One eager gardener was frustrated at being forced into unhealthy and environmentally damaging landscaping choices by their father, so they took to r/NativePlantGardening for ideas.
Their post was short but impactful. "So all my gardening/landscaping ideas have to go through my father," they explained. "He is completely convinced that we HAVE to use landscape fabric (even though he doesn't maintain it and weeds grow anyways). How can I convince him to ditch that junk? Are there any eco-friendly alternatives that don't use plastic?"
Landscaping fabric, which is made with plastic, is sold as a solution for suppressing weeds. However, it has huge drawbacks — and it's not even effective in the long term.
First of all, the fabric gets in the way of anything you might want to plant in the future, limiting your gardening options. It doesn't stop shallow-rooted weeds from growing on top of it, and sometimes weeds even pierce through. As the fabric gets old, it breaks down. Not only does this create more openings for weeds, it also poisons the soil with microplastics. And once the landscaping fabric is weakened and broken up, it's much harder to remove than it was to install.
All in all, you're not likely to see more than a year or two of benefits, but you could be making an irreversible change to your yard.
Users left more than 100 comments on the original post — and they agreed that putting down landscaping fabric was the wrong move.
"I inherited probably the worst nightmare one can have — old landscape fabric underneath river rock," said one commenter. "Does landscape fabric help with weeds and erosion in the short run? Yes, I won't lie. Is it the worst thing you can do to yourself three years from now? Absolutely."
As for alternatives, they had one suggestion: "Your only real hope is to cultivate a full garden so there is little room for weeds to thrive."
"Three inches of mulch keeps out weeds effectively," said another commenter. "Yes, you need to add to it over time, but fabric doesn't do anything after a few years anyway."
🗣️ What's the worst thing about taking care of your yard?
🔘 The time it takes ⏰
🔘 How noisy it is 🙉
🔘 It's too expensive 💸
🔘 I don't have a yard 🤷🏾♀️
🗳️ Click your choice to see results and speak your mind
"In many municipalities, arborist wood chips are free to residents," another user added. "If this is the case for you, there's your economic argument: the best mulch for your landscape, for nothing except the fresh air and little bit of work required."
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