Landscape fabric is called weed barrier or garden cloth. It is a textile typically made from synthetic polypropylene or polyester. I put landscape fabric in all of the beds around my house at the recommendation of the landscape service I was using. The idea was to prevent the weeds from growing since the fabric blocks sunlight but allows water to penetrate for the desired plants in the beds.

This worked as advertised only for a short time!

After a couple months, weed seeds were able to sprout in the plant litter that built up on top of the fabric. Even worse, the weed roots grew through the fabric into the ground below. The weeds were more difficult to remove since they were embedded in the fabric. It was impossible to pull.

The only solution was to laboriously remove the fabric that was now covered with dirt and weeds. The fabric was anchored to the ground below by the roots of the weeds. It was a nightmare! I wish I had never spent the money to install the fabric and had to invest my time to remove it!

A Better Solution

Ever hear of Solarization? Timing is essential with this method, because you will cover your moist soil area with clear plastic during Florida’s hot summer months. The soil temperature will rise high enough to kill weeds, pathogens and even nematodes! The 6 – 8 week duration is long, but this is a great sustainable, non-chemical method.

This method is perfect for Florida because who works in the garden during hot July and August?

Nevertheless, an alternative is to lay cardboard as a weed barrier. The cardboard will degrade and disintegrate with time while providing an initial weed barrier. Additionally, water appropriately because

And as a Last Resort …

Finally, an alternative solution to battle weeds in your Landscape beds is to:

• Use a pre-emergent herbicide
• Spot kill with systemic herbicide

Of course, don’t forget to Hand Pull Weeds too!

This post was written with the help of Cathy Keller, Lake County Master Gardener Volunteer. Thank you!

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