Ground cover fabric for palms to control weeds and rooting?

[SoulofthePlace]

Could someone (in USA) recommend the best nursery ground cover to control weeds, which lets water, air, fertilizers and nutrients through, resists mildew and rotting, and prevents palms from rooting from pots into the ground and which would be sun resistant and last at least 5 years? Thank you in advance.

[mike2748]

I don't know of one the roots from pottrd palms won't go thru

[mike in kurtistown]

You're going to need a magic wand.

[KPL]

Please respond to this very important message, even if it's not a true magic wand, but close please!

Thanking you in advance.

Karolyn

[Dypsisdean]

  On 8/12/2012 at 6:33 PM, KPL said:

Please respond to this very important message, even if it's not a true magic wand, but close please!

Thanking you in advance.

Karolyn

Karolyn,

I think the problem with lack of answers to this one is that no such product exists. All the "weed fabrics" I have seen are meant to be covered with a mulch - for aesthetic reasons and for UV protection. Such a fabric allows water, air, and fertilizers to pass through, and will do a fair job stopping roots from pots getting into the ground as well. But, with a cover of mulch on top of the barrier, the roots from the pots just grow like crazy throughout the mulch. And over time weed seeds find their way to the mulch and do the same thing. The two times I tried that method it was more work removing the mess after several years than was the initial installation. And since the available widths are usually somewhat narrow, there ends up being a lot of "seams" that roots can exploit.

Most growers I have seen use shade cloth. And while it is UV resistant (so doesn't need mulch on top), it is more porous than weed fabric so roots can penetrate the more "open" the cloth is. And the cost is usually prohibitive if using new material. I think a lot of used shade cloth finds a second life on the ground for this purpose. And while it may help a lot, it is not near the total panacea that was asked for in the original question.

[KPL]

If ground cover is not the answer for weeds, please let us hear about the various experiences with mulch, from some of you.

Thank You,

Karolyn

[kahili]

the easiest way to stop plants in pots from rooting into the ground is to place the pots on something that is above the ground and yet lets air go underneath it. I use flats that I flip over so that the pots sit on the bottom of the flats and they are like mini shelves. You could also use milk crates or something similiar. As long as the pot is not sitting directly on the ground, it won't send roots out (unless its just too rootbound in the pot)

[Jerry@TreeZoo]

The short answer is if air and water and fertilizer can get through a nursery ground cover, so can roots.

There is a product called "Spinout" that is used to keep roots from circling inside a pot. It is sprayed inside pots and is effective on broadleaf trees (useless on palms). You might try spraying your groundcover with it. I have no clue what this chemical does to the groundwater though.

[Cindy Adair]

The former owner of our farm in Puerto Rico had many plants including palms in pots. She put them on top of several concrete blocks. Many of those trees managed eventually to grow over and around the blocks to firmly root in the ground. Some of the fruit trees are now fruiting with the plastic pot on top of concrete still in place. I have some plants in pots on top of a concrete floor there and (so far) they haven't grown through that... In Virginia, I've had the same experience with shade cloth/weedstop fabrics: They stop the weaker weeds for awhile but the persistent ones manage to grow through it. Due to the trouble and expense, I don't bother buying such products anymore. I'm sure some nursery owners could be helpful? My pots outside in Virginia are now on top of benches several feet from the ground and haven't managed to reach the ground (yet).