Barrier Cloth vs Cardboard for Weed Control

Tips, Tricks

1. there is a different barrier cloth out there that is more like a felt.Has anyone had any luck with this type?
2. I despise barrier cloth. Worst invention for gardens ever!!
   Any little tear in the cloth, a weed will find and grow.
   Bermuda grass loves it - lays down runners all over the place.
   Compacts the soil.
   Over heats plants.
   Doesn't contribute at all to soil nutrients.
   
   Last summer, I did an experiment. In my 2 flower beds, 1/2 of each bed was lined with barrier cloth topped with wood chips. The other 1/2 was lined with cardboard and topped with wood chips.
   
   This summer, the flower beds with cardboard had just a few weeds and the plant growth is awesome. The soil underneath was loamy and has tons of earthworms.
   
   The part of the flower beds lined with barrier cloth was full of weeds, flowers were struggling to come up, the soil was like concrete and no earthworms.
   
   I amended my flower beds with cardboard and wood chips.
   
   I did my entire veggie garden with cardboard and wood chips. There were people driving by every day to check my progress and shaking their heads because this crazy old woman was laying down cardboard in the garden.
   
   Know what? While everyone else in town is hoeing and tilling and pulling weeds, my garden is set up. Everyone else lost their plants when night time temps dipped to 32 degrees. Not me. My tomatoes and cukes are happy campers. Can't wait to get the other veggies in!!
3. id never use barrier cloth or any type of plastic again after having to rip all of the old cloth/plastic out here.
   
   still looking for another solution, might try the cardboard and see how it goes. been doing simply edged beds with mulch for the past year with OK results.
4. Great video! Cardboard for beds and barrier cloth for paths! Thank you! Great communication skills, incidentally!
5. Is laying down the cardboard a one time thing or do you repeat the entire process once the cardboard decomposes (ie. put down a new layer of cardboard and mulch) or do you just continue to add mulch each season?
6. Great idea! I am going to try cardboard , thanks for the tip!
7. Can I use cardboard before lay down sod? So cardboard +soil + sod?
8. Another issue is that the barrier cloth really doesn't allow water to penetrate, even though it says it does. I imagine if water sat on top of it for long enough it would go through, but rain will just run over it. Also weeds will grow on top of it and their roots find their way into the cloth, making it harder to pull the weeds.
9. hello, any thoughts on adding cardboard FIRST. then roll the fabric over for a long term control...? Looking to control a large area long term before using with plants n shrubs. ~ Thanks
10. Can I put gravel on top of the cardboard? I'm planting a weeping yoshino cherry tree  within a border in my front garden and want to give it the best chance of establishing so would the cardboard and gravel mix be okay to use? Thanks very much for any advice.
11. I never thought of that, wonderful,tip,sis! 
12. Great information on comparing the two weed barriers. Good look at what is under barrier cloth. I love the cardboard under my wood chips, actually it's almost gone. Thanks for the video. Kim
13. Very informative. Was looking into laying some landscape fiber,but after having seen this,I've changed my mind. How thick should the cardboard be? And is there a "best" way to lay it?
14. I would recommend a lapel microphone.
15. searched google for cardboard weeping angel and my laptop froze, when it started working again this was playing, best error ever 
16. Hi Paula, Great Video with useful tips. I had one quick question though. Does the rate of decomposition of the mulch depend on whether I put a fabric or Newspaper underneath? Will I be re-mulching lot more often if I put newspaper underneath instead of fabric? And what frequency-every 2 yrs or 3yrs? I like the look of mulch but just need some help since I do not want to keep spending on mulch every year and instead maybe spend a little more right now and put lava rock or something to block the weeds. Please help.Thanks
17. Excellent pretty lady thanks for the explanation! :) 
18. Maybe you can help me.  I have a rental property with a big open space where planting should be but I put down mulch.  The weeds come up and up.  I was going to put weed barrier down, but then I saw cardboard.  This will just be a large mulch area with a few plants.  It also goes down hill a little.  Should I use mulch or cardboard?  I want it economical, but I do not have time to go to the rental house and pull weeds and can not rely on the tenants.  What is your advice?
19. OMG! Thank you so much for posting this. I am very picky about my soil, and I would have been so very disappointed if I had spent hundreds of dollars on weed cloth (like I had plan to), only to have it ruin my yard! Thank you so much.
20. thanks for making the video.  in the future speak faster so you share the info and keep our interest.  your audience is smart enough to keep up.  thanks again.