Underlays

Is it OK to put carpet underlay over soil and put small holes in it to reveal the soil below and plant ?

a seed in each hole? Does soil have to bask itself under the sun, moon, stars and wind and elements, to be enriched to germinate seeds. And does carpet underlay have chemicals in it that would damage the plants? Thanks Lisa, I didn't even know there was a weed suppressing membrane. I didn't become interested in gardening till I saw his methods, cos I don't like getting dirty and I don't like weeds. Ranger: this is carpet underlay, brown felty stuff, not real carpet. I was wondering if there was chemicals in it that would hurt the plants. I asked a carpet salesman this question today and he said that carpet underlay and also wool carpet is saturated with chemicals and he wouldn't recommend using them in the garden, but he said that synthetic carpet was safe.

Public Comments

1. I don't think it is a good idea as it would not be permeable enough to let sufficient rainwater through and the soil underneath could not breathe. Invest in proper weed suppressing membrane if you want to go down that route. Check out the bbc website for more gardening tips www.bbc.co.uk/gardening
2. 7-9 layers of newspaper is cheaper and more effective than weed barriers/cloth I've used. Mulch over paper of course. If you don't like getting dirty or weeding, I don't think you're gardener potential. Gardening is all about dirt and weeds.
3. Old Carpeting works just fine. It is hard to get though. Water goes right through it, but kneeling on the carpet is like kneeling on a wet sponge. I prefer to keep an old piece of dry carpet to kneel on when I am weeding to keep my knees from being in the damp soil. If you use carpet for mulch, You must cut a hole about 6 inches across and plant the seed in the opening, or use a seedling from a nursery. I use small pieces of carpeting trimmed to fit my pots for potted plants. Cut a line half way across the pot so you can slide the carpet around the plant. The carpeting holds in the moisture and prevents the potting soil from drying out. The newspaper covered by lawn clippings works best to hold moisture in the soil and keep the weeds from sprouting, and it keeps the soil light and fluffy for good root growth, but you must fertilize the plants as the grass and paper use the nitrogen in the soil as they break down.