

[Cardiff]

Once you have your sod sliced and diced, use a Pulaski. The sod peels like an orange with very little effort using the hoe side. Works great.

[devinhampton]

nice. i wish i would have seen this video about 3 month ago. 👍🏽👍🏽

[garyjohnson]

What was wrong with the grass under the trees? It looked just fine.

[flariat]

30 years of lawn work I've NEVER seen anything that will keep Bermuda grass out of beds...itll find it's way in there no matter what you lay down.
Sprinkle some Preen
In your flower beds...that will not hurt flowers or vegetables plants!
Do it 3 times a year or spray plain, white Vinegar....works great!

[girardeauxelgordo]

To
Too much mulch (4 inches is way too much) is not good for trees, especially around trunk and flares. Talk to an arborist. Too much mulch is a common problem.

[flying]

Don't need to use chemicals. Don't even have to remove weeds and grass. Just lay sheets of corrugate cardboard on the ground over grass and weeds in the shape you want... Soak the corrugate with water... Put your mulch on top of soaked corrugate.
The soaked corrugate kills all the weeds and grass under it and is a barrier between the ground and your mulch. The corrugate slowly decomposes beneath the mulch. Every year just add another layer of mulch. Any weeds or grass that seeds itself into your mulch beds are easy to pull out because they have seeded in loose mulch not hard ground.