If you're a gardener, you're likely familiar with landscape fabric and may have strong opinions about it. However, there are sustainable alternatives to this product that are safer to use and will help you achieve a gorgeous garden.
Instagrammer Sally (@sustainabletextures) shared her tip in a video titled "The BEST and most effective alternative to landscape fabric."
She wrote in the caption: "With landscape fabric, give it maybe 2 years and weeds will still find their way through, around, or just grow on top as wind and rain deposits soil and sediment on the surface."
Sally offered mulch as an alternative and listed the many reasons she finds it preferable.
While some Instagram users agreed with the original poster, others offered alternative suggestions, such as the person who said: "Newspaper and cardboard works the best!"
While the original poster is making a better choice by using standard mulch rather than landscape fabric, this commenter is correct in saying that cardboard is the superior choice (natural, undyed mulch is also a good option).
While landscape fabric does have a few pros, it comes with many more cons, as Gardenista explained.
Not only does it not work well at preventing weeds, making it a waste of money, but it is also typically made from nonrecyclable materials and chemicals that can harm your soil and plants.
Landscape fabric can also prevent nutrients from reaching the soil, causing the soil to turn dry and hard, which affects plants growing nearby. This product eventually wears down, too, becoming unsightly and hard to remove.
Plus, it prevents reseeding, so if you love native plants popping up, you'll be out of luck. If you're a fan of native plants, consider skipping the landscape fabric and installing a native lawn instead.
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If you were to switch from a grass lawn to a more natural option, which of these factors would be your primary motivation?
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Making it look better 🌱 By utilizing native plants in your garden, you'll need to do less maintenance as well as save money on your water bill, as these plants need watering less often. Even better, you'll be creating a healthier ecosystem that will attract pollinators, and because they help protect the human food supply, everyone benefits.
Whether you rewild your entire lawn or only a small section, you'll reap the benefits. A few excellent common native plants to begin with include blue grama, clover, and buffalo grass.
So, as the original poster said: "Let this be your sign to stop using landscape fabric."
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