Should You Install Weed Fabric for Your New Landscape

Nothing is worse than a newly installed landscape that is quickly overcome with weeds with the arrival of the spring rains. One potential solution is to install weed fabric under mulched areas to reduce weed growth. Weed fabric is typically a spun polycloth that allows water to pass, but limits weeds. We don’t typically install weed fabric on our projects, but it has its uses and applications.

Here are some Pros and Cons of weed fabric:

Pro: Reduces weed growth
Con: Small weeds can grow on top of the cloth

Pro: Reduces need for hand weeding or herbicide.
Con: While not very expensive, the cost of weed cloth can add up over large areas. Weeds will grow next to plant crowns where fabric windows are cut for plant installation.

Pro: Can help control weed prone areas like rural installations
Con: Can pop-up over mulch with time and must be cut to install new plants

Pro: Segregates gravel mulches from soil
Con: Adds expense, but this is one of weed fabrics best applications

Alternatives: Good alternatives to traditional weed cloths or fabrics are increasing the depth of mulch layer or using a sheet mulch cardboard to reduce weed germination.

Davey has a good blog post with some additional pro’s and con’s