As we begin the year 2016 many folks face strange perhaps even unique circumstances in their lives in unique circumstances.

Landscape fabric is used by many gardeners to cut down on gardening maintenance tasks. Should you install the fabric if you haven’t already? As a professional gardener, I’ve seen many gardens during my 14 year career Personally, I discourage my clients from using landscape fabric. Here’s why:

It compacts the soil. In order to truly be healthy, solid needs to be crumbly and loose. There is the type of soil where plants can spread their roots and grow without too much work. I’ve noticed that solid underneath the landscape fabric does not stay crumbly and loose. Rather, the solid becomes hard and compact. This makes digging and planting very difficult.

The weeds that do manage to get through the fabric are usually horrible enmeshed with the fabric itself. This means it’s very hard to remove the weeds. Usually, removing the weed entirely means ripping the landscape fabric.

“The will to win, the desire to succeed, the urge to reach your full potential…
these are the keys that will unlock the door to personal excellence.”

James Cameron – CA

Landscape fabric is expensive. In order to properly install the fabric, you need pins to hold the fabric down. This further increases the cost. In addition, it may be necessary to patch the fabric or install additional pins throughout the year.

• Re-seeding is almost impossible
• Plants have re-seeded themselves in your yard year after year
• When you use landscape fabric, it’s very difficult for plants to re-seed themselves
• In addition, bulbs can get pushed around and may not return

As a gardener, I suggest that homeowners use another method to reduce garden maintenance times. Installing a thick layer of wood chips or mulch in the garden is one way to combat weeds.

Not only is this solution relatively inexpensive, but it’s attractive and will not effect the soil in a negative way.

Both of these tasks become incredibly difficult when landscaping fabric is present. Changing location and dividing plants become a time consuming chore.

This further increases the cost. In addition, it may be necessary to patch the fabric or install additional pins throughout the year. Of course, installing the fabric and putting the pins into the ground also takes a considerable amount of time.