# Thoughts on weed barriers?



## JayGo (Jun 13, 2019)

I cant say I've ever seen a weed barrier actually do what it claims to do. Maybe they were installed wrong, too deep, etc...

Do they work?


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## TLFU (Aug 4, 2017)

Maybe for a season or two, but that's it (my experience).


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## ThomasPI (May 18, 2019)

Use cardboard.


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## JayGo (Jun 13, 2019)

ThomasPI said:


> Use cardboard.


You know...that actually isn't a bad idea. 🤔


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## seebryango (Feb 21, 2019)

And cardboard will eventually break down... the only good thing about weed cloth is that the grass I just pulled up came off in sheets bc it was on top of fabric that the previous homeowner put down but didn't maintain


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## nnnnnate (Apr 23, 2020)

In my experience it depends on what you are covering the wee barrier with after its installed. Are you putting bark or something that will break down over time and provide a good rooting medium for weeds? Are you putting down some type of gravel? Regardless over time dirt and dust will blow into the area along with the weed seeds which can germinate but with gravel like seebryango said you can pull them up easily because all the roots are on the top side of the barrier. I had a couple areas at my last house with 4-6 inches of pea gravel on top of dewit 20 or 25 year weed cloth. It was like that for 5 or 6 years before we moved but I generally had good results and any weeds that did grow were easily removed. I also had a neighbor that put down big box store weed barrier and a few hand fulls of bark on top. He had just as many weeds in those areas as he did before but now had to deal with the weed cloth as well.


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## PNW_TurfNoob (May 29, 2020)

ThomasPI said:


> Use cardboard.


+1

Cardboard is a great barrier for areas that you plan to continue to mulch. I'm going to do this for my raised bed garden walk ways this year!


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## ThomasPI (May 18, 2019)

Indeed free, easy to work with and works great. Use double layers and be sure to remove tape etc.


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## Gilley11 (Nov 3, 2019)

I hate weed barriers, they're a pain to install and a pain to remove. Ever since I started using Preen I'll never go back. Cheap, easy, effective and the wife can do it too.


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## hsvtoolfool (Jul 23, 2018)

+1 on 3" or 4" of mulch combined with Preen and a good hand-crank spreader. I use a Roundup battery pack every couple weeks for the dratted sidewalk spurge. While I'm at it, I may spot spray the odd weed in mulch areas now and again. But mostly, weeds lift out really easily from a thick mulch cover. It's hardly even worth spraying them.

Fabric weed barrier was originally designed for one crop season. Then it's intended to be removed and recycled each season. It's not meant for long-term mulch bed installs. Even if you put rocks on the fabric, you'll still get weeds in a few years.

Cardboard is fine for a year or two, but it also won't stop weeds once it breaks down into compost. But at least the soil stays healthy. It's mostly handy to kill off existing weeds or grass before you put down mulch.

Your soil is much healthier with a thick layer of mulch that breaks down into compost. If you've ever pulled up weed fabric after 4 or 5 years, the soil is stagnant with no earthworms. With mulch, the soil just gets better over time.

It should be a rule that all gardening video authors must wear Liberty overalls....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J8xZrolFyCk


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## Gilley11 (Nov 3, 2019)

^^^Underneath of those fabric barriers can get really nasty.


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## nikmasteed (Apr 30, 2020)

I have weed barrier in most of my beds, just moved into those house in November. I have no idea how long it has been here, but I hate it. Have been pulling plenty of weeds and an annoyance to break thru to plant something.

Does a weed barrier NEED to be removed eventually or will it eventually degrade (even if it takes years)? I cant imagine pulling up all my mulch and the thin soil layer to remove it. Not a chore I see myself doing unless absolutely necessary


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## bernstem (Jan 16, 2018)

Some weed barriers degrade. Most are made to be permanent and will be there long after you are gone unless you remove it. When I renovated my gardens after buying my house, I found layered fertilizer, dirt, and mulch bags that were used as weed fabric. They didn't work very well.

I personally don't like weed barriers for the reasons listed above. The only time I have used it was in a vegetable garden that was completely overgrown with nutsedge. It stopped 95% of it from coming back, but there is still a lot. It sometimes grows through the fabric. It usually finds its way between the 6 inch overlap at the borders or in places where the fabric was damaged.


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## Mister Bill (Apr 12, 2019)

Gilley11 said:


> I hate weed barriers, they're a pain to install and a pain to remove. Ever since I started using Preen I'll never go back. Cheap, easy, effective and the wife can do it too.


X2. A well mulched and maintained bed grows very few weeds. Weed barriers are a royal pain to deal with.


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## LA Basshole03 (Jan 17, 2019)

Not a fan of weed barriers either.

Promote a good healthy soil with a good mulch layer and you will be better off in the long run.


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