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Expert warns homeowners against harmful landscaping trend: 'Stop putting it in your yards'

"You are paying for trash."

Gardener issues critical warning about landscaping fabric: You're paying for trash.

Photo Credit: TikTok

Transforming a hard-to-manage patch of lawn into a simpler rock garden that uses less water — also known as xeriscaping — is a good way to save time and money around the house. 

However, some xeriscaping methods are better than others, as gardening expert Lindsey (@lindseybeatrice) shared in a recent TikTok video.

@lindseybeatrice Here's a much better alternative!!! #gardening #landscapingdesign #nativeplants ♬ original sound - Lindsey | Meant to Bea

"This is my number one piece of advice. Do not use landscape fabric," she emphasized. 

"Stop buying it, stop putting it in your yards," she urged. "You are paying for trash."

This layer of plastic mesh is commonly used underneath xeriscaped plots to keep weeds out. That sounds good in theory, but in practice, weeds still bust through landscaping fabrics and can be even harder to uproot after the fact, Lindsey explained.

On top of this frustrating waste of money, these products introduce plastic into the ecosystem. That can cause long-term harm to soil and plants. 

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Buying more products like toxic herbicides to spray over weed-riddled landscaping fabric is not much of a solution. 

Instead, Lindsey recommends using native plants. They naturally fight off weeds and pests, require way less water than a grass lawn, and are great for critical pollinator species. That all leads to a garden that is both cheaper to maintain and also helps out the planet. 

Lindsey offered several extra resources to help gardeners get started with native plants in their region, including a custom guide and coaching session. She has also written an e-book called "Planting for Pollinators" about the fundamentals of native plants

Many who watched Lindsey explain the pitfalls of landscaping fabric could not have agreed more with her message. 

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"The worst thing ever," one commenter wrote. 

Another TikTok user added: "I'm about to remove mine haha wish me luck."

"It's all about low maintenance," someone else affirmed.

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