Have you ever gotten so tired of weeding flowerbeds that you just wanted to lay down some wall to wall carpet and be done with it! Well…you aren’t the first one and that same through was probably would brought about the existence of many soil coverings to prevent weed growth. While stopping weeds is a good goal indeed, you need to keep in mind the health of the surrounding soil and flowerbed and what process will truly be best.

If you are looking at keeping out weeds, there are a variety of covers you can choose from. Black plastic is DRASTIC! It is really just about one step away from the carpet idea above. Sure, weeds can’t get through, but neither can light, moisture or oxygen. This is not necessarily the best thing for the soil below, especially if you expect to be planting into that soil at a later date. Rocks can provide a nice alternative, but as the rocks worth themselves into the soil over time, it can present a future hassle to deal with. In addition, the heat that the rocks attract is no good for the soil or surrounding plants. Mulch is certainly a preferred alternative for many, but organic mulch breaks down quickly and provide fertile growing grounds for those pesky little weeds. So, is there a better alternative?

Landscape fabric may just provide the best of all worlds when it comes to a soil covering to prevent weed growth. Unlike other coverings such as black plastic, landscape fabric is actually porous and will allow the penetration of light, moisture, and air. This provides a great alternative in that it can help to keep the soil below healthy and nutrient dense while maintaining a weed free environment. In addition, by adding a layer of mulch over top of it, the mulch will not break down as quickly as it would normally and you can have an attractive weed free environment for a long time to come.

In general, landscape fabric can be fairly expense compared to other types of soil coverings, but when looking at the positives it provides, coupled with the fact that it can last 5 years or even more, landscape fabric may just be the weed preventing solution you have been searching for. It is important to keep in mind that if a layer of mulch is not added, landscape fabric begins to break down in the presence of UV light. Also, on areas of uneven ground, the mulch may slide down causing patches of fabric to show. The solution it not completely maintenance free but if you take the time, care, and attention required, landscape fabric can be an effective tool in your landscaping arsenal. Clients love it, it is fairly easily to install, and it lasts for year. If you and your clients are still plagued by annoying weeds, there is still the option of hitting the carpet store…

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