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Landscape fabric for flower beds?

3.2K views 6 replies 5 participants last post by  Coldsprings  
#1 ·
I am using a pine bark mini nugget for a new flower bed and was wondering if the pro's ever use a weed barrier? I see lots of really nice beds on commercial sites but have never noticed any weed barrier being used. I am fine with using a pre-emergent and kind of like the idea of the mulch eventually being incorporated into the soil since it has such high clay content. Any thoughts or recommendations on this?
 
#5 ·
Blackshirtproud said:
Weed barrier causes more problems than anything. Makes raking your mulch , rocks difficult, and sooner than later there will be weeds in your mulch anyway as dirt will collect in the mulch creating a nice spot for weeds to grow.

I am in the anti barrier club.
This.
I'm currently digging out landscape barrier previous homeowners put down...it's now buried under several inches of dirt.
 
#6 ·
I find that instead of using a landscape fabric, you are far better off planning for deep mulch or crushed rocks. Weeds really don't grow well in 6 inches of crushed rock or mulch. Too many people plan for only 2 inches of crushed rock or mulch, which just isn't enough to get the job done.

After I increased the depth of my crushed rock areas to 6 inches (from the prior 2 inches), weeds in the crushed rock have become a thing of the past.