Internet advice on gardening is everywhere this time of year — and a YouTuber recently demonstrated the value of firsthand experience after testing out a popular yet widely discouraged weed control method.
User The Secret Garden (@thesecretgarden6948) uploaded a video titled "I Can't Kill My Weeds," documenting a less-than-successful attempt to weed-proof his sprawling garden.
The culprit? Landscape fabric.
"The weeds in my garden were getting out of control. … So, me being the super smart person I am, I put down a lot of landscape fabric in between my rows and everywhere to try to prevent the weeds," he began, panning the camera to neat rows of plants and yards of plastic landscape fabric.
Like many other well-intentioned gardeners, the creator made a subsequent discovery: Landscape fabric is not an efficient way to control weeds.
"I'm so good at growing weeds that they grow through the fabric. They thrive. It doesn't matter. They don't mind it at all. They just keep on saying hello," he joked.
The weeds visibly defied the neatly arranged landscape fabric, unimpeded by the hard work and expense required to install it.
Because landscape fabric is commonly used and widely available in garden centers, consumers reasonably expect that the product is benign and functional. In reality, landscape fabric has virtually no benefits and myriad downsides.
As the clip demonstrates, it doesn't control weeds well (if at all), failing at its primary purpose. It's also often made from petroleum, and when it does break down, it can contaminate soil with microplastics.
On top of all that, digging up landscape fabric from years past is a nightmare chore, the bane of gardeners across social media. Upgrading to a natural lawn and rewilding your yard are alternative approaches that work with nature rather than against it, saving money and time.
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Mowing the lawn 🏡 Native plants require less in the way of resources and maintenance — and local foliage attracts and supports pollinators, which are crucial for gardens and the integrity of the food chain. As for the creator's run-in with the weed barrier, it sounded like a one-time thing.
"I never use weed barriers. They may help for a certain extent of time, but they usually break down and weeds eventually pop through," one commenter remarked.
"Very true," the YouTuber concurred.
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