A homeowner looking for advice about how to avoid weeds in their yard was given a lesson in what not to do by Redditors.
Posting in the r/landscaping subreddit, the OP said they noticed weeds popping up in a landscaped part of their yard that had wood chips above it. They were dismayed that no landscaping fabric or chicken wire had been used to keep gophers and weeds from coming up through the wood chips.
Folks in the comments were quick to point out that landscaping fabric is not effective at keeping weeds under control.
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Mowing the lawn 🏡 "The best landscaping fabric is no landscaping fabric," one said, "They work at first and then fail pretty quickly. Your best plan is to ensure you keep a consistent 4-5-inch layer of mulch topped up each year. Pull weeds as you see them and over time your weeding time will decrease."
"We don't put fabric under mulch as it prevents the mulch from decomposing and adding to the soil," said another, "We use fabric under rock to stop the rocks from migrating down into the soil. Not to stop weeds. Weeds are going to grow on top of the fabric. Seeds blow in. Seeds are dropped by critters. You can apply a pre-emergent which does help but ultimately you're always going to have some weeds."
It's true that landscaping fabric isn't used to stop weeds, and there's another risk to using the material in your garden.
According to Treehugger, landscaping fabric can break down and leach toxic chemicals into your soil. While it's called fabric, it's typically made from forms of plastic. While the plastic doesn't break down or degrade, it does start to break apart, which can leave microplastics in your soil. Those microplastics can hinder plant growth and cause other serious problems. Ultimately, it's a serious waste of money.
"Unless your outside areas are slabs of concrete, you're GOING TO HAVE WEEDS," another commenter said. "Period. There IS NO permanent weed preventative."
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