Finding a way to deal with weeds with little effort is the dream of most gardeners, but some so-called solutions promise much more than they provide.
One green-thumbed individual found that out the hard way after shelling out money on "weed cloth," which was supposed to block the future growth of undesirable plants.
"For those thinking about using weed cloth or landscape fabric to block weeds, I want you to see!" they captioned a picture on the r/gardening subreddit of a strip of the material that weeds have completely taken over.
"Weed cloth is a scam and bad for the environment," one Redditor replied. "Sorry you have that situation happening."
In fact, in a lot of cases, supposed weed-suppressing fabrics can end up being more problematic than they are worth. If they are made of plastic, they will almost certainly break apart and shed micro- and nano-plastics into your soil, hindering the future growth of desired plants. If the cloth is made of strong fabric, the roots of weeds can grip firmly onto the material, and removing the strip when this happens can be a nightmare.
These landscaping products often appear to be a handy way to deal with weeds without using toxic, chemical-laden herbicides, which can contaminate soil and spread to the plants you want to keep. There are natural solutions, however, such as white vinegar and boiling water, and you might even discover that some weeds are edible.
In fact, as some Redditors pointed out, the weeds growing in our Redditor's garden appear to be oxalis, which can be consumed. While considered invasive in some areas, oxalis can also be a good way to provide natural ground cover.
In other cases, what you think are weeds might be native plants, which are well-suited to local soil and weather conditions and require little maintenance compared to typical monoculture lawns. They might provide a low-effort way to keep your garden looking healthy and vibrant, attracting crucial pollinators all the while.
But whatever is growing in your garden, weed cloth is not the answer. If you want to start a new raised bed and stop weeds from sprouting for a while, using cardboard is a cheap, biodegradable way to do so.
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