An amateur home gardener looking to reinvigorate part of their yard was looking for a way to curb the growth of weeds.
Among the options they considered was the use of landscaping fabric, a method that was designed to prevent weeds from growing by smothering them with a thick material. However, the method is considered largely ineffective by most gardeners, and many find it controversial.
Posting in the subreddit r/Landscaping, the gardener shared a photo of the intended area and asked for advice. "Is landscaping fabric any good?" they said.
One commenter put it simply: "Landscape fabric is never any good."
Other commenters quickly agreed.
One person said: "Anything you cover it with will likely slide off. And then what does stick will become good habitat for weed seeds and they'll grow on top of it. And then someday when you decide to try to remove it because it isn't really doing the job very well, you'll be cursing yourself for using it."
"Plain mulch on soil is good enough."
Another commenter shared how their own attempt at using landscaping fabric had been disastrous. "Some weeds grow right through it, and after a short period of time, new weeds will root into it," they explained.
Many fabrics are also so thick that they prevent vital oxygen and water from reaching all plants in the area, not just weeds — killing the very native plants a gardener was hoping to protect.
Not only is landscaping fabric largely ineffective, but it's actually harmful to the long-term health of your soil. Because most of these fabrics — even the so-called biodegradable ones — are actually made of plastic fibers, they don't ever decompose. Instead, they slowly disintegrate into microplastics, which leach toxins into the soil and the water table. Over time, these plastics make their way back up through the food chain, where they end up everywhere, from inside our tea bags to inside our brains.
Instead, many gardeners opt for hand-pulling weeds and using naturally made herbicides to keep weeds at bay. The Spruce recommends a simple solution of vinegar and Castile soap can effectively manage pesky weeds.
For someone facing a severe weed issue, smothering them can be effective in the short term as long as it's with natural materials, like jute fabric.
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