It's best to use landscape fabric under inorganic materials such as rock, gravel, or sand. Landscape fabrics are less effective when used under organic mulch such as wood chips or bark. As this mulch decomposes, it effectively creates a new layer of soil above the landscape fabric.
Should landscape fabric go under gravel? Yes. Putting landscape fabric under gravel isn't a requirement, but it is recommended. When used under gravel, it provides all the positives of weed control and added stability, without any of the negatives.
Landscape Fabric Tips
Soil and dust that blows onto the top of the fabric can build up and eventually support the germination of weed seeds. Any organic mulch applied over the fabric inevitably breaks down into soil, creating fertile ground for weeds and grasses.
Stake the Landscape Fabric Down:
To keep the fabric in place, it is a good idea to use stakes or gardening staples to hold it down. All you have to do is hammer them into the ground every four or five inches, and then the landscape fabric will remain in place.
Leave several inches of extra landscape fabric at the garden's edge. Next, dig a trench around the garden bed where you want to install the edging. Wrap the extra landscape fabric beneath the bottom layer of edging material and sink it into the trench. The edging blocks will hold the fabric in place.
Can I Put Landscape Fabric Over Weeds? Yes, you can. Synthetic landscape fabrics provide a physical barrier to weeds yet allow air, water and nutrients through to plant roots. Spread the fabric over bare soil around trees and shrubs; overlap several inches of fabric at the seams.
Landscape cloth is like a thin rug. The slightly shiny side is meant to face up; the duller fuzzy side to face down, because that adheres well to the soil.
In the summertime, landscape fabrics help keep the soil cool, and in the wintertime, landscape fabrics help keep the soil warm. Landscape fabrics also help retain soil moisture by reducing water evaporation from the sun.
Rating: Spun fabric is highly durable and an excellent fabric to install underneath your gravel pathway or rock garden. You also can use spun fabrics behind retaining walls to help avert plant roots and prevent soil from seeping through the cracks.
After you lay the piece of fabric around the seedling, dig a 3- to 6-inch deep trench around the edges. Tuck the landscape fabric into the trench and cover it with soil to hold it down (or use edging or landscape staples to anchor the fabric).
Vinegar is a contact herbicide; that cannot get to the roots of weeds to kill them. This pesticide is most effective when applied on a warm day. Reapply herbicide to older and more established weeds to keep them from re-growing. Reapplying will weaken the weeds, eventually killing them.
Landscape fabric / drainage cloth is used in landscaping for water to pass through. Drain Field fabric is used in septic drain fields as a filter. They both act as a barrier, are from the same class of synthetic textiles and are similar in their construction.
A good landscape fabric beneath a layer of pebbles or gravel goes a long way in preventing weed seed germination. Even the best landscape fabric won't stop 100% of the weeds. Some seeds will inevitably germinate and sprout, however having a weed block barrier will keep the roots from getting a foothold in the soil.
If you're using landscape fabric simply to prevent weed overgrowth, yes, you can use plastic sheets as an alternative to landscape fabric. However, if you want to use this product under mulch like gravel, rocks, or other hardscaping material, you're better off sticking to landscape fabric.
Although landscape fabric initially does a wonderful job of suppressing weeds, as time goes on, it can become a maintenance nightmare. Any mulch or soil on top of the landscape fabric can support weed growth, a problem that is especially difficult to handle when weeds take root through it.
Cardboard: a Biodegradable Alternative
A free, biodegradable alternative to landscape fabric is to use simple old cardboard. The idea is derived from the concept of sheet mulching. In permaculture, sheet mulching can be done to reclaim an area of land that might have been weedy or even covered with grass.
Environmental Impact
Exotic plants often require more care and irrigation, increasing costs and using extra resources. Some non-native plants are considered invasive and can overtake the area, damaging local plants and animals. Excessive use of chemicals in landscaping can pollute the groundwater.
ANSWER: Yes, The fabric holds in the sand so it does not migrate into the soil.
What is the best tool for weeding gravel? The best hand tool for getting weeds out of gravel is to use a long bladed trowel or weeding knife to be able to get underneath the weed and lever it out, complete with roots. The Fiskars Xact Garden Hand Weeder, available at Amazon, is a great tool for this purpose.
You'll want a landscape fabric with good permeability so that your plants' roots get enough water and oxygen. Woven fabric is typically the best landscape fabric to install around trees and shrubs.
Line the planter with porous landscape fabric: The landscape fabric will allow water to drain out of the container while preventing wet soil from directly contacting the wood and reducing its lifespan. The fabric also will prevent soil from escaping through any wide gaps in the wood.
You can use double-layer landscape fabric. However, it is usually unsafe, especially in your garden. Additional fabric layers may adversely affect the soil. Therefore, double-layer landscape fabric will be counterproductive and may damage your garden.
Clear a section of rock or mulch, then pull up landscape fabric and cut it off with scissors or a utility knife. If you choose to lay new fabric, use only top-quality landscape fabric. Pin down the new fabric tightly, with no wrinkles, and then recover the area with rock or mulch.
When using mulch in your landscape, there is no need for the use of artificial weed barrier such as plastic or landscape fabric. These materials do not work and are not weed barriers. They are only necessary under stone. That is to prevent the soil from mixing with the stone.