Landscape fabric is marketed as a simple weed killer, but in the end it’s not worth it. (Chicago Botanical Garden)
I have several large trees and shrubs in my garden and the weeds are having a hard time keeping up with them this year. Should we install weed barrier fabric?
Weeds have become a particularly big problem for gardeners this year. The rainy spring really kept them going and they are still found in many gardens today. Gardeners who don’t weed regularly often find their beds overgrown with weeds.
Landscape fabrics are marketed as a simple weed killer, but in my opinion, these fabrics should not be used for this purpose. They are sold in rolls of various widths and lengths and are designed to be placed on the surface of the soil and then covered with mulch or gravel. Landscape fabrics must be permeable and breathable so that plants can grow properly in the beds. Never use strong plastic covers where ideal plants will grow, as they prevent water and air from penetrating into the soil, which the plants need for their roots.
In order to use weed cloth on your bed, you first need to remove any large weeds that prevent the cloth from lying on the ground. Make sure the ground is relatively smooth, as any clods of soil will clump the fabric and make it difficult to cover the mulch. You will need to cut the landscaping fabric to fit the existing shrubs and then cut slits into the fabric to accommodate future plantings. In some cases, you may need to use horizontal staples to hold the fabric so it doesn’t fold and pierce through the top layer of the cover.
In the short term, you will be able to suppress weeds on your bed with this fabric. However, weeds will pass through any holes you leave or create in the fabric. Over time, organic matter will build up on top of the landscape fabric, and as the mulch breaks down, weeds will begin to grow on top of the fabric. These weeds are easy to pull out, but you still need to weed the bed. If the coating tears and is not replenished, the fabric will become visible and unsightly.
The Chicago Botanical Garden uses weed control fabrics in production nurseries to cover gravel areas and suppress weeds in container planting areas. The regular watering required for container plants creates good conditions for weeds to grow, and combined with the difficulty of pulling weeds between pots, weed control fabrics save a lot of work. When placing containers for winter storage, they are removed at the end of the season.
I think it’s best to keep weeding the beds by hand and not use landscape fabric. There are pre-emergence herbicides that can be applied to bush beds that prevent weed seeds from sprouting, but they do not control perennial weeds. These products also need to be applied very carefully so as not to damage the desired plants, which is why I don’t use them in my home garden.
Post time: Apr-16-2023