Expert issues warning on harmful impacts of common landscaping product: 'Much cursing is involved'

You laid down that landscape fabric with the confidence of someone who thought they'd never weed again. A few months later, you're back outside — sweating, yanking, and wondering why it's suddenly fused with the Earth.

"Much cursing is involved in trying to remove it," Jefferson County CSU Extension Colorado Master Gardeners wrote in a recent Facebook post on the topic.

That's not just a throwaway line. Fabric that's supposed to block weeds starts clogging instead, trapping water and blocking airflow to the soil beneath. Over time, the nearby plants you're trying to protect are affected. Also, the weeds keep coming — right through the fabric or, worse, on top of it, rooting themselves into the mess you now have to peel up.

We are all looking for a solution to reduce weeds! Like many, I tried landscape fabric as a new gardener and it sure...

Posted by Jefferson County CSU Extension Colorado Master Gardeners on Thursday, March 28, 2024

You end up with double the work and half the satisfaction — as the Facebook post suggested.

It's not just your weekend getting wrecked. The landscape fabric didn't work and has been a waste of time and money.

That barrier also cuts off access to bare soil — the kind that native bees and other insects need for nesting. No access means fewer pollinators, which means fewer healthy plants. That's not great news if you like food.

Then you hit this point, like the person in the post's photo, holding crumbling fabric that is barely fabric anymore. It's just cracked plastic with dirt baked in — too brittle to be helpful, too stubborn to ignore.

Natural landscaping alternatives can work better for many people: Use clover instead of turf, native wildflowers instead of gravel beds, and grass that doesn't need a weekly trim during the summer. You don't need to redo your entire yard. Just lose the plastic and swap one piece at a time.

It'll save water, reduce upkeep, and leave room for pollinators to move in and do their thing.

As for weed suppression, the Facebook post recommended checking out natural mulches, such as those covered by the Colorado State University Extension.

What's the hardest thing about taking care of your yard? Mowing the lawn 🏡 Controlling weeds 🌿 Keeping pests at bay 🐿️ I don't have a yard 🤷 Click your choice to see results and speak your mind.

One Facebook commenter didn't mince words about the fabric option: "Completely useless, I have done a good share of custom gardening and never recommend ground cloth."

Another shared their excavation horror story: "The former owners of my house did a back yard full of weed barrier and river rock … I've excavated about half the yard in 5 years and it's brutal."

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