Woven plastic mat for garden mulch

[adoremybabe]

Yay or Nay?

I have a huge roll of woven black plastic mat material. I had a thought that maybe it would be excellent for inbetween my veggie garden rows to keep the weeds down.

It will be less work and less money used if I can use it. It is woven so I am assuming that the rain water will still make it's way through. I can also cut random slits in it to help the process.

What do you think?

[lightheart]

What's it's original use intended for? Have you ever had it/used it/seen it exposed to the sun for a length of time? I'm wondering is it going to crumble apart from exposure like a grocery store bag? I have seen black trash bags sit out too for a length of time and crumble... makes a messy mess. That would be my 1st concern. The other negative might be that weeds could grow up through the woven area and you end up with a mat of grass that is difficult to weed. Is it slick when it gets wet? are you going to be slipping and slidding around in the paths when it does get wet or when muddy? Positives would be keeping things moist underneath, warming up the ground because it's dark colored. Keeping the weeds down. It would not rob any nitrogen from the soil like a straw, wood chip, or wood batrk mulch would, but it isn't going to add any organic material to the soil either.

[adoremybabe]

I have no idea what's it's intended use is. It's a thick mat...something that my parents have used to protect the floor under their vehicles.

I don't think that weeds would be able to grow through it... the weave is in mulptiple layers.


Thanks for your input!