When is it okay to use landscape fabric? 🪴 In gardens under mulch? Under rocks or gravel?

[@gardenprojectacademy]

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[@ExamineLife4]

This lady is very intelligent and informative... Uses for landscape fabric? Preventing cats from using my bare ground as kitty litter. In my case, I'm allergic to cats. When spring fever strikes, I cannot have bare ground in my neighborhood as the neighborhood cats seek it out for kitty litter. So, I roll out landscape fabric to prevent kitty action in my yard. The odor in my yard was off the charts because the 30 plus cats in this neighborhood were using a sand patch the previous owners had converted to under a pergola from having been the base for under a swimming pool in previous years. That created a perfect environment for all the neighborhood cats to come in and utilize the giant kitty litter. I wonder if this is why they sold the house. Anyway, I donned a respirator, dug up the sand and removed it and the countless yards of kitty litter from my property. Then, I covered the space with landscape fabric since the cats were still trying to use it. They couldn't scratch and claw at the fabric. I purchased pea travel for some sections and am still working out what I want to do with another space of my yard. Decisions, decisions.

[@Silverhaired59]

At my last house, broken concrete was used to make foot-high gardening beds in the front. The concrete was from the 1950s, with lots of pretty, colorful stones throughout the broken edges. In this house, flat stacked stones are used for the garden bed edging. In both cases, I expanded the beds and added height to them. In order to keep the dirt from seeping through between the rocks, I use landscape fabric to line the inside of the rocks or sidewalk pieces.. I shoveled away the dirt, lined the inside of the rocks, and continued the fabric a few inches along the ground at the bottom. This works extremely well at keeping the dirt out, and therefore, the weeds from growing between the stones.

[@kansasx23x]

I use landscape fabric underneath rocks in the areas that don't have any plants and where the rocks are larger than 1.5" across or so. Under smaller rocks I could see where it makes sense that a thick layer of smaller rocks this would be adequate, but under larger rocks it seems like you would need a layer 8+" thick to prevent too much dust and soil and organic matter falling into the crevices and creating a soil on top of the fabric. I must say - The areas in my yard that do not have landscape fabric underneath the same river rock, they absolutely get more weeds. The areas with landscape fabric have zero weeds, except for along the edge where it has maybe pulled loose a bit from whatever is next to it, like a sidewalk. I believe you that it only helps for the first few years (i am only on year 3) but I think that help is enough to be worth it, but on year 4 you could shovel the rocks aside, replace the landscape fabric, dust or rinse rocks out, and put them back down for another 3-4 year help. Also you can get a leaf blower+vacuum and stay on top of keeping the rocky areas clean in order to prevent soil from forming on top of the fabric. That being said I do think that small rocks are much lower maintenance than the larger rocks regardless of landscape fabric or no. I'd love to see a video about the use of mulch and specific types of rocks in a xeriscape area of ones yard.

[@kristibrooks967]

Bless your heart ❤️ if ypu have time to vacuum your rock beds 🛌 😉

[@kansasx23x]

@@kristibrooks967 I don't, but I also don't have the extra $1,000 to add the amount of rocks it would take to prevent the weeds (not to mention the time and energy to dig several inches into the entire ground so that the rocks weren't several inches higher than the rest of the landscape), or the time to go out and battle the weeds myself. So I guess it's just all a matter of where and how you want to spend your time/money.

[@lukejohn6139]

I've recentltv purchased a property which has had 10cm / 4 inches of river rock dumped directly on the soil, to look nice for sale. What a nightmare. Weeds grew like crazy in a few months, I've had to spend days hand digging and removing these rocks, as they have sunken very quickly into the soil. In the parts of the garden where I'm reusing the rocks I'll be using weedmat - to give myself a break for a few years before I plant out the whole garden. Great channel and no nonsense advice, thankyou. And surprisingly relevant for me considering I live in Melbourne Australia.

[@janitapanos240]

I placed landscape fabric recently around a large/mature maple tree and around my AC. I placed river rock on top. I did this because I was tired of digging out all the river rock that settled down into the soil over time.

[@daisykreates]

That velcro reference… 😅 I totally agree 😂 I so regret using landscape plastic in my yards, looked and seemed good first, then after a very wet winter, nightmare everywhere 😢

[@Logiwonk]

Agreed - vastly prefer to use cardboard under wood chips to smother lawn or weeds and the cardboard is gone in a few months. I've had to pull a lot of landscape fabric and plastic out of my yard and replaced it with thick mulch, and it has been very effective and I'm building soil at the same time.

[@francoisgs1]

Thanks for sharing is your ground ,flat ? and what kind of mulch di d you use? thanks

[@Logiwonk]

@@francoisgs1 It is pretty flat, I use arborist wood chips (chipped trees, leaves, branches) because they are free.

[@lisaphillips5495]

I completely agree that landscape fabric has no place around plants. Several years ago, landscapers laid fabric under a large mulch in the section of our yard that was meant to be planted with shrubs and perennials. For 2 years, I tried and failed to get shrubs established. Even the hardiest, most "drought tolerant" species failed to thrive, despite drip irrigation. In desperation, I pulled up a section of the fabric to see what was going on down there. To my horror, I found "dead soil". I could hardly even call it soil. It wasn't quite sand, but it was completely devoid of moisture (despite the drip irrigation) and life. Nary a bug, worm or beetle. So I started working on the mulched area in sections, removing the fabric and adding lots of organic matter (partially rotted logs, manure, compost, leaf mould). I topped it with shredded cedar mulch and let it sit for a year before planting. I finally finished the last section about 2 years ago and couldn't be happier with the results. Everything is growing beautifully, weeds have been kept well under control by the mulch (even when they do grow, they are easy to pull), and I have never once missed that fabric.

[@TheSuburbanGardenista]

Lots of great info - thank you! I was most interested to hear your thoughts about the benefits (or not) of using landscaping fabric under rock pathways to prevent sinking - for others interested in this - it's at about 14:50 😊 thanks for all the great info and tips!! 💚

[@blktiger60]

Hey Eve. Thanks for the advice on landscape fabric. As far as mulch goes, here in the PNW we have chipdrop. I'm on the east side of WA. I got 4 pickup loads of aborists wood chips from someone in my local area that got more than they could use. Its all free from chipdrop. So now my front yard is 1/2 wood chips with blue rug juniper and, a couple trees I planted a few years ago. I did use fabric under the wood chips but now I'm considering removing it because there are 2 very large trees (a Hawthorn and Pine) on the east and west sides of my property and I don't want either of these trees to be impacted by the fabric. More of my lawn will come out and eventually I will have zero turf grass in my front yard. I just recently I bought 3 Artemsia Tridentia and 3 Rhus Trilobata for different areas of my front and back yard. My plan is to have a mostly maintenance free/xeric outdoor area on my property.

[@SteakNAleOrPonderosa]

As far as maintaining rocky pathways and whatnot, I lived in the desert at an apartment with lots of rocky walkways that would get occasional plants growing up in the rocks. My landlord would take a small blowtorch to it (!) every once in a while to burn off the organic matter-It sounds bananas, but the torch was tiny thing for searing steaks and he'd do it in 2-second bursts. Seemed to work pretty well, too!

[@kansasx23x]

In many cities it's not legal to use those weed torches. And I would be super hesitant to use them anywhere near my house that's for sure

[@jesskelley-madera4830]

We bought a house that had a ton of cheap DIY work done, including landscape fabric around some garden beds. It’s awful - it’s coming up bit by bit and it gets grabbed and shredded by the lawn mower. We can’t pull it up without pulling up literal tons of dirt and plants, so we are just saying good bye to it one chunk (and eyesore) at a time. It’s a corner that the previous owner cut and now we’re paying the price. Not the end of the world but you’re totally right that it’s not aging well!

[@jamesbennett8637]

I have used fabric and vinyl ply 6 ml. Fabric allows for weed roots to penetrate thru from the surface. Vinyl stopped all weed growth from above and below. I watched this process for 30years. I just removed both types of weed barrier and the vinyl was the best and easiest for preventing weed growth and their removal as well as cleanly removing the weed barrier when I redesigned the entire landscape after 30yrs. I live in Lawton, Oklahoma zone 8. I also agree with deeply mulching to prevent and ease the removal of evasive weeds. I had 5 mature cottonwood trees in my front yard that I blew the leaves into piles and mulched them into dust and spread back thru out the garden bed which returned the nutrients into the soil, controlling moisture, temperature and made perfect planting soil! 30yrs later, this August 2024; I had all of the cottonwood trees and stumps removed! 🎉 I’m putting in a modern minimalist low maintenance landscape design!🎉🎉🎉🎉 I’m using, rock, rubber mulch, dwarf mondo grass,crape Mertle trees and a variety of colorful sculptured shrubs and everblooming roses with a water feature. (I enjoy sculpting the bushes.) I enjoyed your video.

[@adz5bneweng589]

Awesome video Eve! Never again will I ever, ever, ever use landscape fabric in a garden...for all the reasons you mention. I'm a "cardboarder" all the way. I'm also not a fan of bark mulch as it builds up faster than it decomposes, becomes hydrophobic. With projects I'm working on, I often find myself digging through 12 or more inches of dry bark mulch before hitting soil. Makes it nearly impossible to plant new plants. And I've seen the mulch getting higher and higher, year after year, around tree trunks and eventually killing the tree. Instead, please choose a composting mulch that decomposes over a couple of years and actually adds nutrients to the soil.

[@jensmith4005]

I totally agree. I am constantly pulling out chunks of fabric many inches below good soil.

[@kathygrieve8416]

I totally agree Just bought a house with thick landscape fabric and rock. Plants are 18 years old and they’ve not spread or grown. Ugh now I’m removing it and just using compost and mulch

[@jessicadecuir1050]

There's no mention in this video at all of using landscape fabric with rocks to control drainage issues. That's the number one reason we created a river rock garden around the front and slope side of our house (after soil grading). We had to put geotextile landscape fabric underneath the river rock and put edging around it so the rocks wouldn't slide down the slope or disappear into soil. I do have a holly bush in the rocks and it's doing just fine. I'm more concerned about my hydrangea tree, but we made sure to cut a hole big enough in the fabric to not have any rocks or fabric touch the trunk of the tree or the root flare. The same with the Japanese laceleaf maple. The previous owner had wood mulch everywhere against the front of the house and it did nothing to help drainage, looked ugly, and attracted pests and critters. Another time it's appropriate to use landscape fabric is when you're digging a Swale in creating a dry bed creek. This not only helps with soil erosion but in directing the water away from the house.

[@kmw992617]

This is why I need the fabric. Not using it in my garden. The side of my house is staying wet because of too much dirt and mulch. I am going to put down this fabric and then some rock.

[@petert834]

Thanks for this channel. I find a lot of useful info here! My own experience with landscape fabric is that I agree with your take. I'd never use it in my garden beds for weed suppression. if I properly mulch then the mulch alone will greatly reduce the weeds, and I also don't have to deal with some issues that the fabric will cause (poking through and looking bad, intefering with later digging.) However, I now ALWAYS use some kind of fabric barrier under rocks/gravel. I have a lot of clay and we get a lot of rain, and so without the fabric to separate the gravel from the mud I would quickly "lose" those rocks in the mud. I made up my mind on this after I had white decorative gravel sink as deep as 6 inches into the soil below thanks to all the rain. Note: if possible make sure to use non-woven geotextile fabric, and not the cheap "landscape fabric" you usually find at big box stores and the like. Non-woven (vs woven) allows for better drainage while still providing layer separation of materials, and geotextile is much more durable than the common cheap landscape fabric, potentially lasting for decades.

[@deejoseph6393]

I hired someone to do my garden after a hurricane in our area destroyed it. We had some shingles left from the roofing job and decided after watching a you tube video that we could use the asphalt shingles as well as weed barrier fabric as weed barrier in the front and back gardens I have noticed that my lemon tree is loosing leaves, my crepe myrtle trees that usually bloom by now are not blooming and my hawthornes are slowly dying. Also there are areas where anything I plant will die after a couple of weeks or so. I spent a lot of money and now after listening to your advice,(soil respiration) I am going to have to dig up all of those roofing shingles. SMH!

[@cliodhnette]

Great video! I don't have a local noxious wind expert, how do I get rid of bindweed?

[@twilde3754]

This past spring, I used landscape fabric and rock for an area close to a public sidewalk and maybe 5 feet into my front yard. Then I planted 4 boxwoods across the front of the yard in that area. I noticed one is struggling. Next spring I plan to cut larger circles around the base of each of the boxwoods so they can get better circulation. If that doesn't work, I will likely relocate the boxwoods. Putting mulch there wouldn't work since it's public. Depth of mulch is crucial -- in another bed, I didn't use landscape fabric, but used 4ish inches of cedar mulch. It worked beautifully. Do weeds come up? Yes, but as a weed or two pops up, I can get to them easily.

[@lindseygriffith1005]

Do you have a video on edging? That’s where I’m having trouble…keeping the grass from invading. Is plastic/metal edging the only option?

[@1977fala]

I have a problem with Bermuda grass in my flower beds. I always use the fabric but this time I wanted to put mulch directly on the dirt/compost. I am not sure if this is a good idea. How do you fertilizer with the Espoma tone when you have a fabric? Any recommendations? I am in the zone 10a Southern California

[@jakebranker9404]

Hello I loved your video. And will not be using fabric based on your recommendation however I am really looking for a way to keep my decorative rock from mixing with the soil below it. Any tips?

[@nmarkert01]

What if you just want a mulch bed? I’m trying to cover an foundation/stone that’s been sunk into the ground and I’m unsure what’s the best way to go.

[@persephonebasilissa5109]

This summer, we placed landscape fabric under 6 inches of river rock around our foundation - with no plants - after removing that depth of soil and soaking with a weedkiller. This is in dry southeast Washington State. We'll see how it goes....

[@joannestimson9641]

Thanks, I have never heard anyone recommend not using landscape fabric before. I am so pleased as It doesn’t seem right to put this in the garden.

[@IMADALBASRII]

Good Morning & Evening Thanks for important video I believe your informations about landscape fabric are fair and knowledgeable and balanced because you love this field i am learning from it I plant young grape tree in out side philly N.E Pennsylvania So this information was came in right time i will use red mulch maybe 5 inch . I will baried hose with small holes around the grape under the soil before put the mulch so i can water it when needed via hose i will use the fabric only when i have stones .have a Q: young 3ft grape tree when mulch what i can use around it young trunk near mulchs ? Thanks for your video

[@ChristopherJohnsonArtist]

I have been thinking about using landscape fabric under gravel between permanent raised beds that will be my vegetable garden. Would this be good or deep gravel and if better with deep gravel, how many cm thick? hot tropical climate with monsoon and dry seasons. I've also been struggling to think of good shrubs and trees for a privacy barrier/hedge. it never freezes. dry season in the winter.

[@brianferry9217]

I recently found your channel and it's a huge help!! I'm and urban designer and I do some landscape design and your videos have been a great resource

[@francoisgs1]

hi thank you very much great presentation , I agree the cloth is probably not best choice. I have a slope which I intend to plant thyme, rosamry an lavender to cover the whole surface to minimise maintenance due accessibility and time. what will you suggest to do cardboard with mulch but ,mulch will slide at first rain or not even or just move away with wind. and for the bottom flat area what will you recommend to minimise maintenance and no weeds < thanks a million Francois

[@jillismyname]

We have bermuda grass here in Texas, and so any path or gravel patio that borders grass has been a good candidate for landscape fabric at our house. The rhizomes can really spread underground and travel. But never that white gauzy stuff, it's terrible over time getting fuzzy and poking up. The woven black kind is pretty decent.

[@augustineschaefer5522]

Been in this location for 5 years and am finally getting to the fabric from a very old garden. The surrounding trees have no duff at the base because of the fabric. I’ve been moving existing perineals to the area. I’m hoping to manage the weeds by choking them out with prettier non-invasive ‘weeds’ like iris, borage, delphinium. The fabric has been devastating to that area. Just a mess

[@danielgomezjr.7194]

I just discovered your channel and subscribed because of all the useful information! I’m trying to landscape my 1 acre property but it has been taken over heavily by Stork’s Bill. Any videos or tips on how to mitigate that ideally without using glyphosate?

[@tigrangaloyan5814]

Thanks for the great video. Have a question, if we want to stop literally anything to grow between two houses, can we install landscape fabric on top of the existing weedy lawn and cover with river rocks?

[@gardenprojectacademy]

Yes, that can be an option! But it is complicated. You'll need to keep the space extremely clean: no stray soil, leaves, or other plant debris. If these materials build up in between the river rocks, they decompose, and create extra opportunities for weeds to grow. Weed seeds can also blow in and sprout in the cracks. So it'll be pretty low maintenance, but not zero maintenance. It also depends on what you have around. If you have a tree that will drop leaves in the space, might not be the lowest maintenance option. Sometimes mowing the lawn is easier. Mulching and densely planting an appropriate, low maintenance plant can be an option, as well. There's a transitional phase, like an investment curve: It's more work until plants fill in. You have to mulch deeply until plants fill in and cover the soil. You will need to water and weed the space until the plants get established. But once plants fill in, a well-designed planting will require little to no care. This might not be the best option for a tight area between two houses, it depends on the space. Sometimes a combination of methods is best. Perhaps a pathway made of pavers (pretty low maintenance) and a narrow planting, properly mulched? I recommend reaching out to a local designer or a local organization (like a Master Gardener Program, if there's one in your area) and ask for ideas and regional best practices. Send in some pictures of the space, they might have some specific recommendations! Good luck!!

[@tigrangaloyan5814]

Thanks for the advice. ​@@gardenprojectacademy

[@ruthwolf1958]

One thing that always comes to mind when talking about cardboard or deep mulches etc. is what's best practice when it comes to various types of pests that can live/nest in these mulches? Or what to do about things like house foundations. What works for one application might have repercussions for other equally serious issues. Even my local experts can't seem to help with this. I get one thing from the pest control people and another from the local landscape experts. It's frustrating and confusing.

[@daisykreates]

I have the same issues… I don’t need more creepy crawlies for me and my dog, and definitely don’t want to supply possible fuel in case of fire. I read about keeping some 1-2’ distance between mulch and house foundation, but then what to do in that 1-2’ spaces?🤔

[@kansasx23x]

Agreed! I had an infestation of weevils and earwigs this year and ultimately the only thing that stopped them was getting rid of *all* of the woody type mulch on my property. I also have an issue with black widows and they just looove cardboard so I would be really hesitant to use that unless it was going underneath a bunch of in a raised garden bed or something.

[@kariolar3158]

We bought a house that has 20 years of landscape fabric that is 2 feet down and bermuda grass has stitched itself to the fabric. It has taken years to try to rip it out.

[@momnvet]

In my garden (designed by previous owner), landscape fabric is my nemesis!

[@cindianderson9443]

What about a decomposed granite area that doesn't have many plants? I'm assuming it would be helpful there since it's not feasible to put down 5 inches of this stuff.

[@gingerpowell5644]

Wish I watched your video before I wasted $20 buying landscape fabric. Going in the garbage and will just apply the mulch. Thanks for this very informative video.

[@Alwaysbyyourside.J.]

What do I do if I want Scottish moss in my brick walkway ( which I love!) but grass and weeds keep growing up thru the beautiful moss?

[@AlexGauthier]

I used to live in Portland, OR but have moved to Colorado Springs which is more high desert. I agree that in the PNW, landscape fabric was of negligible benefit just due to the sheer volume of organic matter that breaks down each season over the top of it. However, in Colorado Springs, I'm finding it to be a much easier way to solve one issue which is preventing unwanted plants (I don't like to term, "weed") from growing. Example, I struggle to keep Russian Sage from crowding against my home's foundation, plus the previous owners built the soil up too high so that rain runs into my window wells. Solution: Took about an 8" cut of dirt away from the foundation and laid landscape fabric with river rock mulch over it. I created small pockets of bare soil between larger rocks, where I've planted come better mannered plants sparsely as you might see in a seasonal river bed where rains wash out any larger plants. So far this is working. I'd probably hesitate putting the fabric under tree canopies or shrubs where a new growing substrate would be quickly established for weeds but it works pretty well for an application like mine where I'm really not wanting too many plants to grow at all. Plus it keeps organic matter away from my siding. It has it's place. The rest of my landscape I'll be using cardboard and mulch as recommended here though because I DO want lush plantings 10' or more away from my foundation and siding.

[@gardenprojectacademy]

I 100% agree! Similar to having landscape fabric under pathways: it stops these materials from sinking into the soil. Landscape fabric can also be practical in certain agricultural applications. But it definitely smothers plants, so glad to hear you're keeping it away from the plants you want to keep happy.

[@marjoriejudge5348]

in New Mexico , weeds will immediately grow through rock so need plastic or landscape fabric (I'd try plastic first as an experiment since weeds do settle into the fabric) - in Minnesota, leaves from elm , maple , and oak stick to the rocks (so definitely hi maintenance )

[@elizabethblane201]

I agree that a 6" chip mulch is the best . . . for many applications. But for ag walkways it can be a very good solutions to prevent weeds coming up between plant containers.

[@DDD11239]

It's also easier for flattened pathways. I only use it if I know I won't need that soil for ever.

[@nathangonzales3438]

I'm new here, such a great video...interested to see what some of your garden designs look like.

[@latinajoseph]

I use my palm trees' thorns as a dig down mulch under my rock lawn. I happened to notice hardly any weeds where i was chopping the stalks down and anywhere i put them, there's no weeds.

[@gardenprojectacademy]

That sounds awesome!

[@tracyjones5036]

Hi! I have several maple trees in my backyard. I use mulch in my garden bed that sits under 3 maples. Is it possible for me to combat the falling maple seeds, which constantly root, without landscape fabric?

[@LaraLatin]

Does Bermuda grass need to be removed before mulching?

[@kristibrooks967]

Thank you for this video. I, also, am not a fan even under rock. In our area (northern AZ) the blowing dirt just piles up over time and creates a soil+rock layer that encourages weeds to germinate and grow. Grrrr... 🥴

[@jessicadecuir1050]

Use a leaf blower to blow loose soil and leaves off of fabric and rocks.

[@LoveMunch-ev8uh]

How do you plant in 6-7" mulch?

[@athenamackenzie8519]

Where can one get high quality mulch? Isn’t most of it originate from shredded pallets that have chemicals in them??

[@alanetatate2325]

Is it good to remove unwanted grass in landscape

[@shawannasykes4862]

I literally just paid to get my yard redone and it has landscaping facric under. Indont have plants nor do I plan to plant. Am I screwed?

[@shawannasykes4862]

What if you don’t have flowers? And its red mud under?

[@ww8552]

Hi this is such a great summary with all the pros and Cons. Regarding wood mulching, can we put them directly touching the exterior walls of the residential home? I have heard that termites like the woodchip, is that true? Thanks!

[@Cali_Girl1]

If water gets into the dirt underneath the Rocks and Landscape Fabric, will it cause the Fabric to Rot, Dissolve or Disintegrate?

[@DINOtheropy]

Can you use cardboard instead? Or is that unhealthy as well?

[@moniquecarriere223]

This is going to sound weird, but here goes: can you use the clumps of Cat pee for anything good, or just throw it out. It seems like such a waste if it could be used.

[@joycegilkey3677]

I have fought weeds for over 50 years. Landscape fabric doesn't work, weed killer doesn't work and the weed roots grow so deep, I can't dig them up. The people who lived in this house before us had a quick fix done on landscaping with that fabric and I have spent the past 5 years breaking my back on weeds.

[@judynorris5734]

So- what do you use as a weed preventative…..

[@ldanielle-c3w]

Hi: I want to lay a wide long gravel path and am stymied. I've so far refused to buy landscape fabric to line my trench because I don't want to support fossils fuel industries as they create new needs for fossil fuels, to offset their losses as we move to fewer fossil fuel sources, and because the poly landscape fabrics are turning out to contribute to microplastics pollution in soil and groundwater. But I want to make sure my gravel doesn't migrate into the garden beds next to the path. --------- It's been pretty fruitless searching for a plastic free barrier so far, at least one that will be effective. Recently I dug up a thin walled cedar planter box, full of soil, that I'd buried over 20 years ago to block a hole under my back fence . The box is still intact though it's been beneath ground and been snowed and rain on the whole time.---- Do you know of anyone lining a path's trench with old cedar fencing? I was thinking that laying old cedar fence slats with thin spaces between each slat for or drainage on the bottom and then lining the sides wiith cedar or redwood, dimensionals of 6" x 6" x 8' oe longer, might make a long term effective barrier to keep the gravel in place while doing less ecological harm.. I'd love to know if anyone's done this or if you think it could work. The path is to be 6-8 inches deeps , 4 ft wides X 24 ft long and straight. Also, do you know what people used for barriers before the advent of polycloth. Thank you for any time you can spare answering.

[@linguaphile42]

Have never been a fan as it peeks out every where it is used and looks so tacky. I use newspaper and wet it and it breaks down fairly quickly. Very cheap, recycling, win-win.

[@jamestaylor8217]

Absolutely!!

[@stevensparks19]

Excellent video. There’s zero reason to really ever use landscaping fabric. It effectively accomplishes nothing except create a headache for you. My yard had a massive amount of English ivy in the back, some Japanese honeysuckle, and some other small patches of various invasives. I got a chip drop, carted an entire truck worth of chip to the back of my yard and smothered 95% of it out with chip alone. At the end of a year of smothering I had no turf to contend with, no weeds, just bare dirt to move mulch and plant into. I also had a ton of mulch to shift around and shape my new garden bed! Really people, just don’t buy the fabric. It does nothing for you.

[@jessicadecuir1050]

I disagree. If it's the right type of fabric it works in a rock garden, Swale, or dry creek bed.

[@babsphillips8583]

This summer, spurge took over my yard along with a few other grass species. I was fed up with trying to control it so I took 4 gallons of Roundup and killed all of it. Everything is dead/yellow/brown! A skunk is coming at night and digging in looking for something so my front and yards are all torn up...and I don't care! Fall leaves are now falling and I will not be raking or mowing them...I just don't care. Over the winter, I'll think about what to do with my front lawn in the spring. It won't be grass...maybe I'll keep it dead...maybe I'll spend as little as possible and put gravel and perennials in there. I'm a 77 year old woman...I may just do nothing! Don't have the money nor the help. I'm a loner by choice with no family or friends so I do everything by myself. I'll see...I have a few months to think about it.

[@KelliAnnWinkler]

Good advice related to landscape fabric under mulch. NEVER put fabric under mulch and don't short on the mulch.

[@Momtocam1997]

I’m just trying to kill grass so to make a flower bed.

[@DDD11239]

Exactly. Fabric works well. People complaining usually change their minds after landscaping a few years; and they will need to pull up the fabric. The only calid annoyance is when you want to plant on a newly purchased property, and there is buried fabric.

[@oceano_drive241]

I use it to roll up bodies.

[@michaelpipkins4546]

The reality is that ... nobody ... puts 6" of mulch ... ever. Even if they did, in just a couple of years it would be flattened back down which means you would have to add even more mulch. This works great if your goal is building soil but over the long haul, the weeds will come back and overtake the space. The bottom line is that a weed barrier is the only solution to keep weeds away for a long time. Here in Texas, the only place I have weed problems is where I don't have landscape fabric. In some areas, I used 8" of grass clippings and the weeds still find their way through.

[@Itsme-jv4cd]

How on earth do you get rid of a bad invasion of Bind Weed ,short of a nuclear bomb with a direct hit to your yard ? If anything survives that I'm sure it would be Bind Weed.

[@mikec6111]

Every time I’ve put it down, I’ve had a less pleasant job taking it back up.

[@daffyduck8244]

Watching all these experts leeds me to one conclusion they have no idea themselves. Weeds will always grow right where the weed barrier ends like along the sidewalk or the curb. Weed barriers are questionable in these areas. Also dirt collects just from the wind blowing and here come the weeds growing right on top of the weed barrier.

[@maartendegroote5727]

Preach!

[@dawnarchie4995]

If you use landscaping fabric is hard to work because when you're trying to dig you can't even get to the dirt without having to pull it up is a nuisance

[@kariolar3158]

I use cardboard. It is the best!

[@the_lone_wolf4281]

I dare people to get rid of Bishop's weed without fabric! If weeds are growing in the mulch, better yet to weed in mulch than in soil! I completely disagree with those who say not to use landscape fabric! Furthermore, the fabric keeps the soil damp, and prevents the cold killing the roots of the plants. So no, I cannot see any reason for not using landscape fabric!

[@tangerine6949]

Discussing landscape fabric as one categorical topic is misleading. If you are going to give professional advice, you need to go into the differences between different landscape fabrics.

[@DDD11239]

Agreed. There is biodegradable fabric. I think I saw some at Home Depot.

[@KatrinaNJoeBikeRiders]

Never!!!!

[@LoveMunch-ev8uh]

They need to call it what it is woven plastic. they need to to stop calling it fabric...lol

[@emmettross940]

Real good info, but you repeat yourself too often. Get to the point and move onto other aspects

[@gardenprojectacademy]

Thanks for the feedback @emmettross940! I'm am getting better at KZbin as I go

[@jimrasmussen8606]

You keep repeating yourself. Say it once and your video will be shorter and more viewer friendly

[@dariagomezgane1643]

Repetition is key...

[@passiflorapassiflora6058]

Never, ever use that...