Finding the right product to prevent weeds can be helpful when gardening, but one mention of landscaping fabric on Reddit had homeowners sounding alarms.
One Redditor posted in r/gardening with the goal of finding the best way to keep weeds out of their flower beds. "I've read that fabric or cardboard will prevent weeds for a while, but eventually they will grow and it makes it more difficult to weed," they wrote.
According to Gardenista, most landscaping fabrics are not biodegradable and can contain dangerous chemicals. The fabric also hinders soil from absorbing water, which causes it to dry and harden. Furthermore, while landscaping fabric can keep weeds at bay for some time, the plants will eventually grow on top of the fabric.
Cost is another concern, as rolls of landscaping fabric can be expensive. That's why some Reddit users recommended cardboard as a more affordable and less harmful alternative.
Cardboard sheets allow gardeners to kill weeds and start fresh without using chemicals, according to Albopepper. However, experts have warned that cardboard is only a temporary solution, as the material will eventually deteriorate.
Installing a natural lawn is another way homeowners can save money. Clover lawns and buffalo grass are options that require less water, which reduces the amount spent on bills. Converting to a natural lawn or rewilding a yard with native plants also creates a healthier ecosystem for pollinators, ultimately protecting our food supply.
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As for the original poster, the consensus in the comments about using landscaping fabric was clear. Redditors were not fans of the product. One even referenced their own experience to advise against using the fabric.
"I bought a house with landscape fabric that was well past its sell by date," they wrote. "It no longer stopped any weeds (and weeds just started growing on top of it) but it made the soil an awful, compacted supervillain. I say cardboard all the way."
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