Best weed membrane [UK]- heavy duty and landscape fabric weed barrier & liner to prevent weeds

I decided to go with a fabric as I wanted the ground to be able to breathe and water to filter far more efficiently. That’s why I picked the top rated weed control fabric from GardenMate. Now, I’m not saying a woven heavy duty solution won’t work, quite the contrary, but it’s been my experience that although the fabric is not as hard wearing as the heavy duty plastic type woven material, the ground breathes better and therefore dries out far more quickly. This was important to me as I have covered over some pathways and do not want stagnant water to sit for days on end, waiting for a real hot day to dry out.

I found the GardenMate super easy to lay and I will say that following the simple steps of rolling out a couple of metres and then laying a few handfuls of stones to keep it down then you just can’t go wrong. At 105g per m2 it’s pretty thick. You’ll be impressed by the quality without doubt.

They ask for a 10cm overlap to be effective, I gave it nearly 30cm as my width was a little under 2m and I wanted to be absolutely sure. They also say clearly to remove all weeds. I didn’t do that, I levelled the area and hammered it with weed killer as I mentioned above and to date there isn’t a weed in sight. In fact I’m over the moon with the results, I’ve used it to throw the old bikes, insulation remaining from the shed conversion, step ladders, and anything else like my tower scaffold out the way. An absolute right result is how cheaply I cleared up that area with the help of GardenMate weed control fabric.

It’s my opinion that fabric is a much better liner to prevent weeds for one very good reason. The fabric is far tighter than the mesh, I’ve had all sorts of problems with weeds growing through the mesh over the years but fabric so far has restored my faith in weed membranes actually doing what they are supposed to do!

I’m quite a fan of GroundMaster as their product is all one one page and you can select from a myriad of widths and lengths. This is ideal if you have larger areas and want to reduce joints. I would probably have used this product if not for the fact I wanted a fabric rather than mesh for the latest project I just documented. With that said, I have used this with much success on square areas and in particular under driveways where bigger loads and a more durable product is required. The new thing is to use paving mats or grids. I would have no problem using this mesh under these as it’s more than strong enough and still provides enough drainage. What was so attractive is the ability to get 5m width, this makes most reasonably sized projects doable without a joint which just saves that little bit of effort.

If I had a project that required the ground to breathe, I would certainly default back to fabric but for stronger requirements this is a nice and cheap solution.

A few years ago there was some calls that the product wasn’t the full 100g/m. So being the sad little individual I am I had to place the 1 * 10m reel on a set of scales to be sure. Sure enough it weighed in at 1.02kg. So I’m not sure how the customer that mentioned this a few years ago came about getting the wrong product but I certainly didn’t and you can buy with confidence. One thing I will say, I bought 20m once and I had a bit of a wobble when it was half a metre in width, turns out it was folded in half so don’t panic, open the packet before you start getting worked up 🙂

Couldn’t do a review without mentioning the Pro-Tec 125gsm Gold-Line Weed control fabric. Pretty obviously at 125g/m it’s robust and will last. But what might surprise you is just how well it’ll last when not covered! It stays strong through the whole summer. The sun will not deteriorate this membrane quickly. In fact, they claim a lofty 40 year lifespan but how am I supposed to tell you if this is true 😀 Certainly it’ll last many years and very very heavy duty no question.

You might be wondering why this is a big deal me jabbering on about the lifespan? Well from my perspective this is the best pick if you’re looking to set up a planting area to retain moisture. While water will pass through, it’s not as easy as fabric, it then however has the distinct advantage of being able to keep ground moist.

Imagine keeping your veg patch damp for the best part of the day? What a result…Built to last, weeds rarely get through the mesh, and it’s an all round quality solution to weed control.

ANSIO Weed Membrane 1x50M, Weed Control Fabric,Ground cover Membrane

ANSIO’s Weed Membrane made my list for one reason. The 90g/m is legitimately strong. It doesn’t tear or fray easily and you’ll need a sharp knife, preferably a utility knife in order to cut it easily. Being a well known brand with thousands of sales you can buy in confidence.

Personally I would use this weed membrane for raised beds, it would be absolutely ideal for rows of strawberries or similar. It’ll help retain moisture well, still allow watering to pass easily, and then has enough durability to ensure that weeds don’t get a free run. Like most weed membranes it is made with UV protection but this product really does seem to do well above ground.

It comes folded rather than a roll. Personally I prefer the roll because it’s easier to lay but folded is not a big deal, I presume just down to their packaging policies which are clearly working for them as there are very little returns to note.

Lita weed barrier is a quality product weighing in at 125g/m2. You won’t have any trouble using this for landscaping and driveways. It’s tough, durable, and heavy duty but what I really like about it is the stripes. Seems trivial but it gives you an easy guide if you’re purchasing this for a raised strawberry bed, or any row planting for that matter. It’s a nice little touch.

Being 125g/m its durable and at this quality its pretty well priced too for one of the really genuine heavy duty weed barriers. Much like the protect it’ll do everything including gravel and driveways. The mesh is pretty tight and I haven’t had any customers reporting to me issues with weed growth. That is over samplings of literally hundreds of buys so you can buy this weed membrane in confidence. That rounded up our weed membrane and landscape fabric best picks. I hope you found something of use here.