Groundcover for creating a cactus patch in semi-wild locations

[mutant]

I have never used any ground cover when planting outside and the results were devastating, lol..

Weeds are what we want to fight here...

I have never used either nylon or waved (perforated) groundcover, but I am thinking the best for my use is the waved one.

I read nylons keep the soil warmer, and clear nylons even more.. But the waved one, which actually looks like a very dense shadecloth that allows no light through, seems like the best solution as you can water and fert more easily, they are more durable as cacti form shallow and surface roots, the perforated/waved groundcover with allow water in the roots and allow for a much .... thinking to cover the groundcover with stones to keep it in place...

what do you think?

here's one of the patches that I have temporarily made

[Schrodinger's Khat]

I like the backdrop/scenery, that's going to look goooood in a few years

[mutant]

well lets hope so, the area can have some cold temps in winter, but the spot should be more protected than previous ones...

[Kykeion]

Looks awesome there mutant.

Initially I was thinking you could look into some form of sheet mulching, however it does not provide as long term a weed control as say weed matting would. Also the increased moisture retention and organic matter probably would not be appropriate for cacti.

If the weed barrier you are considering is somewhat similar to the product I inked above then I think it would work pretty well covered in a gravel mulch. I just wouldn't recommend using anything like the temporary material in your photos as I think they would prevent the cacti from getting enough water.

[Quixote]

Looks good, but I don't understand why weeds should be a problem. The cacti should be able to fend for themselves, after all that's what they do in their homelands as well...

But if it's more for your own ease of not having to weed the patch all the time to be able to see your cacti, then I understand it somehow

[waterboy 2.0]

gravels/cobbles as a mulch...then temporary cover if/when weeds invade to kill them? like old carpet or some such shit.

Rock mulch might help hold and release a bit more heat in the cooler periods.

I've found nothing good ever comes from weed matting, I've regretted any time I've used it and am still dealing with the

legacy of some early attempts to use it. Fckn plastic shit.... a true geotextile is a better bet, but I won't use it.

Only use open geotextile/geomatting for stabilising grass on slopes now. Jute/hessian also may be an option for establishing

as its biodegradable.....just.

[mutant]

Quix

cacti on the habitat grows very slow

but I have tried this before without weed-protection and they dont grow at all where I am.

So, not only I dont live where the cacti originate from, but I got lots and lots of rain during automn and winter, where they dont grow (but they weeds do!), and also when the weeds get tall enough, they steal all the sun from the cacti.

Hey did you know Greece has as much plants (species numbers) as the rest of Europe? We got lots and lots of weeds.. Thankfully some are eaten!

[Anodyne]

When I first saw this thread title I thought you were going to talk about growing plants as groundcover around cacti - I've been thinking about planting some kinds of aizoaceae around mine to keep weeds down.

[mutant]

crawling delospermas look wood, especially in sloppes, but weeds here go through them. It does work up to a point a guess, as they form a dense surface root...

[Micromegas]

Hi mutant. I have weeds like you would not believe, they grow to about 60cm in mid winter, mostly wild oats. In the beginning, you could not even see my plants as they were only 30cm tall. 7yrs down the track they are slowly gaining the competitive edge. The only control i do is whipper snip in mid-spring when they are dry. I have given up planting schickendanzii because they just disappear, same with echinopsis and ferocactus. If I want to grow those (which I rarely do), they need a raised bed, but the raised beds get covered in weeds too and weeding around ferocactus is the most dangerous cactus-related sport!

But they all still grow, and there isn't even much evidence they are much inhibited. I believe this is because the weeds grow when the cactus are dormant (in winter) so there is not direct competition. Their main impact would be transpiration of soil moisture in early spring but if you get the snipping right, they can reduce evaporation. I personally don't think they affect the soil nutrient profile coz they all rot back into the ground and the soil is pretty nutrient deficient anyway.

So! what am i trying to say...

I hate to say it but i think it is your soil profile that is the problem. It looks shallow, acidic and limely, although it looks better in the other thread once you have dug it up, in the before shot I would say cacti would not like it there at all. Trichocereus don't perform well underneath pine trees and trichos I planted in a limestone infested spot in my garden have not thrived, although they did not die either.

To put you in the picture my climate is mediterranean, with late autum, winter and (if it's a good year) early spring rain. This summer, from late September to last week it did not rain AT ALL, with many many hot days. During the summer, the decomposed weeds from winter are very important in protecting the soil. I would be interested to know your winter lows, where i live it rarely goes below zero but I think cacti could handle -5ok.

My main method in combating weeds now is by planting shrubs about 1-2m apart and these slowly are thinning the oats. I have planted a lot of a plant called carpobrotus roseii and that can do the trick, as with some other small shrub-like mesbryanthenums.

Long story short, don't necessarily assume it is "weeds" that are limiting the growth of your plants. Fire doesn't help them either!!

Having said all that, I don't like the weeds in mid-winter. My garden would be better if there were less of them and 200km north of me in "red sand country" where there is not enough rain to grow winter weeds, i have seen trichos thriving. But red-sand country is excellent soil for trichos. But when the ground has fresh green growth in early autumn as the oats are germinating, that is when everything looks best.

Good luck!

[shaneygrog]

I have several problems growing cacti and succulents here on my small farm in the hills of central Victoria. The soil is very acidic, often very compacted due to previous horses kept here, while kangaroo like to nibble at some cacti and at night they hop into others, breaking them. I do also have a huge problem with native and non native grasses competing with my plants. I dig, mulch and remove grasses where possible but there is one other thing that works well. I use a little glyphosate herbicide around my plants. Grass here tends to grow in winter and spring when we get most of our rains and cacti and succulents don't really get going until late spring when the soil warms up. So if I use glyphosate sparingly when the grasses are starting to get some size but my plants are still dormant then the grasses die off with no harm to my plants. Later, when things have warmed up any remaining grasses can be removed by hand.

Some people like to avoid pesticides but it's just an idea you may wish to try.

[ThunderIdeal]

a sensible, integrated approach if you ask me ^ i also firmly believe that people who don't want to use systemic herbicides should try out contact herbicides. either way, a little herbicide used properly isn't going to hurt anything except the weeds, on the other hand ripping out grasses interferes with the soil quite a bit and also the roots of your plants. i can't speak for places with serious topsoil but in australia it's not ideal to keep fucking with the biomantle in a garden bed by ripping out massive clumps of grass root. in my climate invasive grasses can grow a massive rootball that engulfs other plants in two or three months. if you're trying to be the biggest hippie you can't keep ripping out massive rootballs like that.

Edited February 20, 2014 by ThunderIdeal

[mutant]

Micromegas thanks for the awesome and interesting post. And thanks all of ya. Yeah I wont use pesticides. Not a hippy, but I want to be able to lick where I garden, touch the soil with hands and all ...

I have to admit 60 cm long weeds are not really something. some grasses form so dense rootballs they will stop the growth of cacti overall. But then again, it might be the soil profile and all

Anywayz I am getting lots more water and we got lots of grasses here. In tha spot the winter lows are maybe -5, but not really often, and also rarely some frost

I remember ferret or somebody else doing cacti pretty well under pine, and yea, I am pretty sure the soil is not the best. But I am sure the cacti I have planted did not go well due to not preparing the soil in advance and not using some mulch for seeds...

when I am talking about no growth at all a whole season I am being literate.