Geotextile: what use in the garden?

To drain soil, stabilize it, delineate different layers of materials or avoid weed regrowth, geotextile felt is the ideal option. Find out how to choose it well based on how you want to use it in the garden!

Why opt for geotextile?

As summer approaches, we inevitably think about what exteriors we would like to do. This may be a good time, for example, to install a gravel driveway, or to plant some of the plants that were thought to grow during the winter. In either case, the geotextile canvas should be of great help to you.

Composed of an assemblage of filaments or strips and traditionally designed in synthetic material - usually polypropylenes, although biodegradable or ecological models are now found in burlap or coconut fiber - geotextile is also used by construction or civil engineering workers to separate layers from the ground and stabilize the foundations of structures such as roads, driveways, terraces. It is also called "bidim," in reference to the name of the historical manufacturer of this product.

Woven or not, its primary qualities are to be imputrescible and to resist very well the various aggressions (pebbles, roots) that can inflict on it by the soil. Although very robust, it is still filtering, ie it lets air and water passthrough ... Without letting the earth pass.

Characteristics that can be useful in the garden, whether major work is being carried out or deciding to grow demanding species.

Using geotextile: some ideas

Creating a suitable environment

When we talk about demanding plants,we think for example of plants that, according to their characteristics, would not flourish in the soil specific to your region.

Let's say you want to plant an azalea when the soil in your garden is sandy or very limestone: it will not grow well, while it will find instead all the nutrients necessary for its good growth in a land of Bruyère. The same goes for Camelia, Rhododendron, Hortensia or Magnolia.

To avoid this, fill the hole in which you want to install your plantwith a layer of geotextile canvas by lining the walls and bottom, and place for example heath soil of the trade or your manufacture.

Avoid the spread of roots

Some plants have root systems that can be very invasive. This is the case of bamboo, which is equipped with tracer rhizomes that branch, and crawl under the surface of the ground up to several meters from the mother foot. To a lesser extent, mint or large Iris react similarly.

To avoid being invaded, place geotextile in each of the holes where you plan to install your feet, just like an azalea or magnolia. This will create an effective anti-rhizome barrier.

Install a gravel driveway

Whether you decide to install a gravel driveway or a bowling alley,installing geotextile felt before depositing your gravel layer will allow several things: on the one hand, that the structure is stabilized thanks to the separation of its different layers, and on the other hand that weeds do not grow in the middle of your work.

In the same idea, you can use the geotextile to protect the tarpaulin in your gardenpond, by placing a layer of felt before applying the waterproof PVC layer once the hole has been removed from its stones and roots.

Strawing the massifs

Before laying a mineral mulch - gravel, slate, pouzzolane, clay balls - to protect your massifs from heavy rainfall and better conserve the heat of the soil,you can apply a layer of geotextile canvas that will let water and light pass through and will still prevent the mulch from sinking.

Which model for which use?

Depending on the use chosen, you will have to opt for a model more or less thick and resistant,and of more or less large proportions.

It is important to note that:

• In general, the woven geotextile is stronger and is better suited to the uses of the construction than to those of the garden because it is stronger;
• Geotextile felts are categorized by grammage and class. To achieve a gravel walkway, a grammage of 90g /m2 is more than enough, which corresponds to a class 2 (classes 3, 4 and 5 are used for structures on which vehicles are required to circulate, class 5 being suitable for use on a public works site).

For the garden, you will understand, you can choose models more accessible and less robust, the main quality of the geotextile being in essence to be resistant - you will have a hard time cutting it!

Want to buy a geotextile canvas? Find our range of geotextiles onmultitanks.com. For more information on our products or practical advice, don't hesitate our expert team.