By Joanneb
United Kingdom 
I have a steep soft west facing bank, full of big weeds. I want to remove the weeds, cover with sheeting and plant through the sheeting. My question is what is the best way to get rid of the weeds, without much walking on the bank, that will allow me to plant new ground cover. I'm worried about weed killer affecting new plants.
25 Jun, 2010
Answers
I agree with moon grower, I have done this before with a large black plastic sheet, from being a big problem it made light work of the problem. Good luck
25 Jun, 2010
great help, thanks guys. My inclination is to wait till the autumn, cover it then and leave it till spring. at which point i'll replant with ground cover and mulch with something more natural so that the new plants can spread. Sounds like a plan?
25 Jun, 2010
Personally I'd cover now and leave until spring. Otherwise the weeds you have growing currently will seed and cause more problems.Hack the weeds down and don't even bother to remove them just cover, it will all rot down. Also the heat will help to destroy the weeds.
25 Jun, 2010
Thanks a million moon grower. I'll get on to it. A good summer project. Best wishes.
28 Jun, 2010
You're welcome
28 Jun, 2010
You could cover the whole area with old carpet or black plastic for a while (not sure how long) and this should suppress the existing weeds and, hopefully, kill off the seeds in the ground too.
25 Jun, 2010