Landscape Fabrics Installation and Uses

I am sure most people who have wide expanses of land to spare dream of turning it into a beautiful landscape. It is a nice thought but there are a few steps that need to be taken in order to turn it into a reality. Keeping weeds at bay and allowing the plants to grow is certainly an important step. With that thought in mind, here is information about landscape fabrics – a solution for weeds!

Landscape Fabric – What is it?

Landscape fabric is basically a material that is placed around flowers, shrubs and trees. The use of landscaped material is to promote plant growth and stop weeds. This material does so by blocking out sunlight so that weeds cannot grow. The plants do not suffer in this regard because it is also permeable because of which moisture and air can reach the plant.

How do I select the appropriate landscape fabric?

There are a few factors that need to be taken into consideration when selecting landscape fabric, here they are:

• Select landscape fabric that is strong enough to hold out to the vigorous stresses of application. Selection of fabric with more strength will only increase the price and also reduce the air and water supply to plants.
• Landscape fabric must be porous enough to allow water and air to pass freely to the soil. This is an important feature to be taken into consideration in the selection process because if the fabric does not breathe properly then the soils may become sour and sterile.
• The fabric that is selected should have a consistent and even distribution of fibers. Apart from that it should also possess a small enough opening size to prevent weedy grasses from coming up through the fabric.

Where can I buy landscape fabrics?

Landscape fabrics can be bought from nurseries and garden supply centers.

What is the process of installing landscape fabric?

The installation of landscape fabric can be divided into a number of steps. The steps have been enumerated below:

• First it is important to ensure that the soil is free of weeds. You can eliminate them using two methods. One is by repeated cultivations and secondly by applying a herbicide.
• Secondly select a calm day in which to proceed with the installation.
• Once you have selected an appropriate day unroll the fabric and estimate where to cut the fabric.
• Using a sharp knife or a pair of scissors cut slits and then carefully cover the fabric over and around the plant.
• To close any gaps overlap the seams by at least 3 inches.
• Use nails, heavy wire staples or plastic pegs to anchor the outer edges of the landscape fabric.

After Installation

Once the landscape fabric has been installed, cover the fabric entirely with 20 to 30 inches of weed-free organic mulch such as shredded bark. This is done to protect the fabric from ultraviolet degradation and helps conserve moisture too. That done, feed the plants using liquid fertilizer.