When laid correctly, wood chips act as a barrier to grass growth. However, if you apply the wood chips too thinly on your lawn or use it to create paths, grass may grow through in time.
There are several steps you can take to help avoid this problem. This article will answer the question, ‘Will grass grow through wood chips?’ We’ll also look at how to lay wood chips for best results.
Where should I put wood chips?
Woodchips are mainly used in lawns or beds of ornamental plants. You can use them in areas where grass is not wanted, such as pathways and patios. It’s best to lay wood chips when the grass is not in full growth.
Although it mostly depends on preference, you should never put wood chips on existing lawns. This may result in grass growing through the woodchips.
Laying wood chips
It’s best to lay wood chips when the grass is not in full growth season. By laying wood chips on cool-season grass during the summer months, your chances of success are much higher than laying down woodchip in winter. If you have a warm-season lawn, you can lay wood chips in the fall or winter.
If you are laying the wood chips to create paths, it’s important that you don’t lay them too thin. Rather than putting them on top of the grass, you can remove the turf on the area where you want to create paths or a patio. This job can be done using a shovel to cut the path.
You can also dig a shallow trench so that the paths are lower than the rest of your lawn. Then fill the trench with a thick layer of wood chips. If you are worried that grass or weeds will grow through the wood chip, you could use landscaping fabric underneath the wood chip. Landscaping fabric is beneficial as it stops grasses and weeds from invading your wood chip paths.
You can also keep an eye on wood-chipped areas and pull out any grass and weeds as they grow. This will stop grass from growing, and your path will be less likely to be completely overtaken by weeds and grasses. Pay particular attention to the edges of your path, as some grasses spread via rhizomes and are more likely to creep onto your paths and grow through woodchip.
Conclusion
Will grass grow through wood chips? Yes, if the wood chips are laid on top of the grass and are laid too thinly, grass will most likely grow through them in time. However, if you consider all of the above steps before laying down your woodchips, it will reduce the chances of this happening.
Instead of laying directly on top of the grass, remove the turf and dig a trench in areas where you want to lay the wood chip. This will allow you to lay wood chips so that its level with the rest of your yard. Use a thick enough layer of wood chip so that the grass doesn’t grow through.