OT: Landscape fabric under mulch?

[Plum Street]

Ok , fall planters . Redoing some landscaping. New plants and new mulch.
I never used fabric under mulch before, but does it stop weeds ? Is it a good practice?

 

[Retired711]

Ok , fall planters . Redoing some landscaping. New plants and new mulch.
I never used fabric under mulch before, but does it stop weeds ? Is it a good practice?

Perhaps this link might be useful. https://themasterslawncare.com/blog/quick-tip-why-landscape-fabric-not-recommended-under-mulch If you google "fabric under mulch," which is what I did, you'll see sites that say the same thing.

 

[Plum Street]

Perhaps this link might be useful. https://themasterslawncare.com/blog/quick-tip-why-landscape-fabric-not-recommended-under-mulch If you google "fabric under mulch," which is what I did, you'll see sites that say the same thing.

Thanks . I did the Google search before posting here. Just wanted to know if anyone had first hand experience.
That’s a good article . I am leaning against it!

 

[Knight Shift]

Thanks . I did the Google search before posting here. Just wanted to know if anyone had first hand experience.
That’s a good article . I am leaning against it!

I put fabric under a bunch of mulch beds, and it was useless. A landscaper friend who has a degree in landscape architecture from Rutgers advises against fabric.

 

[gef21]

Never use it. Ever. The idea is to create healthy soil and fabric will not allow that to happen.

Healthy soil prevents weeds from growing.

 

[ClassOf02v.2]

 

[BellyFullOfWhiteDogCrap]

Go with thicker mulch and skip the fabric. Weed seeds are everywhere. The only way to prevent them from germinating is to have healthy soil.
Weeds are nature's soil bandaids. Nature is trying to repair soil biology. The type of weed you're getting will tell you what's wrong with your soil. Read your weeds.

 

[Eagleton95.99]

Fabric is just like spreading plastic garbage over your yard that will degrade and have to be cleaned up later.

 

[Samson1975!!!]

Buy preen and spread it throughput the beds. Between that and mulching, you can usually keep weeds very manageable.

Fabric is a nightmare and it diesnt work but it does make weeding more difficult, among other problems.

Good luck!

 

[Plum Street]

Buy preen and spread it throughput the beds. Between that and mulching, you can usually keep weeds very manageable.

Fabric is a nightmare and it diesnt work but it does make weeding more difficult, among other problems.

Good luck!

Yes, I used preen before around established plants. It works very well.
Can I use around newly planted stuff?

 

[Knight Shift]

Go with thicker mulch and skip the fabric. Weed seeds are everywhere. The only way to prevent them from germinating is to have healthy soil.
Weeds are nature's soil bandaids. Nature is trying to repair soil biology. The type of weed you're getting will tell you what's wrong with your soil. Read your weeds.

If the weeds keep coming up, this book may make dealing with them a bit easier. You may even forget all about them.

 

[Samson1975!!!]

Yes, I used preen before around established plants. It works very well.
Can I use around newly planted stuff?

Definitely. I worked for a few pretty decent landscape companies during my college days and it was standard operating procedure after installation and before mulch at each one.

 

[RUSK97]

I use rosin or brown construction paper as a weed barrier. Lay that down over the soil, then mulch on top of that. The paper is water resistant-ish and it will eventually break down over the course of a year. The following Spring, just lay down another sheet and more mulch on top of that. It's biodegradable so it never needs to be removed.

 

[RU to the Core]

Interesting. I put down a ton of landscaping fabric years back. I don’t have a weed problem but this is good to know. Not going to tear it all up now though.

One thing for paver blocks that I did this year bc I don’t like roundup is I bought gallons of vinegar cheap and sprayed that 3 times between may and two weeks ago. Zero problem with weeds or algae or moss in between or on the patio.

 

[wheezer]

My landscaper put fabric under a decorative stone area
So far. No problems and no weeds/grass because of that
So in this case seems ok

 

[BellyFullOfWhiteDogCrap]

I use rosin or brown construction paper as a weed barrier. Lay that down over the soil, then mulch on top of that. The paper is water resistant-ish and it will eventually break down over the course of a year. The following Spring, just lay down another sheet and more mulch on top of that. It's biodegradable so it never needs to be removed.

Cardboard is fantastic too. Earthworms love it.

 

[NickRU714]

If the weeds keep coming up, this book may make dealing with them a bit easier. You may even forget all about them.

Careful with that.
At lunch walked past a store across from my office being shut down by NYC OCM.

Didn't even know they were a thing.
Had on tactical vest and everything. It was a little amusing.

 

[koleszar]

One thing for paver blocks that I did this year bc I don’t like roundup is I bought gallons of vinegar cheap and sprayed that 3 times between may and two weeks ago. Zero problem with weeds or algae or moss in between or on the patio.

Home depot sells 1 gallon 30% vinegar. I get it in 5 gallon pales from Green Gobler. With animals I can't use any types of chemicals on my farm.

My mix is
-equal parts 30% vinegar and water
- 1 cup magnesium salt per gallon
- 2 second squirt of dish detergent per gallon.

Bright sunny day works like a charming. In stone driveway once they dry up blow torch the weeds. Now you may ask why get 30% when you're making 15%? It's much cheaper this way.

 

[bethlehemfan]

Rocks yes mulch no imo.

 

[Plum Street]

Rocks yes mulch no imo.

Yeah that’s good advice

 

[Rufaninga]

Live in Georgia. Heavy duty fabric works
Medium grade let's weed grow through it as if nothing was there. Have an acre lot & weeds were rampant in beds before barrier.

Works great for me

 

[mikebal9]

That stuff doesn't work. Life finds a way.