Removing weed barrier

[sethsodsquad]

Are there any special techniques in removing weed guard/barriers? If so, could you inform me of those methods?

--SSS

[Kate Butler]

Yes, first you take a couple of of Valium (because you're blood pressure will go up).

Seriously, find a corner and lift it up - sort of bouncing it up and down to loosen the surrounding mulch or soil. Keep at it until the piece is exposed and remove. Repeat.

Be very, very grateful that it's not plastic (impermeable) barrier that you're removing. That stuff (I prefer a 4 letter word instead of 'stuff') comes out a few square inches at a time - takes forever to remove.

[Stafford Landscaping]

Price the job high and hope they don't take it. And yes, I second that take
A LOT of valium.

[sethsodsquad]

Except . . . it is the plastic impermeable stuff. That's why I asked. I already am doing this job, so the pricing part is over.

I have a couple people helping me out though, so it probably won't be that bad.

--SSS

[sheshovel]

All you can do is just rip it up and take it out it is self explanitory once you start

[Kate Butler]

Ok, be thankful that your client has had the sense to authorize this job. I removed I don't even know how many sq.ft of the stuff in a VERY expensive landscaping job that had been done 15 years ago (back when black plastic pond liner mulch was all the rage). It took weeks and lots of it came out a few sq.in. at a time. My job had stone on it for mulch. The mulch barrier was killing the landscaping (no water or fert getting through).

If your job is just regular mulch, you should still be able to locate a corner (trying not to tear it) and lift if and shake it gently up and down or sideways - whichever throws the mulch of the best.

If it's the thin plastic that you can't grab without it tearing, my only suggestion is to run a large tarp immediately alongside the bed, rake the mulch off onto the tarp, pull up the plastic (it may be held down with anchor pins), and replace the mulch after the plastic is off. With muliple bodies helping, just pick up the edge of the tarp (farthest away from the bed) quickly. That will spill the mulch back into the bed.