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Aug 125 min read

The dirt on landscape fabric (and better options to control weeds)


Photo by Aaron Burden on Unsplash


More experienced gardeners hate this stuff so much. — Robert Pavlis, Master Gardener, author, and owner/head gardener of Aspen Grove Gardens

I'm a lazy, hit-or-miss gardener but an avid weed puller. I find weeding weirdly satisfying and meditative. So shortly after we moved into our house, I was somewhat dismayed to discover that nearly every square inch of what the realtor called a "low maintenance" yard was covered with weed barrier (aka landscape fabric). The good news for me, ironically, is that I soon learned that weed barriers don't work: The weeds eventually just grow on top of it. The bad news is that I realized too late that the weed barrier was also a water barrier: Most of the young shrubs planted by the previous owners had died as a result. The very bad news, though, is that landscape fabric breaks down to create microplastics and the petrochemicals it's made from leach into the soil. That's why I didn't do much gardening this summer and instead spent a good deal of time ripping out most of that noxious weed barrier. It was back breaking work and also weirdly satisfying, but not an activity I care to repeat with any regularity. I much prefer weeding.


If you're considering landscape fabric for your yard or garden, save your dollars and save yourself from the inevitable headache and backache when you too decide to rip it out. A temporary respite from weeds isn't worth the extensive damage it causes.


  • Pollutes soil with petrochemicals and microplastics. Landscape fabric is a synthetic material made from fossil fuels—essentially sheets of plastic. It often contains petrochemicals like BPA that leach into the soil and then get absorbed by the roots of plants. Like any plastic, as the material degrades it create microplastics. These microplastics get taken up by plants that end up on our plates, and they get dispersed by winds and rains. Microplastics cause great harm to the environment; we end up consuming these toxic particles, and so do other species.

  • Doesn't prevent weeds. Landscape fabric is usually covered with several inches of mulch or soil, so weeds start to grow on top of it within six months or so. Even if it's installed under a bed of rock or gravel, dirt, dust, leaves, and other organic debris eventually settle in to create a place for weed seeds to sprout.

  • Deteriorates soil conditions. The fabric is somewhat permeable but mostly prevents water, fertilizer, and nutrients from decomposing organic material from reaching the roots of plants. Permeability decreases as dirt and other organic matter build up on the barrier surface. The barrier also hampers the transfer of oxygen into the soil, so beneficial earthworms and microorganisms leave in search of more hospitable surroundings. Over time, the soil beneath becomes deficient and compacted, and potentially riddled with bindweed.

  • Inhibits healthy growth. As plants grow, the openings in the fabric become restrictive. Plant roots tend to grow above the barrier instead of deep into the soil, making plants susceptible to drought and stress.

  • Hinders planting and replanting. The barrier itself is a barrier any time you want to move a plant or introduce new ones to the garden. It's more work having to cut new openings each time, and each opening is an invitation for weeds.

  • Is difficult to remove. Trust me. Removing the fabric required so much shoveling, sometimes displacing up to six inches of dirt that sat on top, plus full-force yanking to free the fabric from the roots that broke through to hold it hostage. What I hated most was pulling out the rusted metal staples that held the fabric in place. Some of them broke off so in the back of my mind I will forever carry a tiny bit of worry about stepping on a rusty pointed remnant and dying of tetanus. (Note to self: Check date of last tetanus shot.)

  • Needs to be replaced periodically. If you're dead set on using landscape fabric, know that you'll need to rip it out and replace it periodically as the surface becomes clogged and the material degrades, typically every two to three years. You can't just lay new fabric over old, or you'll end up further smothering the soil.

  • Ends up in a landfill. Landscape fabric isn't recyclable, so once it's served its term it's destined for the landfill; it's not suitable for reuse. Needless waste for something that fails at its intended purpose and creates so many other problems instead. As much as I hated sending all that material to a landfill, doing so seemed the lesser evil to the damage from leaving it in place.


A heap of landscape fabric destined for the landfill, and the malnourished and compacted soil beneath the fabric

Left: A heap of landscape fabric destined for the landfill, with heaps more to come. Right: The soil beneath the fabric is so malnourished and compacted that it looks like cement. Photo by The Garbage Lady.


Better options to control weeds

Check out 9 alternatives to landscape fabric for guidance on choosing a material that will control weeds without comprising soil quality. Options include burlap, cardboard, newspaper, straw, wood chips, pine needles, lawn waste, and ground cover plants. These options are safer for the environment, more effective at weed control, and more beneficial to plants by retaining soil moisture, protecting against extreme temperatures, and providing nutrients as the materials decompose. Your soil will be able to function the way nature intended and your plants will be happier. If you go the herbicide route, choose an eco-friendly product without harmful chemicals, or make your own weed killer with vinegar, dish soap, and salt. Any option will need to be replenished or reapplied periodically, but in the end, these alternatives will be far less costly and require much less work than installing and replacing a a nasty plastic barrier.


Shrubs that died and had to be pulled up because landscape fabric prevented them from getting water and nutrients

These poor shrubs never stood a chance. It took me too long to figure out that the stupid landscape fabric was preventing them from getting the water and nutrients they needed. (Dozens more suffered the same fate.) Photo by The Garbage Lady.


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