Landscape Fabric: Purpose, Types & Benefits

However, using landscape fabric does not come without controversy for several pros and cons. It is crucial to explore the same. This article discusses the purpose and benefits of using benefits and the types. Now, let us begin by understanding landscape fabric and its and the other topics. Let’s begin: 

What is Purpose of Landscape Fabric?

It is a material developed only to restrict the physical barrier found between sun and soil. It often connects over the woven or non-woven material. These are also known as weed fabric or barrier and landscape fabric. These prevent the weed seeds from germinating without getting any sunlight. Also, it keeps down the requirement for herbicidal weed control. 

What are the benefits and demerits of using Landscape Fabric? 

Using landscape fabric has both pros and cons, let us check the following: 

Benefits:

Using landscape fabric can offer you a wide range of benefits. 

• These include keeping weeds away from the garden beds. It has sun-blocking abilities, which allow the soil to retain moisture with the help of reducing evaporation. 
• The fabric is known to add the stability element apart from acting as a preventive measurement for preventing erosion in places prone to washing away the soil with heavy rains. 
• It also plays a vital role in hardscaping by preventing inorganic mulch like pea gravel and rocks from the soil. 

Demerits:

If you plan to use landscape fabric, it is always crucial to check a few demerits of the same. How about checking a few: 

• Firstly, landscape fabric is not the ultimate solution to reducing weeds by 100 percent. It may prevent the growth of weed seeds, yet the roots can get over the mulch allowing its germination in your lawn. 
• The organic wood chips can decompose with time, developing compost that remains suitable for weeds to take any root. All you require is a pre-emergent herbicide to stop this. 
• Also, you can find the landscaping fabric that prevents nutrients developed with the help of decomposing any organic matter and preventing it from reaching below the soil. 

If you find these demerits overshadowing the benefits, you can have alternatives to use landscape fabric, including cardboard, burlap and newspaper, to name a few. However, the benefits can outweigh the demerits of trying different types of landscape fabric. You can have the one that suits the best as per your requirements. We will now discuss the choice. 

What are the Types of Landscape Fabrics?

There are different types of landscape fabrics, however, when it comes to choosing, consider the best material. Experts recommend trying for 

When it comes to landscape fabrics, material matters. While it might seem like a good idea to go for a cheap, plastic weed barrier for any application, you’ll be better served picking the right fabric for your gardening or lawn project. 

Here’s a look at some of the types of landscape fabrics:

Woven 

The woven landscaping fabric is among the most common fabrics used in yards. It is usually made of linen fibres and polypropylene, which are woven together to develop a strong and semi-permeable material. 

The small holes of the woven landscaping fabric will help move both the nutrients and water to enter the soil while preventing the weeds from growing towards the sun. It is an ideal weed control fabric around shrubs and trees, as seen over the flower beds with the plants that are changed too often. The woven fabrics are generally black, brown, green, or any natural burlap color.

Generally speaking, most homeowners use innate UV resistance or any other option that treats UV stabilized so that it can easily hold in an open sky. The cost for woven landscape fabrics can vary as per the quality. It comes as $35 -$280 for the low (10 ft) and high-end quality (300 ft), respectively. 

Non-Woven

These are typically made through fabrics like polypropylene or polyester, which are primarily suitable for controlling weed growth amid gravel, rock paths, or beds. The non-woven landscape fabrics are not permeable when compared to the woven options. Hence these affect the nutrients and water from getting beneath the soil. 

These fabrics are known for their stability and stop the stones from sinking into the soil. There are professional-grade versions that are often used under the stone pavers and also in large-scale hardscaping. The cost can range from $20 per for 3 feet roll to $180 for a 300 ft roll. 

Spun

It falls under the non-woven fabric, which is made from bonded polyester fibres, thus making it highly durable. It is a heavy-duty kind of landscaping fabric that remains tough to tear or rip. The thickness of any spun fabric varies widely and thus makes it a feasible choice for many homeowners. 

You can also find the thinner versions of this landscape fabric, which come with a spun-bonded nature of the material. In this way, it leaves it permeable to air and water, which remains durable and strong. All these features make it highly durable. It works exceptionally well with the weed barrier over the beds and also under the rocks. These also secure the border for discouraging insects, invasive grasses and insects. 

The thicker fabric remains strong and durable, making it suitable for other purposes like drainage, irrigation and retaining the wall applications for preventing issues like seepage and securing roots. The cost of a 1.5-ounce roll will be 3 feet by 100 feet for $20, while a highly durable 8-ounce 6ft by 100 ft comes to around $300. 

Perforated

These fabrics are often very lightweight and inexpensive, with pre-cut holes of perforations where the plants are kept. As we see, the perforated landscape fabrics do not suffocate, remaining easily replaceable. Generally, these are mainly used for garden applications where plants are changed frequently and kept evenly. For instance, you can find vegetable gardens lined up with these fabrics’ help. 

As these are easy to manage and lightweight, experts recommend not using them at places with heavy foot traffic, sizable roots and animal activity. The cost of these fabrics is $10 for a small sheet of 4ft x 8 ft, while for a large size – 3ft x 300 ft is $80. 

When should you Use Landscape Fabric?

These fabrics are often used under the mulch areas close to shrubs, bushes and trees. These fabrics are put over soil, and then mulch is added as a layer on the fabric. These fabrics often work under the rock, hardscaping or rock. You can use it under the flower beds and ground cover to reduce the weeds for weed control requirements. As a caution, you need to avoid using these fabrics below the vegetable gardens or flower beds comprising annuals, as replanting is daunting. 

What is the best landscape fabric?

One of the best fabrics you choose often depends upon the way you are going to use it. Are you using it like a weed barrier, shrubs, or making inexpensive and minimal maintenance beds? You can choose woven landscaping fabric as it works the best. For better stability and weed blocking under any gravel or rock, you can opt for non-woven landscape fabrics. 

Which is better: landscape fabric or plastic?

You can find a few affordable conditions where landscape plastic can prove a worthy choice, while landscape fabric has several other applications and proves to be a decent choice for your lawn. 

When to Call a Landscaping Professional

There are several factors to consider when deciding on a suitable landscaping fabric. You need a fair understanding of the fabrics, which is only possible when you belong to the landscaping domain. Calling an expert is always a practical solution as it helps install the landscape fabric technically correct, or you may not get the benefits from the same. 

In conclusion, landscape fabric has several benefits to offer. There are different types of l landscape fabric, and you can consider the one which suits your yard. Hiring a competent group like Eden can help you choose the suitable fabric and install the best to benefit the most. Contact Eden for more.