What’s worse than pesky weeds? That plastic matting that tries — and fails — to keep them away.

One gardener reached their limit with this nuisance when they were working at someone’s home and discovered it littering the yard.

“What a mess!” they wrote in a Facebook post under an account named Cultivating Hope – Happy Horticultural Therapy. “This stuff should be taken off the market!”

They explained how the material is a massive waste of both time and money. All the layer of black plastic wrap does is trap heat in and keep air and water out. That is a potentially lethal combination for the soil underneath.

The material then breaks down into microplastics that haunt the garden for generations to come. All the while, it often does not even stop weeds from taking root. 

STOP USING BLACK PLASTIC WEED MATTING!
I’ve been working in a garden this week where the home owners have used black,…

Posted by Cultivating Hope – Happy Horticultural Therapy on Thursday, October 19, 2023

The gardener attached a photo of their personal garden to demonstrate how to curb weeds without plastic.









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“Stick to organic weed barriers such as cotton, newspaper and cardboard, topped with organic mulches,” they urged. They pointed to their lush and weedless garden as a success story of using the newspaper and mulch combo.

It’s a good tip, as these materials break down and enhance the soil over time. Plus, people likely have extras lying around the house, which means spending money on one less thing at the store.

Looking for more ways to save and improve your garden at the same time? Consider switching over to a low-water lawn with native grasses or xeriscaping. These alternatives, combined with weed and pest controls that are free of plastic and chemicals, can take your garden to the next level.

Those who saw the teardown of plastic matting on Facebook could not agree more with the original poster’s disdain.

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“Moved into a house where this wretched stuff is on every garden bed,” one commenter wrote. “It will take me the rest of my life to get rid of it.” 

“You wonder what they were thinking!” another added.

“Introducing plastic into an ecosystem is a mistake,” a third warned.

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