Gardening flowers: is weed control fabric worth it?

Nelski
Nelski Posts: 1,607 Member
in Chit-Chat
I'm going back and forth on if weed control fabric is worth it. It seems that weed will most likely come up anyway. The area we are planting flowers isn't huge so I could probably handle weeding myself but I think my husband thinks the fabric is the way to go. I just don't want to waste our time and money on the fabric if it doesn't help much.

Any thoughts or suggestions on this?

Replies

  • JustJennie1
    JustJennie1 Posts: 3,749 Member
    We've used the weed control fabric and they just poke their ugly little heads up through it eventually. Not only that but it's a PITA if you want to pull things up, plant more stuff etc.

    Maybe just use some sort of weed control fertilizer on the plants? Or hire someone to pull them! LOL
  • CEQuick75
    CEQuick75 Posts: 311 Member
    In my experience, it has worked out great! I still get the occasional weed popping up, but it pulls up roots and all very easily. I think it also depends on the quality of fabric.
  • ChristineMarie89
    ChristineMarie89 Posts: 1,079 Member
    the weeds will make there way through the fabric anyways. better to just weed it urself save some money and plus if its not that big it would be easier than dealing with placing the fabric etc
  • FITnFIRM4LIFE
    FITnFIRM4LIFE Posts: 818 Member
    Did not work for us. I just pull them, but I use preen weeks prior to planting, helps alot. It is also a great workout pulling weeds;-)
    Cannot wait to get in the garden.
    Also around all the herbs, I lay cardboard(without printing on it) it helps with weeds.
  • volleypc
    volleypc Posts: 134 Member
    I use newpaper. I spread it out 3-4 sheets thick and mulch over the top of it. I mainly use it around trees and such but it should work fine in the flower garden as well.
  • duetwithjosh
    duetwithjosh Posts: 121
    No, no, no! I used to help my dad with his landscape company and this stuff was the bane of our existence. As others have said, it's eventually ineffective... and it really hinders any (wanted) changes to the landscape: planting new things, etc.
  • jcstanton
    jcstanton Posts: 1,849 Member
    In my experience, it has worked out great! I still get the occasional weed popping up, but it pulls up roots and all very easily. I think it also depends on the quality of fabric.

    ^^^This! Weeds will still grow in your mulch/gravel, but it's much easier to pull them up because the mulch/gravel is a much looser growing medium than the hard packed soil underneath. You just have to remember/be disciplined enough to pull them as soon as you see them popping up. If you let them grow too long, the roots will grow down through the fabric and will be much more difficult to pull out.
  • scraver2003
    scraver2003 Posts: 526 Member
    I have found the fabric to be a waste of time and money. They are a pain to poke a hole through when you want to plan new plants and I find that the weeds just grow on top in the mulch and their roots push right through the fabric.
  • Nelski
    Nelski Posts: 1,607 Member
    Thanks for all your comments!
  • Moin78
    Moin78 Posts: 41 Member
    I don't use a weed barrier at all as I haven't had any success with it. I find that weeds grow anyway. I think it is due to the fact that there is always a layer of something on top of the barrier (mulch, dirt and dust that has blown in, etc.), which allows the weeds to grow anyway...unless they are actually poking through the barrier (but I don't think that is it in my case). I think a person is better off just weeding by hand. If you have enough mulch, weeding is pretty easy as the mulch keeps the ground moist and weeds come right out (provided you don't let them get too big). In one of my flower beds (15' x 20'), I have almost no weeds anymore from year to year. I first planted it 5 years ago with no barrier and fyi - there are tons of weeds in this part of the country!
  • AlsDonkBoxSquat
    AlsDonkBoxSquat Posts: 6,128 Member
    I've tried the fabric and I've tried the paper and I've discovered that no matter what the littls sh!ts are coming through. The fabric just made it difficult to till the following year. The best advice I've received is to plant a raised garden. I think Mother Nature has reclaimed our garden this year, we're planning on moving and when we do I'll do a raised garden. It seems that my friends with raised gardens do not have the weed and grass issues I fight year round.
  • r1ghtpath
    r1ghtpath Posts: 701 Member
    i would have to say no. i am living in a house where the WHOLE front yard is covered in it and the ENTIRE front yard is weeds!!! i am in the process of pulling it all out and putting down grass. OH MY GOSH!!! if you could see this mess you would see what a waste of time and money it is!!!!

    as i pull this stuff up, the weeds are proving to be IN the fabric, NOT in the ground UNDER the fabric. it's so annoying!!!!
  • tawny9753
    tawny9753 Posts: 23 Member
    In the fall when it's time to rake leaves you can snag the fabric with the rake. Our last rental house had the fabric around the trees and bushes so there were a lot of leaves and the tattered fabric would catch in the rake and the rake would just make the holes larger. At that point it also didn't prevent weeds at all and made some of them even harder to pull.

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