The mulch cloth remains one of the best allies of the gardener to take care of his plants. It protects the vegetable garden, keeps weeds away and preserves the humidity of the plantations. Its importance in the world of gardening means that you must choose it carefully. And this detailed guide will help you find the best mulch cloth for your garden or vegetable garden.
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Our selection
"This Aquagart mulch cloth is made of polypropylene. It ensures the protection of crops against weeds. Thick and robust, it resists well to frequent trampling."
"This 100% organic coir mat is perfect as a biodegradable mulch cloth. This natural and breathable fiber retains heat to protect your plants from the…"
"This synthetic mulching fabric is distinguished by its professional quality. Non-woven, it is especially indicated to overcome weeds."
"To get rid of weeds, choose this GardenMate mulching fabric. Thanks to its 100 g/m² weight, it is versatile while remaining resistant."
This Aquagart mulch cloth is made of polypropylene. It ensures the protection of crops against weeds. Thick and robust, it resists well to frequent trampling.
62,59 £ on AmazonIf you are looking for a thick and resistant fabric for your garden, choose this ultra-strong mulching tarp with a thickness of 150 g/m². Made of polypropylene, it resists rotting and various weather conditions. It is perfect to protect your plantation from frost while keeping the soil warm. Very robust, it can be used for walkways or even by vehicle. You can also cover it with mineral mulch, gravel, ornamental stones, without risk of damaging it. It is still permeable to air and moisture to better care for your plants. Weeds, on the other hand, will eventually die out due to lack of light!
This 100% organic coir mat is perfect as a biodegradable mulch cloth. This natural and breathable fiber retains heat to protect your plants from the winter cold.
7,60 £ on AmazonLooking for a biodegradable mulch cloth for your plants? Bet on this organic coco mat. Very thick, it has a weight of 800 g/m². The fabric is not less easy to cut and breathable! Moreover, it lets heat and humidity pass through and retains them underneath to protect your plants and shrubs from the cold in winter. In any case, it is a very versatile coir mat. You can also use it as a weed barrier once the soil is well prepared or to prevent your chickens from trashing your grounds. Finally, you can use it to create decorations or to line your turtles' enclosure.
This synthetic mulching fabric is distinguished by its professional quality. Non-woven, it is especially indicated to overcome weeds.
63,54 £ on AmazonWhen it comes to quality, you can't find better than this non-woven mulching fabric designed by Xabian. Made of polypropylene, it has a weight of 150 g/m² which gives it a great resistance to bad weather, UV rays, trampling, tearing... By depriving the soil of sunlight, it eliminates weeds and lets plants grow freely. Water permeable, the Xabian stores moisture to save on watering while protecting the roots from drying out. This mulching fabric is also practical to warm the soil, and thus to protect the plants in winter season.
To get rid of weeds, choose this GardenMate mulching fabric. Thanks to its 100 g/m² weight, it is versatile while remaining resistant.
13,68 £ on AmazonGardenMate introduces its mulch tarp designed to control weeds that invade the garden. With a weight of 100 g/m², this tarp is very versatile. You can use it on an embankment or install it in your vegetable garden, or put it in your garden to protect your plants and shrubs. With an anti-UV coating, it has a longer life span, because this protection considerably slows down the degradation of the polypropylene fabric. And yet, despite its resistance, it lets water and air filter well to keep your plants healthy and weeds away from your garden.
Any specific needs?
The best entry-level mulch cloth
Your guide :
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| THE BEST | CHEAP | TOP OF THE LINE | EXCELLENT | |
In accordance with our commitment, this buying guide does not contain any sponsored products. |
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| OUR SELECTION |
Mulch cloth 150 g Aquagart
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100% organic coir mulching mat MW.Shop.24
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Non-woven mulch cloth 150 g Xabian
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Anti-weed and anti-UV cloth 100 g GardenMate
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This Aquagart mulch cloth is made of polypropylene. It ensures the protection of crops against weeds. Thick and robust, it resists well to frequent trampling.
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This 100% organic coir mat is perfect as a biodegradable mulch cloth. This natural and breathable fiber retains heat to protect your plants from the winter cold.
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This synthetic mulching fabric is distinguished by its professional quality. Non-woven, it is especially indicated to overcome weeds.
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To get rid of weeds, choose this GardenMate mulching fabric. Thanks to its 100 g/m² weight, it is versatile while remaining resistant.
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Resistance
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Grammage
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150 g/m²
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800 g/m²
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150 g/m²
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100 g/m²
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Material
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Polypropylene
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Organic coir mat with natural latex on one side
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Polypropylene
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Polypropylene
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Color
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Black
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Brown
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Black
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Black
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Quantity
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40 m roll
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10 m roll
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50 m roll
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10 m² tile
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The grammage designates the thickness of the mulching fabric and is measured in g/m². The more it is important, the more resistant the fabric will be, but less waterproof. There are different grammages adapted to different crops. For example, for slopes, a 130 g/m² mulching fabric is ideal. More resistant, it will support more regular trampling and heavier materials such as stones and bark.
For a vegetable garden or a hedge, a 90 g/m² mulch cloth is more than enough to let more water and air through while repelling weeds. On the other hand, crops requiring more light such as lettuce or strawberries should be covered with a thinner fabric of 50 g/m² maximum.
Other than the thickness, the material of manufacture of the mulching fabric guarantees its resistance and thus its life span. The most durable remain the synthetic mulching cloths made of plastic such as polypropylene. They can stay in place for 2 to 10 years, and sometimes even longer when they are thicker! You also have biodegradable mulch cloths that disintegrate much more quickly. These are made from plants and biocompostable products.
Prefer mulch cloths with this type of treatment to protect your plants from UV rays. They will capture the sun's rays and are better able to redistribute them on your growing area. It is also a guarantee of quality, because the tarp will be much more resistant: a model without UV treatment can deteriorate after only a few months! Moreover, by letting in too much light, they can encourage the growth of weeds. This is the case with the lowest-end mulch cloths!
The size of your mulch cloth depends on the surface to be covered. For example, if you just want to cover the base of a tree or shrub, go for mulch cloths offered in slabs of about 1 m². It is also the ideal option for a small vegetable garden. If you want to cover crops over larger areas, choose mulch cloths sold in rolls.
The most common colors are neutral colors like black, green or brown. However, a brightly colored mulch cloth can be a beneficial option, as it would stimulate the growth of certain fruits or vegetables. For example, if you are planting strawberries or tomatoes, a mulch cover with warm tones like red is ideal.
By reflecting the waves of the light spectrum, you will have juicier, more flavorful fruit. Alternatively, you can choose a particular color for aesthetics. Among others, brown can blend in with the natural decor of your garden. This color is also perfect for blocking photosynthesis of weeds.
Installing a mulch cloth is relatively easy. However, you will need to follow all the steps, starting with the preparation of the ground.
You will need to clean the soil well before laying your mulch sheet. This includes weeding it, removing rocks and plant debris of all kinds, and even uprooting weeds to ensure they don't grow back.
After weeding, be sure to aerate and loosen your soil with a spade, grelinette or pitchfork. You can take the opportunity to enrich your soil by adding compost, for example.
On a flat surface, carefully stretch the mulch cloth. Help yourself by attaching staples every 20 cm, for example, as the fabric must be tight and secure or risk the wind rushing in underneath and tearing it off! When you get to the edges, bury the canvas before stapling it.
For sloping ground, start at the top and bury the edge of the canvas in a trench about 20 inches deep. Then proceed in the same manner as on a flat surface. Note that the staples must be fixed perpendicular to the edge of the canvas, either in the length to better reduce the wind catch.
Normally, your canvas has crosses to help you find your way around. Then just cut them out with a box cutter and open the four sides outward. Dig out the soil to put in your plants, put the soil back in, water, then put the crosses back in place. You can then either just put soil on them, or staple them to make sure you keep them secure to the ground.
Biodegradable mulch cloth is made of organic materials. You will find on the market mulch cloths made of hemp, coir, sisal, or a mixture of plant materials such as hemp and linen. As it degrades quickly, it usually does not last more than a year. It is therefore an ephemeral fabric not at all suitable for certain crops, for example on slopes, or for slow-growing plants. Indeed, you will be forced to put a new mulch cloth.
On the other hand, as a biodegradable fabric, it is used to enrich the soil like vegetable mulch made of dead leaves or composts. Its use is especially recommended for plants that grow quickly, such as in the vegetable garden, perennial plantings or fast-growing shrubs. If you like natural decorations in the garden, the biodegradable mulch cloth will be perfect, because it is generally of a beautiful brown color. It also offers the guarantee of eating organic produce, without polluting the soil or the underlying water table.
This type of mulch cloth is, as its name suggests, made of synthetic material, particularly polypropylene. Non-biodegradable, this mulch tarp has a much longer life span. Those with a high grammage can last for more than ten years. This makes them much more suitable for slower growing plants. For example, you can install a synthetic mulch cloth on the slope of an embankment or at the foot of a hedge.
Since this type of fabric is not very easy to remove, you must understand that you will not be able to enrich the soil once the tarp is installed. Despite this detail, it offers a considerable amount of time savings in gardening. Plus, you have a wider choice of colors! For example, you can opt for a brighter colored mulch cloth if needed.
To care for your garden, keep weeds away and protect your vegetable garden, you can choose between mulch cloth and geotextile felt. Although both are durable, economical and effective, and have similar properties, it is important to use them wisely.
Mulch cloth is a biodegradable or plastic fabric used to prevent the growth of weeds. Very versatile, it is used not only to protect against weeds, but also to stabilize an embankment to prevent water from washing away the soil for example. In some cases, it is even used to nourish the soil of your vegetable garden in the case of biodegradable models. Thinner than geotextile felt, it is less resistant than the latter and requires fastening clips.
Geotextile felt was once used in the construction industry, but its properties quickly won over gardeners. It is perfect to prevent weeds from growing and ensures the aesthetics of your garden. More resistant than mulch cloths, it can withstand frequent trampling. That said, it is more suitable for separating layers of materials (soil and wood, for example) than for covering an embankment or a vegetable garden. It is also used more to cover pathways than to protect crops!
Despite the similarities of these two options, both in terms of their properties and their usefulness, the choice obviously depends on your objective. If your main objective is to protect a slope, your shrubs, your hedge or your vegetable garden, you will have to use a mulch cloth. Since geotextile felt is completely permeable, it may impoverish your soil by letting all the rainwater through.
The mulch cloth is an essential for gardening. It has many advantages that will certainly push you to quickly acquire one! Here they are!
Growth of your plants
The mulch cloth helps to promote the growth of your plants by offering them a healthier environment and by limiting their stress. Indeed, it retains the heat of the soil, especially during the winter.
Soil protection
By being semi-permeable, it prevents the soil from settling and the appearance of various parasites. It favors the mineralization of the soil. And for slopes, it prevents landslides by retaining the soil well.
Enrichment of the soil
Biodegradable mulch cloths offer the possibility of enriching the soil by degrading over it. They contain the nutrients necessary for the good growth of your vegetable garden plants.
High resistance
A mulching fabric is perfectly resistant to various weather conditions, UV rays, temperature variations; some models are even fireproof! It is also resistant to trampling and tearing: you can walk on it to check your plants, water them or pick them.
Ecological weed killer
By preventing the sun's rays from reaching the soil, the mulch cloth prevents the photosynthesis of the other plants underneath, i.e. the weeds. This will prevent you from polluting your soil with different herbicides found on the market.
An economical and ecological fabric
It is not completely waterproof, because it allows water to filter through. On the other hand, the mulching fabric limits evaporation, which means you don't have to water more often. It is a real time and money saver!
Clean and aesthetic
Available in different colors and materials, the mulching fabric ensures the decoration of your garden. It also allows you to keep your fruits and vegetables clean, because the presence of the fabric limits the contact with the soil.
All these advantages, not to mention the ease of installation and the very affordable price, will certainly push you to invest in a mulching fabric that is as effective as it is important for your crop!
In our opinion, the best brands of mulch cloths in 2022 are :
Aquagart is a German brand that specializes in various products for gardening and landscaping. Its synthetic mulch cloths are not only of high quality, but rank in the top of the line and as a professional product.
This German brand stands out for the quality of its gardening tools and utensils dedicated to amateurs and professionals. GardenMate focuses on long life, but in respect of the environment, characteristics found in its synthetic mulching fabrics.
La Cordeline is a French brand that focuses on 100% organic products useful in both decoration and gardening. Because of this, it only offers biodegradable mulching cloths in rolls, slabs or discs that are very practical for flower pots or shrubs.
In terms of garden maintenance and beautification, Xabian is also another German brand that is a reference on major online sales platforms like Amazon. Its synthetic mulch cloths remain rated over 4 stars by hundreds of consumers, despite the high-end price.
The brand is another reference in gardening, with its mulch cloths, planting bags, and other useful tools and accessories for your planting. Appreciated by professionals as well as simple enthusiasts, it always offers products at the best quality/price ratio.
The diagram below will help you to get an idea of the typical prices for each price range (entry-level, mid-range and high-end).
However, more expensive does not necessarily mean better.
We therefore advise you to always consult our ranking before deciding, rather than blindly relying on price ranges.
Place your mulch cloth after planting
If your plants have already grown, you can still install a mulch cloth. Create cross-shaped openings on top of the plant. Then slide it through the hole and close it as usual.
Anticipate how many staples you will need
Before you begin installing your mulch cloth, start by counting the number of staples you need to cover the entire area. On average, you will need at least two staples per square meter.
Cover your mulch cloth for aesthetics
You have many options for beautifying your garden despite the presence of mulch cloth. For example, you can cover it with organic mulch such as dead leaves or cocoa shells. You can also opt for wood chips which are very aesthetic, or even mineral mulching with gravel or pebbles for their durability.
Use a sharp tool to cut the mulch cloth
For a biodegradable mulch film, your own fingers can be enough to pierce the fabric. However, with plastic mulch film, you need a sharp tool like a box cutter. If you don't have one handy, you can also use another heated tool with a burner for a clean cut.
Place your mulch cloth outside of the frost period
To make it easier to install, but more importantly to fix, the mulch cloth should be installed outside of the freezing season. You can install it at any time of the year as long as it is not in winter. But the ideal time is in the spring or fall, before planting.
Weeding is an essential step before installing your mulch cloth. If you don't remove the weeds, they may compete with your plants, limiting their growth. Weeds can also grow profusely and work their way through holes in your plantings and grow over the mulch cloth!
You have many options for beautifying your garden despite the presence of synthetic mulch cloth. For example, you can cover it with organic mulch such as dead leaves or cocoa shells. You can also opt for wood chips which are very aesthetic, or even mineral mulching with gravel or pebbles for their durability.
On a flat surface as on an embankment, the installation method remains almost the same. In fact, there is no preferred direction of installation, as long as your fabric is well stretched and well secured with staples. On an embankment, keep in mind that the most important thing is that the tarp is well buried in the soil on the edges.
In the case of manual watering, the method is almost similar to that used for watering an unmulched field. Start by testing the soil moisture with your finger, if the soil is dry, you are good to go. Our tip is to prefer drip watering with tank bottles, or watering with a microporous hose.
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