While it's a relaxing activity, gardening requires a great deal of patience. One new gardener learned this the hard way after seeking advice on Reddit for an "easy" way to manage weeds.
They posted a photo of their weeds in the subreddit r/lawncare, writing, "Are there any herbicides I can use to prevent?"
They explained that, just a week after having landscaping done, small shoots had appeared. "The landscaper refused to put in a weed liner saying 'While weed fabric can help prevent weeds in the short term, we find that over time, it can create more issues than benefits. … Instead, we prefer to use high-quality mulch and regular maintenance to keep the beds looking great and weed-free in a more sustainable way.'"
But this answer didn't seem to satisfy the OP, who wrote, "I just want to have a low maintenance, weed free garden bed."
Unfortunately for the OP, the magic low-maintenance solution they seek simply does not exist.
One person wrote, "No such thing as a low maintenance weed free garden bed. The landscaper did you a huge favor. Weed seeds are inevitable, they get blown around with wind. When you have mulch, weeds will grow. With weed fabric the weed roots penetrate from top down and get tangled and cause a pain in the a**. The weeds you have right now you can pluck with 2 fingers.
"Just pull them every couple days and your garden bed will be weed free."
The landscaper's explanation for why they avoid landscaping fabric further supports this. According to the OP, they said, "The fabric can eventually become clogged with soil, which allows weeds to grow on top of it, making it harder to pull them out. It can also restrict water and nutrients from getting to the plant roots, leading to less healthy soil."
Echoing the landscaper, another commenter pointed out the need for constant maintenance, writing, "For preventing, honestly nothing is super effective. Some grasses/weeds can grow in the tiny cracks of your driveway and only need a small space to take root so no chemical is going to prevent that."
🗣️ 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 one person praised the landscaper for their advice, writing, "Your landscaper knows their stuff."
Fortunately, when you rewild a landscape with native plants, they can help keep an ecosystem healthy and thriving, leaving little room for pesky weeds.
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