Hydrophilic matting....anybody use it?

If so, is it any good? It doesn't seem very permie to me, however I have an opportunity to acquire a huge brand new roll, 122 sq metres (1300 sq ft) worth. It is grey and 1/4" X 80" wide. Would love to hear from anyone who has experience with it. Thanks!

The material your describing is also known as "weed barrier" but I've never seen any that was only 1/4" wide, it usually is around 36" wide and up to 100 feet long in rolls.

This stuff is normally used under a layer of thick mulch, it does not let much water through the membrane even though all the advertising says it will.
It is also a PITA to take up if you use it as they recommend, plant roots will go through it, weeds will come up through it.
I use it for one thing, walk ways that I'll be taking up very quickly. It is a non-woven, artificial fiber fabric so if walked on it begins to tear up rather fast.
If you do put it down and cover it with mulch, rock or wood chips, it can last up to 40 years, depending on the make up of the soil beneath it.

If the dimensions you gave (1/4" x 80") is correct, it would make fair temporary tree and plant ties.

Redhawk

Bryant RedHawk wrote:The material your describing is also known as "weed barrier" but I've never seen any that was only 1/4" wide, it usually is around 36" wide and up to 100 feet long in rolls.

This stuff is normally used under a layer of thick mulch, it does not let much water through the membrane even though all the advertising says it will.
It is also a PITA to take up if you use it as they recommend, plant roots will go through it, weeds will come up through it.
I use it for one thing, walk ways that I'll be taking up very quickly. It is a non-woven, artificial fiber fabric so if walked on it begins to tear up rather fast.
If you do put it down and cover it with mulch, rock or wood chips, it can last up to 40 years, depending on the make up of the soil beneath it.

If the dimensions you gave (1/4" x 80") is correct, it would make fair temporary tree and plant ties.

Redhawk

Thanks RedHawk! I meant the actual thickness of the matting is 1/4" thick. It's 80" wide and I can cut any length as its in a huge roll (needed a forklift to get it on truck)

Great idea for tree ties, I have a few apples I need to stake down. I think I'll also use it on some of the gravel road where grass is growing up in the crown. Shovel it out, throw matting down, and then fresh gravel over it should solve that issue.

Bermuda grass is shooting right up thru mine. I have 3" of granite gravel above it. Another area has 4" of woodchips. Pulling the bermuda out seems harder cause you gotta pull the big root thru the small hole it made in the fabric.

This is the commercial stuff, not the weak 3ft handy rolls bought locally.

Hmmm, thanks Wayne...thats unfortunate. I'll try an experiment on a section this summer to see what happens rather than doing the whole thing. Any other ideas for this stuff? I've got so much of it..lol.

Perhaps you could use it to build wicking beds?  I.e. run it vertically in the bed from the bottom to perhaps 1-2" below the surface., spaced perhaps 1 foot apart.  Use this instead of gravel.  If you could build a raised support to hold the soil up out of the water resevoir, this could increase the size of your resevoir.