Weed prevention, looking to drop some bark stuff

[thestrangebrew1]

I've got a few areas in the front of my house that have weeds coming up. I was thinking of laying down some bark/wood chip stuff on it to prevent weeds from coming up. Is there a tried and true process? How thick of a layer do I need to lay down? If I have to go deep, I'll have to dig some dirt out of the spots I want to lay the stuff down. Do those landscape fabrics work?

 

[herm0016]

only use fabric for rocks, the bark decays and becomes dirt, making the fabric useless.

i try to get at least 4 inches, and 6 if i have enough.

i used chip drop last year and it's great. I paid 20 bucks for about 3 yards of really excellent mulch delivered. we have a lot of mulched areas on our acre though and we will get another load soon. go to a local materials place and get it. much better than the bagged and dyed stuff, and cheaper too.

 

[AlanWade]

We put down some fabrik then bark over it (not sure of the correct english term) it was just a few centimeters thick but has worked a treat up to now.

 

[bbhaag]

Lay down some weed barrier and then add a nice thick layer of hardwood mulch. Make sure you get a quality hardwood mulch with a high bark content not the cheap shit from a gas station or a box store. If this is a large area call your local nursery or garden center and see what it costs to buy in bulk either by the ton or cu. yard. Since this area is bare I would recommend three to four inches the first year then every other year add a one or two inch topdressing. That will keep it looking fresh and help keep the weeds down.

 

[thestrangebrew1]

Thanks guys. I got some fabric from a friend for a free so I may as well throw some of that down to see how it turns out. I still have to clear the areas with weeds first so I'll be doing that most of the week, then look into getting some mulch.