How do l make stone garden bed ?

l want to start putting in stone and rock garden beds everywhere but how do l stop the grass comming back - cheaply ? ls there a simple cheap way to make them ?
l saw one with plastic under it but l don't really want to use plastic and l also saw one on a home show but they dug down 100 ml , put sand then stones but l have a lot of area to do and that's not practical , couldn't afford it anyway .
l was hoping l could just start the stones and beds on the surface once l killed of the grass but then l guess it would keep comming back through right ?
Any ideas appreciated .
Mkc

Just use some glysophate spray (Roundup,etc) on the grass as it comes through for a while. It is a systemic herbicide and will kill the plants roots and all but is non-residual so does not hang around to affect the plants you put in later. When you have slowed it down enough then plant away.

When I start a garden I spray the area a couple of times before even starting to build the bed. Looks rough with the dead lawn but is easier in the end.

Good luck

Port Campbell - Victoria. Nice spot.
Other than poison:

Weedmat (aka shadecloth but sold for extra $) over the grass/under the rocks. Stops any weed seeds sending down deep roots - making them easy to pull out.

Black builders plastic under rocks. Can tend to lift up and show after heavy rain if runoff 'wells' up underneath.

If you have a home steam cleaner - steam the grass. Probably not a good option if you have a large area, but it kills the grass just a well as poison.

Water grass and then cover with black plastic. Heat builds up and cooks grass and seeds/seedlings, leave for a 2 weeks and remove. Poison would be better than this option unless you are worried about pets/kids and the poison.

IMO the shadecloth is the better option.

I've used weedmat before and it works well. I tend to put it down for a few weeks weighted down with a few rocks to kill off all the grass underneath. Then dig the ground over, replace the weedmat, mulch and then plant away.

Trav

I've had problems with weedmat in a situation where I planted shrubs through the mat, and then covered in decorative gravel. The shrubs did not prosper and I later discovered the 'porous' weed mat stopped water penetrating. There was some dust in the gravel but that shouldn't have completely blocked the rain from reaching the soil and roots.

Maybe it was exascerbated by the recent (Sydney) drought, ie the water evaporated before soaking thru? Either way, something to bear in mind.

My neighbours put old newspapers under their mulch, they say it works just like weedmat, and rots down after a while to improve the soil. Dunno if they're right, they're greenie tree huggers though, so I guess they've studied up.

My parents used to have a 3.5 acre garden, most of which was garden beds. It's much easier to maintain gardens than lawn. All of it was covered with newspaper (and we're not talking 1 or 2 sheeps, but the whole paper simply opened up) and then council mulch on top. Some weeds come through but they are easy to pull out. Needs remulching every few years.

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How do l make stone garden bed ?

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With stones?

sounds like a job for outback.

Hay Grunt do you recon we have hijacked the tread yet???

The newspaper idea is great, and of course cheap if you don't buy it first. I do this for my veggies, and have no problems with weeds for months. Weed the bed roughly with a hoe, leave them laying there, and put on some blood and bone, that chook poo pellet stuff, garden lime and any thing else you may need. Give the bed a good drink, and keep a watering can handy. Lay two or three full sheets of paper out, starting in the furthest corner, and with the handy watering can, give it sprinkle, then put enough topping (your choice) on top to keep the paper down, then overlap the next sheet and so on. The manure you put on first will be too strong for the weeds left there, and it will rot down to make good tucker for the plants. I use pea-straw on top for the veggies, and we get a few peas come up, which are edible, but as they are filed peas, not real tasty.

For a rock garden with flowers, I would use the weed net as well as the paper. Of course, seeds will blow with the wind, and birds will drop them in, even cats and dogs cart weed seeds about the place, and so, we gardeners have a full time job. The above idea though, certainly stops the seeds underneath, dead in their tracks.

If you don't have a plan, then nothing can go wrong.

Wow this is great thanks very much to all . l'm not much of a gardener , mind you l do grow nice green but - the rest is all new to me . We want to make big beachy rockbeds with mainly just tussex and rock/stones, maybe a few other things here and there but not many .

Thanks again.
Mkc

Buy a litre of a product called fusilade.

It is a grass only killer and glyphosate doent even compare.
It is quite expensive but one the grass is dead you wont see it reshoot for a long long time, unlike glyphosate.

Unfortunately, fusilade doesnt kill weeds as well...only grasses.

Steve

Try using one of the path weeder type herbicides. This stays active in the soil for a much longer period to prevent regrowth.

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Originally Posted by Paul B

My neighbours put old newspapers under their mulch, they say it works just like weedmat, and rots down after a while to improve the soil. Dunno if they're right, they're greenie tree huggers though, so I guess they've studied up.

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I did this once and found that it was more effective than the weedmat i used.

Andrew

Thanks again for the knowhow guys muchly appreciated , can't wait to get stuck into it now . A big thanks to Grunt also , mate that was one handy tip .

Cheers.
Mkc.

Dont laugh guys but after 3 houses and 20 years proof we grab old carpet or plain underfelt not rubber or synthetic stuff. Its thick enough to stop anything comming up but still allows water to penetrate will break down over years and if weeds start to grow on top they cant get their roots in deep. As I said the 20 years we have done this is proof. Dont use nylon its a bugger to get any weeds out of. For the next house we plan to build on 5 acres in 3 years I already have 5 trailer loads of underfelt ready :eek: Tonto