D45
Well-known member
Doing some landscaping around my deck and pool shortly
What's a good weed preventing fabric / underlayment?
What's a good weed preventing fabric / underlayment?
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Best Landscape Fabric?
- Thread starter D45
- Start date
glentre
Well-known member
In my experience, no landscaping fabric works well. After the first year or so if you're putting gravel or stone over it, enough airborne dirt and dust accumulates on the fabric for weeds to get a foothold. I've found that a 2" base of coarse stone with your pea or decorative finer size gravel over the base works better for both drainage and weed control. Probably because the stone layer is too thick for accumulation of dirt and no sunlight gets through the stone for the weeds to grow.
I've laid fabric in planting beds and cut holes in it to plant bushes and shrubbery but weeds just love growing in the thin layer of mulch or soil covering the fabric.
Glen
I've laid fabric in planting beds and cut holes in it to plant bushes and shrubbery but weeds just love growing in the thin layer of mulch or soil covering the fabric.
Glen
L5wolvesf
Well-known member
What Glen said x 2
rockcrawler
Well-known member
Skip the cheap plastic stuff the the big box stores sell. Use the woven fabric stuff you get at specialty landscape accessory providers.
RPH
Well-known member
+4, just as described.
like2wheel
Well-known member
I’ve had bad luck with the woven fabric, weeds grow and their roots make their way through the fabric and they were very tough to pull.
So last time I used regular six mill black plastic. 2 to 3 inches of decorative stone over the top. It’s been years and still working great. There is a layer of dirt in the low spots now, but weeds don’t seem to propagate very often, and when they do they are very easy to pull.
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So last time I used regular six mill black plastic. 2 to 3 inches of decorative stone over the top. It’s been years and still working great. There is a layer of dirt in the low spots now, but weeds don’t seem to propagate very often, and when they do they are very easy to pull.
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rieferman
Well-known member
I use the woven plastic (geotextile) from landscape supply under multiple large gravel patios on our property. One is 20' x 20' and the other is twice as big.
In my case, I use this to keep the mud underneath from mixing with the patio gravel (red chip 3/8").
Of course, debris will enter from above and eventually weeds do occur... but after 10 years, we are still nicely separated from the mud (goal #1 in our case) and the weeds have so little material to root in that pulling or spraying makes quick work of them. I spend about 30 minutes per year handling the weeds in these two large patios.
Now, for a flower bed that will presumably have mulch (instead of gravel) I think you'll just end up growing weeds anyways, so I use Preen type product there, along with spot spraying and good ol' fashioned pulling weeds once in awhile. I spend about 2 hours a year on these tasks.
In my case, I use this to keep the mud underneath from mixing with the patio gravel (red chip 3/8").
Of course, debris will enter from above and eventually weeds do occur... but after 10 years, we are still nicely separated from the mud (goal #1 in our case) and the weeds have so little material to root in that pulling or spraying makes quick work of them. I spend about 30 minutes per year handling the weeds in these two large patios.
Now, for a flower bed that will presumably have mulch (instead of gravel) I think you'll just end up growing weeds anyways, so I use Preen type product there, along with spot spraying and good ol' fashioned pulling weeds once in awhile. I spend about 2 hours a year on these tasks.
FYI Sams club has a 250' roll of the good woven stuff for about $30 right now (and usually every spring). Best price I've found. I agree it's useless if putting mulch over it but for under stone it works good. I picked some up for around an above ground pool, going to top it with river rock.
i used this stuff for a french drain i put in, not cheap but this stuff is thick.
Bretny
Well-known member
Your right that stuff isnt cheap but that dosnt make it good.i used this stuff for a french drain i put in, not cheap but this stuff is thick.
If you want to keep the gravel separate from the dirt/mud under it then "road fabric" is what you should use. For keeping weeds out nothing really works becids a deep base of stone.
I was building a driveway and called around to many local landscaping and drainage supply houses. Generally road fabric is $1 a linear foot of 12ft wide. It's well worth the money.
mike93lx
ALLIANCE MEMBER
The fabric stops the stone from mixing into the dirt, but won't stop weeds from eventually growing. Use something permeable
like2wheel
Well-known member
See post #7.
I just poked a few holes in the low spots.
Just remembered I did that under the stone around my hot tub too. Been almost 10 years still holding up well.
I just poked a few holes in the low spots.
Just remembered I did that under the stone around my hot tub too. Been almost 10 years still holding up well.
p00p
Well-known member
if you grade the ground with a slope, the run off will naturally happen.
L5wolvesf
Well-known member
We have thick plastic sheeting under just about everything. It is at least 15 yo and probably over 20. Weeds eventually poke through as does gravel. so water drains down or away. When I have to dig I pull up and toss as much plastic as possible.I have all the old river rock removed and I scored 470 used brick pavers for the edging
For $150 and a few hours of power washing they look new
I was told to use thick plastic mil sheathing for the river rock underlayment
Anyone else use plastic? Where does the water go?
rayra
Well-known member
+n. Not sure the word 'best' applies to the product category. If not covered, it breaks down / falls apart, if covered too well, stuff grows in the cover. And I've never seen a brick&mortar store that had a selection to pick from.
eta at best use black plastic to cook / kill any weed seed / sprouts, before your planting, then mulch. Removing the plastic.
eta at best use black plastic to cook / kill any weed seed / sprouts, before your planting, then mulch. Removing the plastic.
like2wheel
Well-known member
Disagree.
I've got some 6 mil black thats been exposed to the sun for YEARS that is still fine. Prob at least 10 years so far.
The clear does break down after a year or two.
Don't understand your comment about being covered too well. Remember he's using stone.
I've got some 6 mil black thats been exposed to the sun for YEARS that is still fine. Prob at least 10 years so far.
The clear does break down after a year or two.
Don't understand your comment about being covered too well. Remember he's using stone.
Last edited:
Project is done
New double row brick edging put down, with the plastic edging support rolls installed (great prices at Menards)
Plastic installed with nice plastic button cap staples and 6.25 tons of new river rock
Total cost was around $750 and a week of work
Better than the 5k quotes
New double row brick edging put down, with the plastic edging support rolls installed (great prices at Menards)
Plastic installed with nice plastic button cap staples and 6.25 tons of new river rock
Total cost was around $750 and a week of work
Better than the 5k quotes
CSRPenFab
Well-known member
+1 for the commercial quality stuff from Sam's Club. At my prior CA house, I had a few thousand sq. ft. of it down under rock and bark in all the planters. It worked quite well. Even if weeds came up, it made removal very easy since the roots never got a firm grip in the soil.FYI Sams club has a 250' roll of the good woven stuff for about $30 right now (and usually every spring). Best price I've found. I agree it's useless if putting mulch over it but for under stone it works good. I picked some up for around an above ground pool, going to top it with river rock.
Now at my house in Boise, the builder used that really heavy woven geotextile stuff under gravel all around the yard. It too seems to work very well, and the few weeds that do get through are very easy to remove.