Plastic soil cover

[Walter R.]

I would like to convert an area covered by iceplant, 20 x 40 feet, from iceplant to ornamental gravel.

I am getting conflicting info re covering the soil under the gravel. What are the relative advantages/disadvantage of using black plastic, permeable plastic cloth or just put the gravel on the existing soil?

Part of the area is level, part is at a medium slope.

Can anyone speak from experience? Any URLs?

Thanks for all input

[Alexander Miller]

|What |are the relative advantages/disadvantage of using black plastic, permeable |plastic cloth or just put the gravel on the existing soil?

Part experience, part conjecture:

Gravel directly on the soil will tend to disappear into it. Black plastic will work, but rot away in a few years. Permeable plastic cloth (I assume that's what's called landscape fabric hereabouts) is best but there are different grades and heavier is better. You may still get weeds forcing their roots into the mesh of the cloth but they can be dealt with individually as they appear. I'm not familiar with ice plant - don't know how it will behave when you smother it.

Good luck

Alexander