Weed Recede® FAQ’s……Frequently Asked Questions
What are the benefits…why should I use Weed Recede®?
It appears, from all the industry information we can gather, well over 2 Billion plus plastic mulch, rock, sand, soil, shell, and rubber mulch bags are destined for landfills, waterways, and ocean in the U.S. each year.
Worldwide, the number is even more staggering. Each billion Single Use Plastic Mulch Bags will cover an area equal to 1.2X the size of Charlotte North Carolina. That is every year! That is a very large volume of plastic bags that can be easily diverted from the waste stream!
- Weed Recede® helps to reduce weeds in beds.
- Weed Recede® helps minimize movement of rock, gravel, shell, sand and rubber mulches through the soil.
- Simple, fast, and easy to use.
- Clean and precise application. Applicator stays cleaner while using. No dumping piles of mulch all over your shoes.
- No plastic bags to clean up and throw away after the installation.
- Consistent depth. No piles to try and move around in the beds. No mulch peaks and valleys in your landscape beds.
- Healthier for your plants. After almost 3 decades in the landscape industry, we can safely estimate that millions of shrubs are killed every year by homeowners improperly applying mulch and burying the crown of their plants.
What is it…how does it work? Weed Recede® is a patented mulch bag system that uses the proprietary bags to work as a weed block system. It works by applying a layer of material (soil degradable bags or non-compostable bags ) between the soil and the mulch. It helps block sunlight from reaching seeds and helps mechanically suppress weed development.
How do I use it? Weed Recede® is very fast and simple to install. Simply place the whole bag in the bed with the Top side facing up. Remove and tear apart on top, side, and bottom. The bag will lay out flat in the bed. Push the mulch over the entire bag……that’s it! The typical response from homeowners who use it for the first time are…Wow, that is fast!…or Wow, that is really easy. When using the rock/gravel bags, place the entire bag in the bed. Peel all the way around the 3 sides of the bag..and lay the bag out flat. Push the material over the bag,..and that’s it.
How long will it last in my landscape beds? It is impossible to know for sure as soils and conditions vary. For the soil degradable bags, it all depends on the microbial activity in your soil type. The wetter the landscape bed and the higher the temperature and microbial activity, the quicker the bag will break down. Cooler, drier climates with less microbial activity may see season long weed control. Organic levels, moisture, and heat typically increase microbial activity.
How much do I use? How much does 1 bag cover?
It all depends on how deep you want your mulch to be. One of the benefits of using Weed Recede® compostable mulch bags, is that if you cover the entire organic type bag with approximately 2 cubic feet of contents, you will get a consistent 2+ inch coverage. At that rate, the bag covers approximately 8 square feet. If you choose to apply at a 3 inch rate, just overlap the bags more, and you will get about 6.5 square feet of coverage. Most people find 2” to be enough, as the bag helps suppress weeds. It is your choice and adjusting the depth is easy. Inorganic mulch bags (Rock, Rubber, Shell) are typically around 2.5 to 3 square feet depending on the material and bag size.
Can’t I just use paper? Many folks try to use shredded paper or Sheet Mulching to try to combat weeds. Some try regular kraft papers. (brown bag type paper). There are quite a few drawbacks to these kinds of Sheet Mulch papers. Often times, shredded paper will “crust” and become similar to paper mache’. It doesn’t last very long either. Many cardboard boxes or reused materials are often coated in plastic and can have antimicrobials and binders that can be a negative addition to your soils. We have been studying and testing soil degradable bio plastics over the last few years and have been able to successfully last much longer than papers.
What materials are available in the bags? Most any type of mulch can be used. Organic mulches such as bark, wood chips, soils, and shredded woods can be used in the compostable bags. Rock, Sand, Shell, Crushed Rock, and Rubber mulches are typically used in our non-degradable bags. These bags open and are applied in the same way, but the non-degradable weed cloth bag does not degrade like the soil degradable bags do. Special heavy weight and quality long term weed cloth materials are used and really simplify the mulch/weed barrier application process. When applying Rock, Rubber, Gravel, etc, it really makes sense to use a ground cover to help stop weeds, and to minimize rock movement into the soil. The Weed Cloth bags are a #5 plastic and will recycle in some but not all areas and townships.
How do I go around shrubs or trees already in the landscape?
It is very easy to get around existing landscape materials. Just fold it under, cut, or tear a slit in the bag where you want to slide it around the plant. Once you have a tear the correct length…just slide the bag up and around the plant. Push the mulch over the bag at the back of the plant and avoid burying the crown. Its easy. When using our Weed Barrier Cloth bags, just fold or cut to fit.
What about Groundcovers such as Ivy and Liriope (Border Grass)?
Groundcovers such as Ivy and Liriope (Border Grass) are typically not going to require a groundcover and it makes sense to just add a little mulch by hand. You can however tear the bags into pieces and place small parts anywhere it is needed.
Weed Recede®…Soil Biodegradable Weed Barrier Mulch Bag System.
