You are finally ready to plant the garden or flower bed of your dreams. You know exactly what you want to plant and are ready to begin. You then realize you haven’t planned on how to keep the weeds out.

There are generally two options that work in a garden. Plastic sheeting or landscaping fabric. Which one do you use? In some circumstances, it depends, but in general, landscape fabric is the better choice. Both forms are good for preventing weeds from growing in your plot, but there are advantages to fabric lining that plastic does not provide. To help you decide, we have put together the 8 reasons why landscape fabric is better than plastic.

 

 

1: Fabric Helps Regulate Soil Temperatures

 

 

The plastic lining is more prone to heating soil temperatures. Heat, whether from the atmosphere or ground, can cause damage to plants and cause death.

The only benefit of plastic may be in extremely cold areas where the soil needs to be kept warm from freezing temperatures, however, if there are holes in the plastic and water is trapped below the plastic without a way to evaporate or exit then ice may form under the plastic and potentially harm the surrounding plants.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Landscape fabric is better at helping to regulate Soil Temperatures

 

2: Nutrients can Pass-Through Landscape Fabric

 

Different types of fertilizers can be restricted from reaching your plants with plastic. The permeability of landscape fabric allows for fertilizers to gain access to the soil around the plant. With plastic, fertilizers can be stopped by the plastic lining and sit on top of it, never reaching the roots.

Any high-quality landscape fabric will pass water through ground cover types typically let more water through. The water passing through is crucial to the health of plants as they need water and nutrient matter in order fully develop.

 

3: Landscape Fabric Enables Better Watering

 

 

Plastic is a good waterproofing material. This is why it is used in products to keep water out. The downside when it comes to plants is that plastic lining can keep water from reaching all of the root systems of your plants. Some plants have root systems that stretch out from the parent plant. If the plastic is covering these roots, water may never reach them. Fabric landscape material allows water to seep into the dirt and into the entire root system.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Landscape Fabric enables water to pass through to the plants

 

 

4: Landscape Fabric Discourages Mold Growth

 

 

 

A second problem with being waterproof is that plastic does not allow for excess moisture in the soil to evaporate. If your root systems stay too wet for too long, they can have mold growth begin to form. With fabric, air circulation allows water to evaporate into the air.

As mentioned, plastics prevent the movement of air and, in the end, can suffocate your plants. By using fabric, the air is able to get into your soil and into the root systems of your plants, helping them thrive.

A great deterrent to pathogen growth. UV light from the sun along with the breathability of fabric can hinder the environment that mold and bacteria really enjoy growing in.

Plastic sheeting, when used as a ground barrier, especially the dark black colored type, does not allow for UV light to reach the soil. When this happens, plant diseases can thrive in the soil and damage your plants. The makeup of the fabric allows for the UV light to reach the soil and help kill cultures that can potentially harm plants.

 

 

 

5: Landscape Fabric is less expensive in the Long Run

 

 

 

 

Using plastic as a ground cover will typically be less costly upfront, but don’t let that price fool you. Since you will not be able to efficiently water from above with plastic, you will have to invest money in an under the plastic drip or watering system. Having to install irrigation can raise the cost of your project considerably, especially if you end up with dying plants and the costs of having to replace them.

Another benefit of using fabric against plastic is that the fabric will generally last longer. With fabric, you will probably gain two or three seasons with it as you will need to dispose of the plastic about every season. This is because the plastic material becomes brittle and breaks apart easily after a few months in the environment.

 

 

 

 

6: Fabric Controls Erosion Better

 

 

 

 

 

By degrading slowly over time, landscape fabric becomes part of the soil. This slow degradation helps to prevent soil runoff with rain and protect our garden from erosion. By securing the soil below, landscape fabric can resist natural erosion or soil degradation.

Plastic has a slick surface and does not provide really any friction for the soil, so it does not enable the same erosion control ability that would be found in a ground cover fabric. Over time as the plastic breaks down and tears it will look bad and will not help erosion, in fact it may increase erosion as the soil can wash right over the smooth plastic forming a kind of slide. Its not recommended to use this on hills with the expectation of good erosion protection properties.

 

 

 

 

 

7: Landscape fabric resists tearing and ripping

 

 

 

 

 

 

Working with plastic landscaping material can be a hassle when it tears or rips. Landscape Fabric is not as susceptible to tearing as plastic and can be patched with much less effort. Once plastic sheeting is torn, it may be necessary to start that section of the project over again as you cannot easily repair rips and tears. These tears in the coverage can let weeds through and make the barrier much less effective in weed prevention.

 

 

 

 

 

 

8: Fabric Simply Looks Better

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The ideal landscape fabric is the one you don’t see. I should Ideally be hidden away under mulch so that nobody notices that it’s in use, however, as time passes after the installation erosion or movement of the rock or mulch above can expose the weed barrier and when that happens then it can be ugly if you don’t cover it up.

Let’s face it; you have a garden or flower bed to make to grow plants and to make your property more attractive. Looking at a giant plastic piece is not the most visibly pleasing site when looking at your garden. Sure, you can cover both fabric and plastic with mulch or rock, but plastic has a way of showing itself over time.

The problem is when it rains, the material is pushed to the side, and the plastic is exposed a little more each time. This is the primary issue with using black plastic as a weed barrier in gardens or planting areas. With traditional geotextile landscape fabric allowing the water to drain better, the water goes into the soil and does not wash the rock or the mulch away. Visibility tends to me much less of a problem with landscape fabric.