Do you need to put down landscaping fabric under mulch?
Friday, November 20th, 2009 at
7:47 pm
I want to landscape near my fence. I have hoed out the grass that was growing there. Do I need to put down that landscaping fabric or can I just put down the mulch? Will the mulch alone keep the grass from growing back?
Filed under: Gardening
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The fabric will help retard the growth of weeds and grass more than the mulch alone.
you should but you don’t have….but some of your hardier weeds and grass will eventually grow through the mulch….by putting it down (or black pastic) it will save you time in the long run….
No it wont. You need to put down the fabric, and be sure to choose some good stuff. We put some down, and the weeds/grass found it’s way through microscopic holes that we did not know existed.
Yes..using landscaping fabric, black plastic or newspapers can help prevent the grass from growing back through your mulch. If you choose not too it will only be a matter of weeks before grass/weeds start coming through. An even better method is since you have already removed the grass/weeds that were in that area would be to (as long as you are sure you don’t want anything to grow in that area) would be to spray some type of weedkiller then lay your landscaping fabric, then your mulch. I hope this helps, I do this alot in my flower and rose beds in my yard.
Do it either way, but as suggested plastic is your best bet. Like others said weeds will find the holes and then you’ll be pulling or spraying them.
Whether you put down fabric depends on whether you want to plant there long-term or not. If you are planning on planting perennials or shrubs I would recommend skipping the fabric and just mulching. Some grass or weeds may pop up through the mulch but then just pull them or hit them with an herbicide (avoiding your plantings of course). If you plant through the fabric the plants will only be able to grow to the width of your hole in the fabric and they will eventually die when they run out of room. Also the fabric can cause water to run off rather than soak in and the fabric adds nothing to the soil as far as organic material is concerned. If you are just looking to block weeds under something such as a stone patio or walkway fabric is great, but for long-term planting, not so much.
Hope that helps.
In my experience, as the mulch breaks down into particulates, it provides an excellent place for the weeds to start on TOP of the fabric, then they attach themselves firmly so when you try to pull the weed, it wants to take the fabric with it. I had to remove mine after 2 years because it was a pain.
I wouldn’t recommend plastic underneath unless there are no plants around because the rain will just run off and won’t moisten the soil underneath.
I have tried PREEN but I think it is 50% weed seeds! I seem to get an explosion of weeds every time I have tried it.
I have found that putting a thick layer of new mulch helps curbs weeds the best, but you will ALWAYS have weeds!
Use Newspaper…it’s free!
Putting down a barrier before placing mulch is best. I use newspapers, easy /inexpensive, just place 2-3 layers on ground and place mulch over it. Good way to recycle your newspapers!!! The paper is good for the soil too.