A homeowner full of landscaping questions took to Reddit when their latest project started on the wrong foot because of an impermeable landscaping fabric.
All they wanted to do was mulch a 40-square-foot area on the side of their house, but the product they thought would be helpful turned out to be anything but.
"I ordered a (kind of expensive $65) roll of 'professional grade' landscaping fabric from Amazon that's 10 feet wide," the poster wrote in the r/landscaping community. "... It came all folded up, and it's much more plasticy feeling. It states it's permeable yet it's been about 1/2 hour since I poured water on it and it's still puddling."
They added that they felt "bamboozled" and wondered whether "the painstaking process of returning an item like this" would be worth it.
Commenters raced to the rescue, telling the poster to ditch the fabric and explaining the issues. One user noted the homeowner was "building an outdoor bath tub."
"Omfg the worst," another user wrote. "Ours had this atrocious red rock on top that we also had to remove. It did absolutely nothing for the weeds. Took us five weekends with four adults and 18yards of mulch to fix. Posts like OP's hurt to look at."
This fabric didn't appear as though it could easily filter water, but even other options can have deleterious effects on your yard or garden.
Landscaping fabric is made from petroleum and leaches chemicals and microplastics into soil and waterways, polluting our environment — which is already suffering.
The reason it doesn't prevent weeds is that the seeds that produce undesirable vegetation are carried in the wind and by animals, which deposit them everywhere, including in any organic matter situated atop such material.
Landscaping fabric can also get entangled with the roots of weeds that grow through it, and it prevents biological processes from taking place. Gases in soil and air naturally cycle back and forth, which contributes to the health of the Earth.
If you're looking to control weeds, try natural methods such as hand-pulling or using a nifty tool — one that doesn't require a gas engine.
For bigger projects, stick to native plants or choose turf grass alternatives that require less maintenance and water, which saves you time and money.
By taking these steps, we can all work to ensure the planet has a healthy future.
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