Weeds... They’re everywhere! You can pull them, mow them, spray herbicides on them, but they keep coming back. They’re weeds; that’s what they do!

Pulling weeds by hand or cutting them is not something that you can do all the time. And weeds do grow back and multiple no matter how religiously you pull them out.

Controlling weeds in a large outdoor space is taxing and problematic. You can use herbicide to deal with the problem, but this won’t eliminate the problem apart from poisoning the earth.

If you’d like to rid your outdoor space of a persistent problem that comes over and over again, it’s time for long-term solutions like installing heavy-duty landscape fabric.

Lightweight Landscape Fabric vs. Heavy Duty Landscape Fabric

When it comes to landscape fabrics, the material matters the most. Landscape fabrics are not created equally. There are different types of landscape fabric -- some are lightweight and thin, others are thick and heavy-duty. The right kind of landscape fabric will depend on what to use it for.

Thin, lightweight landscaping fabric is often used for growing plants and protecting crops from weed growth. The landscaping fabric has perforated holes that let water and nutrients seep into the soil. Because the material is thin, it’s not ideal to use in areas with heavy foot traffic. It’s also not the best to use if the site gets a lot of sun because the material could eventually break from the extended sun exposure.

Heavy duty landscape fabric is designed for hardscaping and weed control. This product is made from thick polyester or polypropylene material. The material is not as permeable as thin, lightweight landscape fabric. It won’t let nutrients and water seep to the ground. Since the material is thick, it’s not breathable.

Heavy duty landscape fabric is best used beneath hardscaping. It is laid on top of gravel, rock, and other non-organic mulch materials, so these won't sink into the soil.

How to Use Heavy Duty Landscape Fabric for Weed Control

The quickest and easiest way to install heavy duty landscape fabric is to lay it down on the ground. Because of the thick material, the landscape fabric effectively blocks sunlight that weeds need to grow and multiply. It also stifles the weeds, so they cannot absorb water and nutrients from the soil. Here is a step-by-step guide on installing landscape fabric to control weeds:

Step 1: Prep the Soil

You'll have to prep the area where you'll lay down the landscape fabric by digging out the weeds, grass, and other vegetation using a shovel or a hoe. You have to dig deep enough to get to the roots of the vegetation because if you miss the roots, the weeds could grow right back.

Step 2: Level the Soil

Once the soil is free from vegetation, you can start leveling it using a bow rake. The rake will remove leftover roots and twigs, stones, and other objects that could tear a hole in the landscape fabric.

Step 3: Lay the Heavy Duty Landscape Fabric

Once the soil has been leveled and it's free from unwanted debris, you can start laying the landscape fabric. Be sure to spread the right side up. Lay it in a way that makes it parallel to the dimension of the material. Cut the material as needed using a sharp knife or shears.

If you need to cover more than a row of soil, overlap the pieces by at least 6 inches. When you're done laying out the landscape fabric, keep it in place with staples. We have heavy duty galvanized metal staples to match out heavy duty landscape fabric.

Once that's done, you can start cutting X-shapes to make a hole for your plants. You need to cut from the outside toward the center. Be sure that the hole is big enough to dig a hole for the plant’s root ball.

You can start planting your plants; just pull the flats of the X-shaped holes to get the material out of the way as you dig a hole for the plants. Lay the flaps of the fabric back once you're done backfilling the plants to cover the soil. Once that's done, you can add the mulch or ground cover, about 2 to 3 inches.

Adding mulch is optional, but it will stretch the life of your landscape fabric, which may thin out over time. Whether you’re using organic or non-organic mulch, be sure to rake the ground cover carefully, so you don’t end up piercing holes all over the landscape fabric.

Heavy duty landscape fabric is designed to eliminate weeds. That said, some weeds could still sprout on top of the material, but these could be pulled out easily.

Using heavy-duty landscape fabric means you don’t need to replace it often. Since the material is designed for heavy-duty use, it’s durable and resistant to sun exposure and moisture. It eliminates weeds without chemicals while allowing air, moisture, and nutrients to penetrate the soil.

Our heavy-duty premium landscaping fabric is made from a unique double layer of woven and nonwoven polypropylene. It offers the combined benefits of woven, non-woven, and spun woven landscape fabrics. It blocks UV light effectively to prevent weeds from sprouting underneath. The best part? It’s so easy to use. No need to hire a professional for installation; you can cut and install the landscaping fabric on your own! Click here to order, and you’ll never have to deal with weeds again.