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Use old carpet as a weed mat

Submitted by David Mahoney (Melbourne, Australia).

I have been told that OLD CARPET makes a PERFECT "weed mat" for use on garden beds!

You lay it in and around your plants within the garden bed and it totally blocks any weeds from growing through, YET it is totally porous and allows rain and hose water to filter through the weave and therefore provides water for your plants!

Also it tends to block the evapouration of essential water from the soil, so in this way helps with water conservation, as less watering of the plants is necessary during the hot Summer months!

Another point is that the carpet takes a LONG time to break down itself, so it's "weed mat" properties do indeed last a long time!!

Obviously, the carpet itself would not LOOK all that good, lying there in full view, so the WHOLE and COMPLETED idea is to cover the carpet lining over with something like "tan bark", "wood chips" or even "mulch"!!

Voila! There you have it: A fantastic use for OLD CARPET!!

Visitors comments

Carpet Saves Water in Los Angeles Comments By: Leroy J. Essel on 2009-05-24

Starting June 1st, 2009 Los Angeles, California has been mandated to cut back water use by 15%. We are now being told to water only twice a week. I am going to use some old carpet my neighbor gave me to save water. Its a great idea from what I read and watched on UTube. Its interesting I have Eucalyptus mulch I got for free to cover up the carpet.

Question on Direction of Carpet Comments By: Christina on 2010-02-16

Any suggestions on which direction to lay the carpet, ie. pile/right side facing up or down?

Been using carpet for years! Comments By: Rachelle on 2010-08-26

I've been using carpet for years as a weed barrier. Also I used broken down boxes in one new flower bed. I plan on putting down carpet in our driveway before getting a load of chip gravel put down. I love it!Its free and easy to work with and last forever. Oh and put it pile side up as you would on the floor. The bark mulch tends to slide of the smooth backing side.