Weed Cloth Under AGP

by Elliot
(Suisun City CA)

I'm getting ready to assemble a 12' round AGP. I do have minor weed infestation and possibly could have a gopher problem. I probably will use black plastic under the sand base but was wondering if the weed control ground cover would work? It is the cloth like material that water can seep through. If you say it is OK I would probably use a two layer thickness. Thanks for your help.



Hi Elliot. I'm sure the weed cloth would be just fine. I like the fact that water can soak through it. That's the biggest problem with plastic under pools. If your liner ever leaks the water has no place to go and it just turns to mold and algae.

Either the plastic or the cloth will be a big help in preventing gopher damage. The only two real cures for these pesky critters are to either get rid of them or pour a concrete slab for the pool. I would go ahead and set the pool up the way you have planned and see how it goes. You can then try to get rid of the gophers. If they do get under the pool, the ground shield should prevent the sand from collapsing into the hole. If in a couple of years you see this as a big problem, which you probably will not, you can always reset the pool on a concrete slab.



As far as the weeds go, be sure to strip the ground down to bare soil, level the area, and then treat the ground with a good quality weed and grass killer. Unless the area is well treated, you will still run the risk of weeds coming up through the liner, no matter how many layers of plastic you lay down.