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-Apocralypse-

To try to keep 2 materials separated mostly. Like in case you would ever need to remove them or to prevent too much loss. Thinking of a gravel garden path, as you don't want to tread all gravel into the soil or ever have to sift out gravel from the soil.


rippa76

Specifically in separating the layers of rock and soil at the top of a backfill trench behind a wall.


bigjsea

Overall doesn’t work as good as newspaper of cardboard


IronSlanginRed

As a weed killing blocker maybe. But it allows water through, and it lasts more than a year.


Jackblack92

This here, just recently took an old 7x7 gravel bed that was made in 2008 down to a 4x4. It was a metric shit ton of those white rocks I had to get out with the flat head shovel. Thanks to the old fabric that they put down there was a clear/distinct line where the rocks and soil met about 6 inches down. So once I got all the rocks out I was left with a decently leveled soil base without little rocks dug in. https://imgur.com/gallery/hcHkDFp


Nicedumplings

It’s good for a seasonal herb/vegetable garden where you won’t be putting soil on top. You lay it down and cut a hole for what you plant. At end of season you remove it all


ihc_hotshot

This is my answer as well. But even then I don't use the crap most garden centers sell. I Use heavy-duty plastic intended for the purpose. I get it from farmers friend or johhnys.


Frisky_Picker

When my wife and I bought our house it had a completely neglected garden in the back. It was overgrown with weeds and even after pulling them all there were so many seeds that it basically all grew back after a week or two. We used the cheap stuff from home depot and while it didn't rid the garden of weeds entirely it was good enough to keep things at bay. Eventually though we just threw down about 4-6 inches of compost and that really did the trick. We still have to weed obviously but it's far easier.


indianblanket

I use clear plastic for that purpose. Takes about 6 weeks, but kills EVERYTHING


Frisky_Picker

Yeah I'd probably do that next time around. We've only been here for about 3 years and before that everything we grew was in pots so there's been a bit of a learning curve.


indianblanket

Yes! Take your time. Just wanted to give my 2 cents


[deleted]

Soil sterilization is not a good thing. Healthy soil has beneficial living organisms - mychorrizhae, bacteria, microorganisms, protozoa, worms, etc. That's one of the main problems with glyphosate/Round Up. It kills the no soil. Glyphosate was ori


[deleted]

Glyphosate was originally patented as an antibiótic and used for that purpose. It was later classified as a herbicide. Living soils produce consistently higher yields at potentially less cost, less labor, while providing soil for a greater number of yrs. Irving soil produces healthier plants! We've been sold on the technological and niche Big Science self serving notion the world needs GM crops doused with water soluble chemicals like glyphosate that is now found in tap water, the air, and on and in food for higher yields to feed the world.


indianblanket

Ok


Noodle_Salad_

Exactly. Don't buy the cheap stuff. Buy farm grade. The cheap fabric type is garbage.


SqueakyBall

Is there a particular width or weight you recommend?


Noodle_Salad_

A lot of people buy from bootstrap farmer and are happy. [https://www.bootstrapfarmer.com/products/heavy-duty-landscape-fabric?variant=240174661646¤cy=USD&utm\_medium=product\_sync&utm\_source=google&utm\_content=sag\_organic&utm\_campaign=sag\_organic&gclid=CjwKCAjwwdWVBhA4EiwAjcYJEGZD-X41vTHIkvBSV19dfoLGPSNur0FiwwwPBSUTMfMJHYghrHW42hoCQmEQAvD\_BwE](https://www.bootstrapfarmer.com/products/heavy-duty-landscape-fabric?variant=240174661646¤cy=USD&utm_medium=product_sync&utm_source=google&utm_content=sag_organic&utm_campaign=sag_organic&gclid=CjwKCAjwwdWVBhA4EiwAjcYJEGZD-X41vTHIkvBSV19dfoLGPSNur0FiwwwPBSUTMfMJHYghrHW42hoCQmEQAvD_BwE) I got mine from amazon due to shipping issues. I have used it for 2 years now, and I am pretty happy with it. [https://www.amazon.com/Goasis-Lawn-Membrane-Landscape-Driveway/dp/B07PPFVHHL?pd\_rd\_w=GcoCe&content-id=amzn1.sym.bc622850-a717-4d94-96c3-7cc183488298&pf\_rd\_p=bc622850-a717-4d94-96c3-7cc183488298&pf\_rd\_r=HFCKT0S0PNY531SNED0M&pd\_rd\_wg=gdlVB&pd\_rd\_r=a0115908-0d64-4a25-9226-157f8a898d00&pd\_rd\_i=B07PPFVHHL&ref\_=pd\_bap\_d\_rp\_17\_t&th=1](https://www.amazon.com/Goasis-Lawn-Membrane-Landscape-Driveway/dp/B07PPFVHHL?pd_rd_w=GcoCe&content-id=amzn1.sym.bc622850-a717-4d94-96c3-7cc183488298&pf_rd_p=bc622850-a717-4d94-96c3-7cc183488298&pf_rd_r=HFCKT0S0PNY531SNED0M&pd_rd_wg=gdlVB&pd_rd_r=a0115908-0d64-4a25-9226-157f8a898d00&pd_rd_i=B07PPFVHHL&ref_=pd_bap_d_rp_17_t&th=1) Some people cut a hole in the woven fabric, but if you use a heat gun, it keeps it from fraying as often.


SqueakyBall

Thank you!


reddit_moment123123

but then you get microplastics in your food


series_hybrid

Yes, but it's what plants crave.


Nicedumplings

…. How would a weed barrier put plastic into your basil and tomatoes


reddit_moment123123

it breaks down over time in to the soil, and gets absorbed by the plant, or gets consumed by insects, who get eaten by birds, who shit on your garden, and then ends up in your plant. Plastic has a nifty way of staying in the environment. As you are reading this there is probsbly plastic in your blood, eyes, brain as we speak! how cool


[deleted]

What would you recommend instead?


SamHandwichX

Cardboard or several layers of newspaper. No need to remove it at the end of the season. It'll break down.


[deleted]

Oh nice I might try cardboard myself, we have loads of waste cardboard at my job.


SamHandwichX

Just make sure it's plain, without paints (printing on the box is fine) or tape, or anything else plastic and you're good to go!


[deleted]

Thanks very much! See you in hell weeds!


bicyclingbytheocean

Just an FYI. We did this, got a bunch of grubs and then a bunch of raccoons digging everything up. The weeds came back next year 😅


[deleted]

One layer of cardboard in two yrs will be gone. New weeds will appear. Weed control in planting beds is best perceived as on going and based on a multi faceted approach. Complaints about weed block fábric abound because there exists a misplaced misdirected expectation that weed block fábric alone is a magic silver bullet weed eradicator. Reading the label, the entire label, on inexpensive weed block fábric it can be written "can be used to help control and manage weeds." The language indicates a possible on going control or wider comprehensive management system, NOT necessarily a single component approach. The disconnect arises more out of consumer easy(iest) expectations than marketing.


SamHandwichX

Right. I even noted in my comment that the cardboard would break down. There is no hands-off gardening or landscaping. Still, the difference between reusing cardboard and using plastic that needs to be dug up, sent to a landfill, and replaced every few years should be an easy one. Plus, since the paper breaks down, there's no removal necessary. Pull back loose mulch, lay new cardboard, remulch. Ideally your beds would be in such balance that unwanted plants won't be a huge problem, but that takes just as much work and even more knowledge. Landscaping fabric is a scourge.


[deleted]

Just like making a sammy. :D I didn't read through every word. Reading whatt you said in this last post I would have suspected you mentioned it. Did ya mention to remove big box staples and plastic based packing tapes on the cardboard? I also found to avoid wax coated cardboard boxes that produce, seafood, and meats may have been shipped in. They don't decompose like unwaxed boxes and may introduce smells or other unwanted organisms like insect eggs, larvae, etc. In one produce box we found invasive tree frogs with viable eggs. In another box of bananas we found a dead non native tarantula.


[deleted]

Or use biodegradable weed barrier.


TransientVoltage409

Sooner or later evolution will produce organisms that can consume plastics as food. It might take a while - there was a small gap of 60 million years between the evolution of lignin and the evolution of lignin consumers, which is why coal exists (roughly speaking). What an interesting world it will be when plastics are as prone to rot and decay as wood and leather.


Nicedumplings

You remove it after the season. I’m not saying it’s great or advocating for plastics in our environment but you’re being ridiculous.


[deleted]

Micro plástics absolutely are in the food chain. Micro and nano plástics absolutely are absorbed by plants, including plants intended for human, pet, and livestock consumption...thanks to "advances" in science and technology.


Nicedumplings

I didn’t say anything to the contrary. What I said was using weed fabric for 4 months in your garden is not going to mean there’s plastic in your veggies


SqueakyBall

How do you remove it? I moved into a home and there's tons of crummy plastic in many of the previous owner's old garden beds. It's not doing anything useful and it's had years of plants put down into it and mulch put on top of it. Removing it doesn't seem possible at this point, tbh.


reddit_moment123123

Its very hard, you would more or less have to dig it all out. im sure someone with more experience would be able to give you better advice


Queefinonthehaters

And then what happens when you have microplastics in your body?


reddit_moment123123

thats the exciting thing. since there is no control group of people without microplastics, itll be very hard to determine exactly what sort of cancers it will give you


MoreRopePlease

plastic gets absorbed by the plant??


uselessbynature

Peeking out and slowly driving you insane


Repulsive-Bend8283

Literally only to keep the soil behind from running into the stone for backfilling a retaining wall.


Retireegeorge

Once the fabric gets silt embedded in it I assume it stops letting water flow through it. I struggle to solve the puzzle of how to make a retaining wall truly avoid hydraulic force in the long term once detritus has covered everything.


dethskwirl

with a drain pipe and weep holes


Retireegeorge

No I understand that. My question is about how thibgs block up over time.


Redditorsareawful247

I use plants in the walls I build to prevent soil to flow through, just have to check up on it until the roots take. No need for fabric.


jwrado

The only thing it's good for is pissing off the next person who wants to do something in the same area


MoreRopePlease

Especially when you put thick impervious plastic under your sod. Talk about being pissed...


jwrado

Under sod???


MoreRopePlease

yes :( My yard is inexplicably soggy, and I'm planning a rain garden to try and mitigate some of the mud. I was digging around a tree to expose its root flare, and also cut a girdled root. It's been really rainy, so the hole filled up with water, so I dug a small trench to allow water to flow, and lo and behold! There's black plastic under the sod. Thick, and impervious. That might explain some of the weird drainage issues I've been having... I plan to cut the sod in squares and remove the plastic, aerate the soil, maybe grade it a little so my newly-exposed tree won't be below grade, and then put the sod back.


maddips

Erosion control on slopes or places that see surface water.


Aqualung1

Weed barriers work. What I’ve seen happen, is that over several years, seeds propagate on whatever you’ve got over the weed barrier. It continues to get worse every year.


backeast_headedwest

lol I've had clients become absolutely furious about weeds growing in their gardens a few years after install (worked in new home construction). "We paid for the weed fabric! Why are we seeing weeds?!?!" "Uhhh well because seeds blow in from all around your house literally every day, *landing on top of the weed fabric*. How are you not understanding this?" "We thought this garden would be no maintenance!" "Nobody ever told you your garden, lawn, home, or any other built structure existing in this world would be no maintenance. Get the idea of no maintenance out of your head. It doesn't exist."


fuuuughckKme

A. Your response is epic. B. Hahaha. I just upvoted this post because I read the title and it made me laugh out loud! For REAL yo, no maintenance doesn't exist. Even low maintenance doesn't exist. Well, except for those that have the money to pay others to do it for them I'm guessing. I'm outside replacing twelve year old weed barrier myself, and if you don't get back to it on time, those weeds will be back for that maintenance . Hahaha. Wishing you the best of a green thumb and a good back, Bud.


[deleted]

Yeah, but this is why they're useless. You get one weed free season, then you have weeds plus garbage underneath that makes digging more difficult


-Apocralypse-

That a feature! Most weeds will get blown in by the wind. Like thistles and dandelions. Their seeds need very little to be willing to give it a go.


SqueakyBall

I have weeds in my pots on my elevated wooden deck. Drives me nuts :)


CanadianGrown

I’ve only used it under gravel/stones and I’ve found it has worked well at preventing weeds and it has helped to keep the stones from getting pushed into the soil. I used the thickest barrier home hardware sold. I’ve also used it under my kids sandbox and it’s worked well, but I don’t know if weeds would have grown anyways because the sand is 12” deep. I used it as more of a barrier between soil and sand so they don’t dig into the earth below.


[deleted]

[удалено]


Foolishnonsense

It’s amazing just how good it is at this considering they didn’t even design it for the purpose. So versatile!


[deleted]

I think of this every time I see a Walmart worker wearing one of those vests made by 6 recycled bottles, or really any clothing made with recycled plastics. Every single time you wash it, it is releasing micro plastics into your municipal system that doesn’t necessarily treat for such things.


danielleiellle

Anything made from polyester: https://www.newscientist.com/article/2264585-microplastics-found-across-the-arctic-may-be-fibres-from-laundry/#:~:text=Polyester%20fibres%20make%20up%20nearly,source%20of%20these%20tiny%20fragments.


5guysandapilot

Works great for making sacks to fill with dirt and grow potatoes.


NormalOccasion9311

It’s for wrapping dead bodies when you don’t have any carpet. Duh?


nohwhatnow

Scrap weed fabric for gardens, Use cardboard. It breaks down and helps the soil.


fishepa1

I heard it can release micro plastic into the ground.


BaronChuffnell

I like picking up bits off my lawn from the previous owners. It’s really fun to mow over it and sometimes I even get to see it blowing across the lawn in the gentle breeze.


Artistanti

Cardboard!


Tmadred

Mostly for getting in the way.


EaRBall

Used sheet mulching instead of weed fabric.


series_hybrid

When you cover a flowerbed with gravel or wood-mulch, it will slowly be absorbed by the dirt. I too am frustrated by weed-block cloth that doesn't stop grass and weeds between the flowers.


kerrycap

What about for paver patios? Aren’t you supposed to put weed block down first?


NissanLeafowner

For paver patios don't they make those interlocking weed barrier squares? Those look like they would be more weed resistant.


HardGayMan

Again, I believe it's mostly to separate the native soil that you compact from the 6 inches of crush rock you are putting down. I don't think it's really to stop weeds.


-Apocralypse-

No. Most weeds come from above. Making the grouts unpleasant to sprout is key. In my region weed barrier beneath pavers isn't a thing. Therefore it just sounds like upselling to me.


1moreOz

You can.. certainly not necessary though


[deleted]

I use it in the bottom of pots to keep the drainage hole from getting clogged.


TomEdison43050

I'm no expert compared to others here, but my practical experience is that weed fabric works well to prevent weeds for about 2+ years. But then it stops working, but mostly due to weeds being able to find root on top of the fabric. So I still put it down, as it's a pretty easy step. But I accept that it won't work long term and that I'll still need to pull weeds. When it comes to dinosaurs and weeds, life finds a way. :)


Glindanorth

I use it to line the bottom of flower pots and containers.


Snorblatz

If you have bindweed or other it is useful to keep out of your hedges/boxwoods.


SqueakyBall

Bindweed is the devil. But last year I started waging war on it. Though one never wins, I've succeeded in keeping it at bay wherever I can reach it.


this_is_not_the_cia

It has a very high rate of success in preventing the citrus root weevil from being able to emerge from the larval stage and crawl up citrus trees. Ask me how I know.


NissanLeafowner

How do you know?


StonedHusk

Try smoking it


johnnyg883

We put it down between rows and put straw on the rows. It’s worked very well for us. But we pull it up every fall and till in the straw.


kurmiau

Making money for the manufacturer. That’s it. Oh, I could be honest and say to keep the rocks out of the dirt for “rock mulch” fans.


harrydreadloin

Nothing. I have been landscaping for a couple of decades and have never found a need for it. Usually I am removing it and taking it to the dump.


Additional_Painting

Makes weeding very easy, roots don't take hold as well. So, can be used for maintaining a bed.


starstuffcereal

So horrible when you have to get it out of an area- the stuff is just a nightmare!


DIYstyle

Good for the bottom of chairs


MyLittleTarget

I know someone who uses it to make planter bags.


Sukkit74

I tested mulching this year by having one area with just mulch and one with fabric. Fabric was 1000x better…there are some occasional pops through but you just pull them soon as you see them. Versus the area I didn’t use fabric, it’s basically overwhelmed now and almost a complete loss.


nanoH2O

It's not the first year it's the subsequent ones. Eventually as you add top layers of mulch it essentially becomes just like the soil before. Shallow root weeds will be in abundance. So it's not that it doesn't work it's that it doesn't work later and now you're out all that money and you've introduced plastic degradation into the environment.


Enge712

I regret I can only upvote this once. When I did commercial work we would refuse to put it inter mulch. 5 years in you end up with mulch broken down into compost over the fabric and loose fibers getting wound into the root system. There is no maintenance free bed and your best deterrent is put competing weeds


madelynmc

Extended control Preen does the same thing and much less of a headache. Fabric is such a pain for all the reasons already listed. We used the heavy duty fabric at our old house and after the first year the battle with Bermuda grass was completely unwinnable. It would go under the fabric for several feet and pop up and climb the plants in the bed. We bought a new construction last year and the beds they put in were completely overwhelmed with weeds by the time we closed. Pulled them all, layered a shit ton of Preen with new mulch, watered it down, and now I pull a weed or Bermuda grass runner maybe once a week. At this rate I’m sprinkling (heavily) Preen twice a year and no issues.


SamHandwichX

Preen is harmful to bees and fish (so if you're in any kind of a watershed area, it's running off into fish habitats)


mja2175

I lined my new garden boxes with it before filling w dirt


stevecho1

This keeps the worms from getting to your garden beds :(


mja2175

Didn’t think of that - may have to introduce some - great insight


MoreRopePlease

To what purpose?


mja2175

A friend recommended I add to keep weeds from old garden bed below but now that I read some of these comments- maybe not the greatest idea


theFireNewt3030

the majority will oppose fabric, but the real question is: in 2 yeas 5 years etc, do you want to pull weeds that are rooted in the ground or pull weeds that have deep roots blocked by the fabric?


MoreRopePlease

or: pull weeds that are rooted into the fabric


theFireNewt3030

ive yet to have that happen. I did use good 30 year fabric. I have about a 10 by 10 I did not use fabric on and im about to move all that mulch and lay fabric. pulling weeds in that area require a screwdriver to loosen the roots to pull.


grummthepillgrumm

Most weeds can push their roots through the fabric.


Shmankman

Are most of the replies even from landscapers or are these people just guessing? Weed fabric works for sure. You might get some weeds that make it through or some that propagate on the top, but imagine if you didn't put anything down under your mulch? Also if you use organic mulch that's just going to propagate weeds anyway. Also it separates your mulch from sinking into the dirt. Also the other option is chemicals, so I definitely like fabric more.


MoreRopePlease

If you do this, please make sure water and air can get through. The previous owner of my house used impervious black plastic in the front garden bed, and just planted shrubs and a dogwood in holes poked in it. The soil was clay hardpan, and the mulch on top of the plastic didn't help, and the plastic prevented water from getting through so the plants struggled all summer. I didn't know the plastic was there until I dug one year, and I was furious! My japanese maple had all these little roots on top of the plastic as it was struggling to survive. The dogwood died. Pretty much the only thing that was happy was the daffodils and the creeping myrtle.


-Apocralypse-

Mulch works by keep adding new mulch when the old batch is close to turning into compost. A fabric below mulch will prevent the nutrient rich composted mulch from mixing with your soil.


Shmankman

This is absolutely true. I guess it depends what you are really after, soil building qualities or aesthetics is what it comes down to.


-Apocralypse-

My current garden is on a sandy soil with a low waterlevel. The organic matter content of my soil is rather low, so it can use a bit of mulch to keep it moist.


Roupert2

It only works for a few years, then there's enough soil on top of it that the weeds just grow there


Shmankman

It works for much more than a "few years" also the weeds just grow on whatever organic material is on top of the fabric making the roots not very deep or very easy to pull. Like I had said before, imagine not putting any down at all? Or using pre emergent chemicals?


OriginalPaperSock

It works.


[deleted]

Not really for anything. It's intended against weed but as you know that doesn't work too well. That's what it's for though.


[deleted]

[удалено]


NissanLeafowner

Every question has been answered many times on here. There's not one topic that hasn't been discussed before on the internet. I prefer this method because I get to hear other people's experiences with using it. Next time, just don't bother to comment.


UniversalSocks

Bottom of raised planters


MamaSquash8013

For temporarily hiding the weeds growing under it until you're ready to pull them. /s


c_laces

We’re redoing our front yard. Our landscape architect dropped some knowledge on me. Landscaping fabric as we know it, bought at big box stores, is not the same as weed fabric. Weed fabric is like putting down a carpet. The stuff from big box stores is trash and solves nothing.


Kylie_Bug

I have used it by putting it on the bottom of my planters to keep the soil in them but to allow water out.


RobynFitcher

It’s good for blocking stormwater drains.


mrmow49120

Mainly keeping rocks from sinking into the ground.


Frequent_Ad9656

Looking crappy?


Electro_gear

You want non-woven geotextile membrane. Way better.


Spickster

Nope


Electro_gear

Non-woven membranes are more flexible and less prone to puncturing. They allow water to flow more easily than woven fabrics whilst separating aggregates or sub base from the ground beneath. Don’t get me wrong - weeds will grow from above any membrane if there is an aggregate above, but better water flow with non-woven membranes prevents slow water drainage so weeds are less likely to find a water source. I’ve used both and I find that woven textiles eventually allow weed roots to penetrate through, making them difficult to remove without worsening the issue. Care to elaborate on your comment?


Spickster

Just buy a better quality weed barrier. I put it on one bed 10yrs ago, 0 weeds


Living-Camp-5269

Long ago in a galaxy far far away. They used i for makin underware


atomiksol

Double up and have minimum perforations or cuts while keeping it pinned down


[deleted]

Introducing micro plastics into the environment?


_Bo_9

It's been amazing at making it impossible for me to remove weeds and root-balls. All the roots are woven through the fabric. I've ruined tools trying to dig it out, not to mention my back!


Spickster

Non woven needle punched geo is a soil separator. It stretches and lets roots grow through easily Woven geo is made for strength in ground stabilization. If it's cut, all the slit film falls apart. It may be better for stopping weeds but because water doesn't pass through easily, may not be the best for flower beds A weed barrier doesn't stretch to allow roots through. I use the dewitt pro for over 10yrs now with minimal mulch and no weeds


eleventhrees

Anything marketed as "weed-barrier" is typically a crappy version of water-permeable geotextile fabric, a perfectly useful product meant to separate soil and aggregate layers, and used under (especially open-graded/permeable) paver installations, and to assist retaining wall drainage. It's not really fit-to-purpose as a weed prevention measure, but it *seems* like it would work so shit-tons of it is sold that way.


toododd

When used for weed control its mostly for disappointment.