Weed Prevention?

Señorita

I don't usually post here because I am really not a yardwork/garden person, but my yard is getting out of control and for the sake of my neighbors I need to do something.

Has anyone used that black weed prevention fabric? Did it work? I have been reading that you can also use newspaper, which is definitely cheaper. I need something that will make my yard as low maintenance as possible. I appreciate your input. Thanks!

Dr.Loretta

I don't. I just use a good layer of mulch.

GL

TarHeels&Rebels

Preen is a granule you can sprinkle on your beds to prevent germination.  It works wonders for me.

I have experience with weed fabric and can't stand it.  The previous owners put it in and we ripped it all out.  It didn't prevent weeds - they just grew in the mulch on top, although it could be argued that they didn't have as good a hold as they would otherwise.   It did manage to turn the soil underneath into solid brick with a layer of powdery mold between the fabric and soil.  Just ew.

I've done the newspaper thing, but not as a weed preventer.  I used it to kill grass when creating new beds.

Inkful

Where are you trying to prevent weeds from growing? Are there plants already growing in that area that you want to keep?

I hate this answer because I inherited a yard that had be neglected for years, decades actually. The best way to prevent weeds is basic upkeep- keep your lawn mowed and pull weeds regularly so that they don't reseed.  Mulch helps keep weeds at bay, but laying it over existing weeds, won't do much.  I've had some success at killing weeds en mass where there are no other plants by laying out cardboard (be sure that there are significant overlaps betwen cardboard pieces- several inches at least), then spraying it down with h20 and covering it with 2 inches or so of mulch.  

hoping4septimus

I've used weed fabric under the stones in my patio.... i still get weeds but they are easier to pull. In my front yard, I just used newspaper under the mulch. Again, just easier to pull... it doesnt prevent them.

monkeygirl18

We have the fabric weed barrier under the river rock (little ones) that surround our patio. All I can say is, I have no weeds and I haven't for the 3yrs that the gardens have been in.

Señorita

Thanks for the input! We pulled out some random groundcover that was littered with weeds and random plants that we inherited from the previous owners. We are going to put in a few bushes that will be really low maintenance.

 I appreciate all of your opinions!