Inspired to line her home with beautiful zinnias, one homeowner, Phyllis Willard Schwartz, decided to undertake some maintenance work on her garden beds.
She sought advice from the Zinnia Growers Facebook group on how to best restore her garden, which had been overrun with Bermuda grass.
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“I have landscaping fabric and rock in my flower bed, I removed some rock, but the landscaping fabric is still really good, can I just put dirt over the landscaping fabric and plant my zinnia?” Schwartz wrote.
Schwartz admitted that she had tried using RoundUp, a popular weed and grass killer, to no avail. She had laid down landscaping fabric to help control the invasive weed. However, the Bermuda grass grew on top of the landscaping fabric, proving her efforts were in vain.
“My neighbor said I needed to get rid of the fabric,” Schwartz concluded.
Landscaping fabric is advertised as a weed preventer. It’s supposed to help to control the growth of weeds without directly using harmful chemicals. It works by blocking sunlight from reaching the soil, which weeds need to grow, ultimately making it harder for weeds to grow through the fabric.
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Weed seeds that are blown into the topsoil, however, can germinate and take root. They can penetrate the landscaping fabric, which is a tightly-woven but permeable material. The landscaping fabric instead allows the weed to firmly establish itself in the soil, which can make it harder to eradicate down the line.
Landscaping fabric is also plastic and disintegrates into microplastics over time, which makes it even more ineffective.
Homeowners who use landscaping fabric often regret the decision years later when they see how the fabric breaks down and litters their gardens.
A more effective and natural way to keep invasive plant species from overtaking your yard is to plant native plants. A native lawn supports local wildlife by providing food and shelter, which protects the ecosystem’s biodiversity. Native plants also attract local pollinators, who help with plant reproduction — including the human food supply.
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A native lawn is also slower-growing and less water-dependent than lawns with invasive plant species. Native lawns are acclimated to local growing conditions. They possess deep root systems that help them access nutrients and water from below.
Native lawns could save you time and money on lawn maintenance and water bills.
Alternatively, homeowners looking to yield similar savings could benefit from replacing their lawns with buffalo grass or clover. Those plants also possess deep root systems that help them remain resilient in water-scarce areas.
Members of the Zinnia Growers Facebook group echoed similar advice.
“Rip it out,” a commenter suggested.
“I used cardboard and I can’t believe my garden. I’m so happy to be growing these for the first time,” a second user wrote.
A third person said, “I would take up the landscaping cloth. Try newspaper instead.”
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