View Full Version : cloth between corm and mulch
jooonbug
08-22-2013, 04:23 PM
So the previous owner of my current home planted this banana tree. I noticed that between the corm and the mulch (chunks of wood), he pinned down some sort of dark cloth. You can see it in this picture:
http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=54298&size=1 (http://www.bananas.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=54298)
What do you suppose the cloth is there for, and do you think I should remove it?
sunfish
08-22-2013, 04:28 PM
Sure why not. Weed fabric
2woodensticks
08-22-2013, 04:32 PM
weed control ,moisture retention..anything that will help
jooonbug
08-22-2013, 04:47 PM
What's interesting is that this is the only place in the entire yard where he put down the cloth. The soil around all the other fruit trees is completely bare, with no mulch. I thought maybe this was part of some super secret banana growing technique.
I'll soon be heavily mulching most of the fruit trees. I don't like the fact that the cloth seems to be impermeable to all the invertebrates and even to the tiny broken down mulch particles that should be feeding the plant.
john_ny
08-22-2013, 06:29 PM
If it's solid black plastic, I don't think it's so good. However. if it's woven weed barrier. the rain can get through (and i think the beneficial juices from the breaking down mulch) From your picture, I can't tell which it is.
Lemmysports
08-22-2013, 07:01 PM
Agreed, it looks like a weed control fabric. Personally, I would get rid of it and just heap some compost/mulch on it. I like the worms to be able to move around, don't have much problem with weeds in my compost, and would be worried it would impede some pups. I'm sure it won't hurt if you leave it though.
LilRaverBoi
08-22-2013, 10:10 PM
It was probably an attempt to either prevent weeds from coming up around the plants or to keep pups to a minimum (and in a limited area so the mat doesn't spread). Leave it or remove it, it's up to you....personally, I'd remove it.
jooonbug
08-23-2013, 12:40 AM
Thanks everyone, I'll remove it when I get around to applying mulch in a few weeks.
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