Expose Yourself to the Weeds and Grow!

06.03.2011
by Tami Gallagher

Weed Barrier - looks so harmless here doesn't it?

I have had some serious fights with weed barrier lately.  I think instead of barrier, it should be called bully-er.  It is a tyrant that torments me to no end, especially the industrial strength kind that you can’t even stomp a shovel through.

In most instances, I believe weed barrier is unnecessary.  Especially with mulch on top and/or perennials planted in it.  It may help to keep weeds at bay for a season or two, but after that it starts to do more harm than good. 

Leaves and other debris start settling on top; that and the mulch begin to decompose.  All of a sudden you have a great medium for weeds to start growing - on top of the weed barrier!  They send their roots down through the weed barrier and now it becomes even harder to weed.

Weeds coming through weed barrier

Then there's the choking.  If perennials were planted through the barrier, and not enough berth was given around the base, the plant cannot expand.  In some cases they die.  In other cases, they are hell-bent on expanding and start to grow on top of the weed barrier where they tend to become root bound or the roots girdle.  I've literally had to cut some perennials loose from the weed barrier, where they looked like they had just eaten up their enemy.


And, since I'm on a roll here with my weed-barrier trash-talking, it can stop moisture from getting to the soil, it can trap in heat, and, finally, it's not very environmentally friendly to dispose of.

As I was cutting out a Siberian Iris today that had swallowed up its opponent, I was thinking about what barriers we put up in our lives.  Although some of those walls may serve a temporary purpose, what harm are they doing us in the long run?  What walls do we put up, becoming a part of us and our identity? We no longer see who we really are without that particular wall in place.  What barriers do we put up to protect ourselves that end up keeping us prisoner?  What walls can we take down in our lives that might leave us a little more vulnerable (to the weeds in our lives), but ultimately leave us healthier over time?

Who or what are we trying to keep out, preventing us from growing and expanding?

My take away lessons for the day: Expose yourself.  Remove the weed barrier.  Tear down the walls.  Be vulnerable.  Breathe.  Loosen up.  Be receptive and open.  Be porous.  So you need to do a little maintenance now and then; you’ll grow in the long run.