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Tony De Masi
07-20-2012, 9:21 AM
Anyone found and use a good quality landscape fabric? Not talking about the cheap stuff from the Borg's. I've found some while looking online and have come up with DeWitt and DuPont as possibilities but wanted to check here to find real users first. The claims for some of the fabrics under both names are up to 20 years of durability but I've been around long enough to not necessarily believe that claim.

Greg Peterson
07-20-2012, 10:10 AM
I think 20 years durability for something intended to be buried and not exposed to sunlight is a fairly easy claim to make. What is your application?

IME, having used the borg stuff, it works just fine. But then again, for my applications I don't know that it was really necessary. Weeds are not going to spring up through 4-6 inches of compacted 3/4- gravel and then sand. But, weeds will do just fine with the sand substrate or 1/4- path.

The fabric may very well exceed the manufacturers claims. But the fabric will not prevent any weeds from thriving in the organic matter covering it.

Prashun Patel
07-20-2012, 11:05 AM
In my experience, the weeds don't spring up from places where the landscape fabric rips or deteriorates; they come from new seeds falling on top of the fabric.

Brian Elfert
07-20-2012, 12:18 PM
I have river rock on either side of my driveway near the street. I put landscape fabric underneath, but the problem is the weeds are growing from the top. All kinds of dirt washes in from the street and the weeds grow in the dirt that washes in. Right now, the weeds are so thick that I have to mow the rocks. I will put pavers down instead some day.

I did pull up all the rock and wash all the dirt out once, but it was so much work that I promised myself I would never do it again. My parents washed the rock around their house, but they rented a Rock Vac and we made a jig to wash the rocks as they came out of the vacuum unit.

Ted Calver
07-20-2012, 2:53 PM
I stopped using fabric years ago because of the problems discussed here. A nice 3" layer of mulch applied twice a year keeps my beds relatively weed free.

Chris Kennedy
07-20-2012, 3:40 PM
I forget what type I used, but I got it at Gempler's online. They had several different types (available in large rolls). Much better than anything at the Borg.

Cheers,

Chris

Craig Matheny
07-20-2012, 5:43 PM
I stopped using fabric years ago because of the problems discussed here. A nice 3" layer of mulch applied twice a year keeps my beds relatively weed free.
Ted you are spot on the only problem is yo have to go get more or you get the weeds I forgot to get more I got weeds instead guess where I am going soon. All joking aside I was shocked on how I had no weeds for easily 6 months.