When I started my career I thought landscape fabric, or weed fabric, was a wonderful invention. The magic cloth ensures a weed free landscape for years. Or does it?
Should I Use Landscape Fabric or Weed Fabric?
Landscape Fabric is a nuisance that creates more work for you and an unhealthy landscape.
What happens when mulch starts to break down? How does it mix with the soil?
It doesn’t!
Grass and weed roots under weed fabric are impossible to get out without removing the fabric. The weeds grow through the fabric and stick to it. Plant roots stick to weed fabric too. Every time I have to rip out landscape fabric I curse it.
When deciding whether to use landscape fabric just say, “No.” It’s not worth the frustration.
Comments
8 responses to “Should I Use Landscape Fabric”
That is exactly what i needed to hear. Thank you! I was unsure about this.
You’re very welcome.
In Australia they have a product called “Weed Control mat”. This is basically a shadecloth that is totally opaque. It us useless as a weed control in a mulched location even though it does let the water through and still allows the soil to breathe. The weed seeds grow above the mat and their roots will eventually penetrate it. Australians most commonly use Pine or Jarrah bark for mulch. Many nurseries there sell it for this purpose.
The true purpose of this “Weed control Mat is for commercial weed control in strawberries and other ground ripenning fruit. Where it controls the weeds and keeps the fruit clean.
Thanks for sharing your experience. I’ve never been a fan of that stuff either.
The fabric inevitably shows through the mulch. I believe it is an unnecessary expense marketed to unknowledgeable people who don’t understand that the mulch keeps weeds down and that the few weeds that do pop up are really easy to pull. And it is one more chemically derived item in the garden.
Thanks for good article.
I agree Charlotte. It seems we have to try it once to learn our lesson. I know I did.
Like you, I curse this fabric. Glad to hear I am in good company. Your video on turning the mulch in springtime was excellent. Thank you. Ruth
You must have been gardening for a long time. I think we all try the fabric once and then learn our lesson. Turning the mulch in the spring makes a huge difference in the appearance of your beds and if you have a deep enough layer it will save you from having to re-mulch. Thanks for visiting.