Landscape fabric may seem like a dream with how it is marketed: A single roll of tight-knit mesh that can be lain down over a patch of unwanted weeds and grass, leaving nothing alive. The problem is, dreams often fall short when faced with the perils of reality. Will landscape fabric kill grass, even the most stubborn and unwanted varieties? Below, you can learn the truth about what landscape fabric can truly do for you and your yard.
Will Landscape Fabric Kill Grass?
Yes, landscape fabric will kill some grass if it is applied to grass that has been mown very short, and then more material is applied over the landscape fabric to block out light. Landscape fabric is ineffective at killing grass on its own if applied in a single layer as often recommended by the manufacturer. It helps, but it’s not a solo player. Landscaping fabric is frequently applied in conjunction with gravel, large-chip mulch, or lava rock.
Can Landscape Fabric Kill Grass and Weeds?
Yes, landscape fabric can kill grass and weeds if applied with care and if you take best practices into account. Often this means applying layers of landscape fabric, committing to never moving or removing this fabric, and weighing this fabric down with gravel or another material that will not break down into usable soil. It is not, however, a good long-term strategy or something that works well in garden beds or small spaces.
How Long Should Landscape Fabric Control Grass and Weeds?
On average, you should see landscape fabric last for between 2 and 4 years before it starts breaking down and letting weeds grow into or through it regularly. This is with average soil conditions and rainfall. Areas with more rainfall and higher temperatures will generally see their landscape fabric fail faster.
Any landscape fabric that was applied in less than a full sheet, around trees or bushes, under a thick layer of compost or mulch, or that was damaged by an animal will also break down faster or become useless for its intended purpose quickly.
Related Article: What Kills Grass?
How Does Landscape Fabric Affect the Soil?
First and foremost, landscape fabric compacts soil and can reduce the amount of moisture that reaches plant roots under the fabric. While this can be good if the fabric is placed in an area that is nowhere near plant life, many times landscape fabric is used around bushes or trees or somewhere that a garden bed is planned for the following year. In cases like these, both the compaction and lack of moisture penetration can make it much harder to establish plants here in the future or for large nearby plants to thrive.
Beyond compaction and moisture issues, landscape fabric does not improve soil as it decomposes. Most landscape fabrics are made of polymers. As this fabric breaks down, it may leave you with thousands of long, polypropylene threads that, like fishing line, are difficult to break, can cause lacerations if you try to pull them up without gloves, and are not friendly to plant roots. These threads will not break down in your lifetime.
Does Landscape Fabric Kill Grass of Any Type?
Not all plants are easy to control with the application of landscaping fabric. Some plants and types of grass seem uniquely capable of defeating the methods in which landscape fabric attempts to kill grass and weeds. Below are how just a handful of species will react to landscape fabric.
Will Landscape Fabric Kill Crabgrass?
Landscape fabric is not recommended to kill crabgrass. Crabgrass will send up tiny branches through even the smallest holes or gaps in landscape fabric to survive. If it is allowed to grow through the fabric, it will soon colonize the entire sheet and be a nightmare to remove without compromising the landscaping fabric.
Will Landscape Fabric Kill Bermuda Grass?
Bermuda grass is another type of grass that can send stolons up through the smallest of holes. This can quickly allow the Bermuda grass to colonize the fabric. To use landscape fabric to smother Bermuda grass, you must use several layers of fabric.
Will Landscape Fabric Kill Monkey Grass?
Monkey grass will spread by stolons as well and will attempt to either pierce a single layer of landscape fabric, climb through any moisture holes, or circumvent the fabric by stretching its stolons out underground. Using wide swaths of landscape fabric and several layers can help control monkey grass.
Will Landscape Fabric Kill Johnsongrass?
Similar to the above, johnsongrass is another hard-to-control grass type but this type only spreads via rhizomes. This means it is easier to control with landscape fabric and thinner strips can be used. However, layers are still recommended. Weighing the whole area down with rock can also improve the effectiveness of landscape fabric for controlling johnsongrass.
Where is Landscape Fabric Most Useful for Controlling Grass?
After all of this, you may be thinking that landscape fabric has far fewer uses than you’ve been led to believe. While this may be true, there are still a few places where landscape fabric could shine- not quite as brightly as thickly layered newspaper, paper mulch, or polymer-free biofilms but there is still the possibility that landscape fabric can be useful in the fight against unwanted grasses.
Landscape fabric works best in dark areas where they are nowhere near wanted plants, plant beds, trees, or bushes. For example, under decks, under patios, around footings, and under the gravel around pools are all excellent places to put landscape fabric.
Landscape Fabric is Not a Great Long-Term Option
With its track record for being less effective against problem grasses and the ever-present need to pick new weeds, sprouts, and shoots off the top layer of landscape fabric before it becomes permanently rooted, landscaping fabric is a labor-intensive, short-term solution to a persistent problem. Similar results can be achieved with thick layers of wood mulch or newspaper, and these options improve the soil over time rather than degrade and compact it.
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