New homeowner met with warnings after sharing questionable landscaping plan: 'Sort of a devil's bargain'

It's a universal truth for every homeowner who does their own lawn care: Weeds are a gigantic pain to deal with. However, not all solutions to an overgrown yard are created equal; indeed, some of the most seemingly labor-saving methods are actually quite harmful. 

A Reddit user on the r/landscaping forum posed a question about a landscaper's ideas for tackling an overgrown yard.

"Contractor wants to put top soil over all the fabric and call it a day," the poster wrote. "We're thinking remove fabric, till, add garden soil/compost, cardboard barrier, mulch? Would that plan work or is there a better way?"

The responses agreed with the poster's concerns about using landscape fabric. One Redditor wrote: "I would vote against it. Landscape fabric is a disaster overtime some simple research will show why."

The idea behind landscape fabric is to control weeds by blocking them from sunlight and water. The material varies, but it's usually made from linen, polyester, polypropylene, or recycled materials.

While using recycled materials might sound good, the problem is that it will cause soil degradation regardless. The fabrics made from plastics are even worse, of course. They will cause microplastic particles to break off and contaminate the soil. Besides, they're not particularly effective at blocking weeds in the long run anyway. 

A commenter brought up another problem with the plan: "Tilling is sort of a devil's bargain, in many cases as it severely damages the soil microbiome and introduces too much oxygen … By removing the top twelve inches of soil they have taken a huge bite out of the organic content."

A simple yet elegant solution would be to rewild that area with native plants. That would mean less need for maintenance, fertilizers, water, and labor. Similarly, a natural lawn offers many of the same benefits. Beyond the financial benefits, it will boost the health of your local ecosystem by making it friendlier to pollinators. 

Another comment reaffirmed the advice to avoid fabric and use mulch: "Don't let the contractor put down landscape fabric, instead cover the area in cardboard and then mulch with 4 inches thick mulch if you want to plant in the meantime, you could always dig holes around the cardboard."

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.

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