Landscaping fabric may seem like a reasonable solution to controlling weeds, but gardeners are finding it does more harm than good for plants, soil, and manual labor.
One homeowner was confused upon discovering this kind of material and shared a photo in the r/whatisthisthing subreddit.
"What is this black tarp under the wood chippings?" the original poster wrote in the caption. "I've always seen black tarp under wood chippings, stones, etc. What do they do?"
Black tarps are a kind of weed barrier made from fabric designed to prevent weed growth. However, they are expensive, ineffective, and harmful to plants. The fabric causes roots to grow along the surface instead of deep in the soil, which stresses plants.
Even worse, the fabric degrades over time due to sunlight and weather, leaving microplastics that harm the soil's fertility and make it harder for water to reach plant roots.
Better alternatives are placing natural mulch around your plants or ground covers like clover that suppress weeds without destroying the lawn. When you plant a wild yard with native, pollinator-friendly species, you remove polluting plastics from the equation and allow nature to do what it does best.
As a bonus, you'll bypass tedious and time-consuming gardening chores and save money on unnecessary landscaping products that don't even serve their intended purpose.
"It's plastic fabric, and the best thing you can do for your soil and environment is pull it out and dispose of it properly," one Redditor wrote in the comment section. "It isn't really helping with weeds, and it's been found they constantly leak microplastics into the soil."
As other Reddit users pointed out, this outdated weed-control method will likely cause the original poster a few hassles and headaches to get rid of. Yet doing so will be worth it for the long-term health of the plants, soil, and broader ecosystem.
🗣️ What's the hardest thing about taking care of your yard?
🔘 Mowing the lawn 🏡
🔘 Controlling weeds 🌿
🔘 Keeping pests at bay 🐿️
🔘 I don't have a yard 🤷
🗳️ Click your choice to see results and speak your mind
"And then when you go to tear it out, it's got roots growing through it everywhere, holding dirt, so it's like trying to roll up sod, except it's just weeds and plastic waste," another Redditor shared. "Bloody mess of a thing, and a pain to tear out."
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