As a professional landscaper in Victoria BC for many years now, there is nothing I hate more than landscape fabric also known as landscape cloth. It is one of those things that offers absolute zero value, is destructive to the environment, and creates oh so many problems, just so some companies can make a few bucks. It is complete junk. In this article I’m going to go over why it’s less than useless and is utter garbage.
It Doesn't Prevent Weeds
Because of savvy marketing, people have this idea that it will prevent weeds. As someone who’s done this for many years now and who’s installed literally countless patios, walkways, driveways, with interlocking pavers as well as natural stones, let me tell you the truth.
It does not prevent weeds whatsoever.
A properly built finished surface, like a patio, walkway, driveway, is built on top of many inches of compacted gravel. When done properly, it’s a very hard stable surface with 95-98% compaction or higher. It is also a thick barrier. For example a typical driveway requires 8″ minimum of compacted gravel, whereas surfaces like a patio or walkway would require 5″ or more. Now compare that with a flimsy peace of “cloth” made of plastic fibres. The gravel is going down either way. What is the cloth going to do? Absolutely nothing
Let me clear about something.
Weeds come from the top. Stuff gets blown in and washed in over time in the joints between the bricks or stones, and that’s where the weeds come in. Your fabric is way below that and does nothing to prevent organic material coming in from above.
They are Terrible for the Environment
Just like polymeric sand, these are made from plastics.
The fabric breaks down over time and releases micro plastics into the soil. How wonderful.
When doing any future excavation, they will need to be separated because they cannot be mixed with excavated fill because they are plastic garbage. It’s like burying plastic bags. During excavation, these fabrics get ripped and torn to shreds, introducing even more pieces of plastic trash to your property.
The fabric also acts as a barrier in the soil, preventing it from exchanging gases with the atmosphere above, and can impeded moisture as well. This means it messes with the natural soil biome whether it’s things like earthworms or bacteria, creatures needed to keep a soil biome healthy. Again, you’re essentially burying plastic bags in your yard.
Aggressive Invasives
I deal with a lot of aggressive invasives around here like bamboo and Himalayan blackberry bushes. They go through this fabric and entangle it like it’s paper. When it comes to horrible aggressive invasive plants, they will not do anything to stop them whatsoever. The entanglement makes removing invasives also more difficult, as the “fabric” needs to be separated from the plant matter before some yards will take them.
They are a complete waste of money
Given that they don’t prevent weeds, they don’t do anything positive, and they introduce headaches to any future work, they disrupt your soil biome, and they introduce plastic trash to your yard, why are you spending money to do this?
Conclusion
Landscape fabric is something that almost all homeowners swear by. Why? Because everyone says you need it. And the name implies it’s used by professionals and recommended by professionals.
While some landscapers do use them, we don’t want to be like them. They are just as clueless and lack critical thinking skills as everyone else. Ask yourself. Why are you spending money on this stuff? Does it actually offer any benefits? Or are you poisoning your yard and making any future excavation work difficult?
Please stop using this stuff and stop falling for marketing. We don’t need more plastic trash in this world.