Is fabric really worth it?

[Bill Ahlers]

I did a quick search and didn't find my exact question.

What is the consensus. I am doing a very large bed next to the street runs about 170ft X 16ft has mega weeds. Killing the weeds and laying 1 1/4 river rock 2" deep. There are no shrubs or plants going in currently. I will be doing a ground kill there. Fabric or no? I have found that it works for maybe a season or two but then you have a root mat that is near impossible to remove the weeds without ripping up the fabric. Of course I may be wrong so your thoughts?

Thanks in advance

[dmcdade]

Hell no :) I always use the sunday paper for landscape jobs. It's cheap and earth friendly (Biodegradable) and the customers appreciate that you are earth conscience.

[Bill Ahlers]

Not a bad idea, will consider...thanks

[JB1]

we only use it when using a stone mulch.

[GracesLandscaping]

i believe they work alot better with stone than mulch

[Think Green]

Bill Ahlers,

Now, the good side of fabrics is.....................When weeds do grow within the mulch layer to the fabric, they are easier to pull because of the lack of strong root structures and shallow penetration.

I snarl at beds with weed fabrics because of transplanting new shrubs or digging in annuals and perennials. Ever take out dead shrubbery around weed fabric? The roots usually become entwined in the hairlike mesh. It almost strangulates the roots, and the moisture is kept at the surface level, thus preventing deep root growth. Fertilizers have a hard time penetrating the barrier, and natural gasses are less likely to escape efficiently. We often have seen problems with mulch loss on the slick surfaces. If you need to apply granulated herbicides like Preen and Dacthal, you need soil contact to make the products work..... anything else would be switching to contact killers that usually have limited stay power..no residual activity!

You be the judge as to what you like and want done!!!

Good Luck!

[GreenmanCT]

Bill Ahlers,

Now, the good side of fabrics is.....................When weeds do grow within the mulch layer to the fabric, they are easier to pull because of the lack of strong root structures and shallow penetration.


Really? When i pull weeds from this stuff it usually pulls out the entire fabric with it.

[Bill Ahlers]

@Think Green

Some great POV's. Thanks very useful.

@GreenmanCT

I hear ya!

[integrityman]

I hate fabric.....
Ever need to add to or take out a shrub/ bulbs or other plants?

Weeds grow through it inevitably.

Moisture doesn't penetrate well....

[White Gardens]

I use fabric on all my rock beds, never under wood mulch.

The mistake companies make is that they don't pin the fabric down and when you go to pull weeds you can pull the fabric up if your not careful. The pins help to hold it in place.

[openbook]

I would only use poly under a rock bed.

[WalkerMike98]

No. Use pendamethalin or surflan 3 times a year.

[bigslick7878]

Agree with the others who said they hate the stuff.

If you have a deep enough mulch bed weeds should be that much of a problem,and if you ever have to replace or add any plants the stuff is a nightmare.

Pain in the butt.

[betmr]

I did a quick search and didn't find my exact question.

What is the consensus. I am doing a very large bed next to the street runs about 170ft X 16ft has mega weeds. Killing the weeds and laying 1 1/4 river rock 2" deep. There are no shrubs or plants going in currently. I will be doing a ground kill there. Fabric or no? I have found that it works for maybe a season or two but then you have a root mat that is near impossible to remove the weeds without ripping up the fabric. Of course I may be wrong so your thoughts?

Thanks in advance

We avoid using fabric in mulch beds. BUT, we ALWAYS use fabric under stone. The fabric under stone is to keep the stone separate from the soil below.

[ProTouch Groundscapes]

have you guys ever used the fiberglass style fabric? its water permeable and so i use it under base material for pavers and behind walls for water drainage and i have used it several times under mulch beds. this stuff does not break down, its extremely strong, you cant even rip it by hand. its grey in color and you can see through it almost

[Bill Ahlers]

Ya it seems if your going to lay fabric it shouldn't rip. Stuff is pretty pricey but it seems the right way to do it. I am telling them if you want to use fabric do it right and cough up the money for the right stuff, using the home depot fabric is pointless IMHO. I have just learned about the commercial grade fabric so my tune has changed slightly.

[White Gardens]

have you guys ever used the fiberglass style fabric? its water permeable and so i use it under base material for pavers and behind walls for water drainage and i have used it several times under mulch beds. this stuff does not break down, its extremely strong, you cant even rip it by hand. its grey in color and you can see through it almost

I use the Dupont 20 year fabric. It's a heavier weight than most, and you can't actually see through it.

[Jaspell]

My experience has also been less then favorable using fabric under mulch. I have been doing this stuff for 20 years and back in the day, we used to use it all the time because it was new. The weeds grew in the mulch and were a pain in the neck. Now, I use Preen with mixed results but I'm not sure there is any one sure fire solution. If anyone has any ideas that work, chime in. BTW---I like the idea about the newspapers...

[ProTouch Groundscapes]

I still try to sell the customers on us applying snapshot but we know how hard it is to get them to spend money...

[Jaspell]

I just ordered 50# of snapshot and am going to road test it on my own beds and see what i think