The Pros and Cons of Landscape Fabric
My feelings toward landscape fabric are probably not as strong as hate or love, more of a like or intense dislike for most landscape fabric / weed barrier products. To date, it has mainly been on the intense dislike side of things. Generally speaking, I prefer to have just an organic mulch down that I can move aside to weed, etc. without having the hassle of landscape fabric as it breaks down or becomes less effective over time. Below are the pros and cons from my perspective...
The Cons of Landscape Fabric
#1 has got to be that in the longer term, the medium term, perhaps even the shorter term, it doesn't stop grass from growing through!!!
It can pull up and fray at the edges over time.
It can start to show through layers of mulch over time.
Sediment can build up on top of the fabric and weed seeds can germinate above the fabric.
Any hole or puncture will allow weeds to grow through, including where fabric pins puncture.
In short, in my experience it hasn’t been that effective.
The Pros of Landscape Fabric
Temporarily halts the growth of weeds and grass in an area.
Some degree of moisture retention.
A noticeably shorter list...
The Ultimate Landscape Fabric?
Perhaps all of my dislike and annoyance with landscape fabric has just been a case of not using the best product available? Admittedly, most of what I've seen available for purchase at physical retail locations is really lightweight and not very good. However, I got my hands on some heavy duty landscape fabric from A.M. Leonard and so far it looks like it could be a better solution for certain areas/uses in the garden. Only time will tell though. This is the material you see being used at nurseries, etc. and seems to hold up to heavy traffic, UV, etc. for years. It definitely lets water through with its woven polypropylene and is much thicker than anything I've come across so far.
Heavy duty landscape fabric
If you have come across a time tested landscape fabric product you'd recommend, share below in the comments. And I may circle back to provide an update on the new fabric I've put down in a season or two.
