A new homeowner who took to Reddit to ask a couple of gardening questions sparked a debate about landscaping fabric.

"SO much conflicting info!" they wrote. "Mulch or rock, fabric or no fabric. Where do I start?"

Many users praised fabric, though many others warned against using it.

One user summed things up, writing: "Fabric works short term but is harmful and difficult to deal with long term. Cardboard will work better in most cases for short term and is beneficial in the long term.

"Mulch will also be easier to work with after install than rock will be and is also less expensive and backbreaking to install."

Another commenter detailed a familiar plight: The previous owner of their home had installed fabric, leaving them to inherit "a yard full of weeds whose roots had grown right through the fabric so they were hard to pull out." The soil was flooded with "little plastic shreds," resulting in "an absolute nightmare."

Basically, landscaping fabric is fine until it's not. And that day will come sooner or later. The petroleum-based product will then contaminate your yard or garden and suck up your weekends for months if not longer — one Redditor said they had been pulling up the material for 10 years.

Though it's marketed as a weed barrier, it's permeable, which means weeds can grow up through it or down through it, hastening the degradation of the fabric. It also prevents the exchange of gases between the soil and air, which is necessary for a healthy garden.

As with other things, natural options are best. Mulch breaks down into your soil, improving it and boosting your plants. You can also beat back weeds without resorting to chemical sprays or other toxic methods.

🗣️ 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

To take things a step further, reuse the leaves dropped by trees on your property when your mulch needs to be spruced up, or try planting natural pest deterrents or trap crops.

Your yard will be better for it, and future you will thank you for saving a ton of work as well as money on unnecessary "solutions."

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