What’s the deal with landscape fabric, aka “weed cloth”, products?
Should it be used in your greenspace?
Here’s the thing folks, it doesn’t prevent weeds and it is detrimental to the health and success of your garden investment. Somewhere along the line, it became hugely popular to use landscape cloth as a so-called “weed barrier”. Using landscape fabric is a gardening myth that does more harm than good and creates maintenance nightmares.
Here’s why:
1. Landscape fabric inhibits water from getting to the roots of your plants. With fabric, plants are forced to grow roots along the surface directly under the fabric to get water. Plants will struggle and many will eventually die. More water runs off rather than penetrates, potentially causing oversaturation in surrounding areas and therefore actually wasting water.
2. When mulch is applied on top of landscape fabric it can not decompose. The fabric prevents organic matter from getting into the soil, which makes it unlivable for worms and beneficial microorganisms. Without that activity, the soil becomes barren, compacted, and dry. In other words: dead. The lack of natural nutrients forces the use of artificial fertilizers.
3. Landscape cloth is not a weed barrier because it turns out that many, if not most weeds, get into your garden through the air. Weeds grow downward through the landscape cloth, rooting into and penetrating it, rendering them nearly impossible to remove without tearing up the landscape cloth itself, resulting in your garden appearing more like a garbage pit than a nature scape.
4. Trying to plant through the fabric, which typically requires slicing it with a cutting instrument, is frustrating and time-consuming. And lastly, the fabric degrades when exposed to the sun, ultimately depositing plastic into the soil.
What then is the best solution?
For weed control, apply 2-3 inches of shredded bark or natural mulch, leaving a 2-inch gap between the organic material and plant/tree bases to promote airflow for the roots and foliage. Mulch keeps the soil cool, allowing moisture to reach the roots of your plants. The 1 inch of decomposing matter each year adds nutrient-rich organic matter to the soil. Weeds that do grow are then easily removed by their roots! Refresh your mulch 1 inch every year to help keep the weeds down, the soil healthy, and your gardens free of unsightly “weed cloth”. Contact us today for all your enhancement needs!
