A homeowner thought they were making the right move with landscaping fabric, but discovered the pitfalls of the material just barely in time.
In the r/GardeningUK subreddit, the user shared a progress video of their garden bed project using landscape fabric — or “weed membrane,” as they called it. But they noticed that some plants weren’t getting enough water while others were getting waterlogged.
They admitted they were frustrated that they had already put in so much work, lamenting the “time and effort wasted. After talking with a friend, the homeowner decided to rip it out and start over with either mulch or bark chippings.
As the homeowner found out, landscape fabric, while marketed as a low-maintenance weed barrier, proves to be more trouble than it’s worth. It compacts the soil while preventing water from permeating, making it ineffective for most plants, according to the College of Agricultural, Consumer & Environmental Sciences at the University of Illinois.
There’s also the matter of it being made of plastic, which breaks down over time and creates harmful microplastics. It also leaves holes for weeds to come through, defeating its entire purpose.
Gardening methods like mulching or even using cardboard to suppress weeds are effective, but another option is to switch over to a natural lawn with native plants. Native plants save money and time on maintenance, as they are suited to the environment they grow in, meaning they take fewer resources like water, fertilizers, and pesticides.
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Some plants even work as natural weed suppressants, like clover, which also helps with soil retention through its deep roots that pull in water naturally. They also attract pollinators, which are critical to the life cycle of many plants, including some of the herbs and lettuces that the original poster mentioned they were interested in growing for salads. We all depend on pollinators to protect our food supply.
Even a partial lawn replacement with native plants allows homeowners to reap these rewards while fighting weeds at the same time.
In the comments, the OP later wrote, “I wish we’d never put it down! But taking it up tomorrow!”
Another Redditor in the comments agreed with the decision to remove the landscape fabric. “It’s dreadful, will fall apart, pollute the soil and you’ll regret it. My suggestion would be to put plain cardboard down (to suppress weeds), leaving space for your plants.”
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“I used membrane once, never again. I am now giving cardboard a go, seems to work much better, and it will disintegrate eventually,” another added.
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