Homeowners warn against concerningly popular yard trend after years of disastrous consequences: 'I don't know what the solution is'

A Redditor has sparked conversation online after discovering hundreds of square feet of plastic sheeting buried beneath their garden soil.

"I started planting some fruit trees and bushes at the house we bought a couple years ago and discovered a bunch of buried landscaping cloth (black plastic sheeting, pretty thick) buried about 6-8 inches below the surface," the Redditor shared to the r/Permaculture subreddit.

Users rushed to the comments to share their disdain for the trend of using plastic sheeting, known euphemistically as landscaping fabric, as a means of weed prevention. 

"There's no way to remove it," lamented one commenter. "I don't know what the solution is to this."

"I have so much hate for landscaping fabric," shared another. "Unfortunately, the only way I figured out [to get rid of it] was by painfully ripping it out small section by small section."

Landscaping fabric spans the spectrum from simple black plastic sheeting that is impermeable to water and gases to more contemporary designs featuring modern geotextiles.

Despite these highly touted new developments, which often come at a significant financial cost, landscaping fabric remains a poor solution for permanent weed prevention, according to a paper by Washington State University associate professor Linda Chalker-Scott. 

According to Chalker-Scott, the popularity of landscaping fabric comes from a good place: trying to reduce the use of herbicides in preventing weeds. The issue is that landscaping fabric does not succeed in its mission, instead causing more problems than it solves.

In order to be effective, landscaping fabric must be placed on top of any soil or other organic matter. Otherwise, weeds will simply grow on top of the fabric barrier. Therefore, landscaping fabric can only be covered with inorganic mulch like pebbles, per Chalker-Scott.

Because of this limitation, landscaping fabric like that encountered by the original poster, which is buried under several inches of soil and other organic matter, is wholly ineffective as a weed barrier. 

Do you think the government should ban gas-powered lawn tools? No way 🙅 Definitely 💯 Only certain tools 🤔 I don't know 🤷 Click your choice to see results and speak your mind.

Making matters worse, even landscaping fabric made of modern geotextiles can break down in as little as one year, especially when exposed to sunlight. While these new materials purport to allow for greater permeability and soil health, they remain ineffective as permanent weed-prevention solutions. 

"Like the perpetual dieter searching for a permanent weight loss pill, so we as landscape professionals and consumers continue to seek permanent weed control solutions," Chalker-Scott wrote. "Unfortunately, there is not a permanent fix. We must remain 'ever vigilant' in our battle with weeds and cannot rely on a product to do this passively." 

As a more effective and environmentally friendly alternative to landscaping fabric, Chalker-Scott recommends organic mulches, such as wood bark.

Other ways to make your garden more environmentally friendly while potentially saving money include planting a native lawn, rewilding your yard, and having more pollinator-friendly species.

Join our free newsletter for easy tips to save more and waste less, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.