Knowledge From Olle Garden Bed: Intelligent Use Of Landscape Fabrics

Landscape fabric - Although growers have different reasons for using it, everyone agrees that it is a multifunctional gardening tool. This is necessary for many reasons, especially if you are growing crops organically. Use these guidelines from Olle Garden Beds to find the best ways for your needs.

Although gardening is an easy and environmentally friendly activity, some tasks may be very laborious. Remove weeds, control pests, and maintain the appearance of the garden. All these tasks may cause damage to your back. This is the use of landscape garden fabrics. This beautiful tool makes most gardening tasks simple and fast.

Landscape fabric is a solid plastic sheet made of woven fiber with perforations. It is used to eliminate weeds in the garden and promote plant growth. It has many applications and has different grades - heavy landscape fabric is thicker and can better control weeds. In contrast, the thinner one is designed for optimum water absorption and air circulation.

What is the best way to use landscape fabrics?

The best way to use landscape fabrics depends on the type of products you will use. There are four different types of landscape fabrics:

• Knitting
• Non-woven fabrics
• Spinning
• Perforation

Use woven landscape fabric

The woven landscape fabric is the most common product of the same kind. It is made of polypropylene, and flax fiber is woven into the material to form a durable landscape fabric. The plate is not completely solid; It has holes that allow air, water and nutrients to seep into the earth, while blocking sunlight and preventing weeds from sprouting.

The woven landscape fabric is best used around trees, shrubs and flower beds. In essence, woven landscape fabrics should be used in places with low maintenance costs in the garden, such as garden beds, where plants are not often replaced. If you want to set the landscape fabric in a sunny place, we recommend that you use a place that has been treated with ultraviolet light.

Use non-woven landscape fabric

Non-woven landscape fabric is made of polyester or polypropylene. It is the least porous of all types of landscape fabrics, so it is usually not used for planting crops. Non-woven landscape fabric is most suitable for completely blocking sunlight in rock and gravel paths. It can also be installed around the bed, but cannot be installed near the plant itself, because the material hinders the nutrient and water exchange between the plant and the soil.

The working principle of non-woven landscape fabric is to prevent rocks and gravel from sinking into the soil and damaging the appearance of outdoor space. It is also used for stone pavers and large hard installations.

Use textile landscape fabric

This product is made of polyester or polypropylene and adhesive polyester fiber layer. It is a tough, thick and heavy landscape fabric that can be used for many years if properly maintained. The thickness varies with products, but generally speaking, the textile landscape fabric is very heavy.

As for permeability, it also depends on thickness. Some textile landscape fabric products have small holes to better air circulation, while others are impermeable. In between, breathability and thin textile landscape fabric are more versatile. It is used to control weeds and as a rock and gravel barrier for hard afforestation.

On the other hand, thick textile landscape fabric is only used for irrigation and drainage. It is also used to maintain wall applications, prevent water seepage or prevent root growth.

Use perforated landscape fabric

The most affordable type of landscape fabric is perforated fabric. Perforated landscape fabric is made of lightweight polypropylene and sold with pre-cut perforations or small holes, in which you will place plants. Because it is thin and light, landscape fabric can let water, air and nutrients seep into the earth. But it is not the most durable.

Due to the large hole, the material is weak. It is not the best product to be used in places with large traffic and animal activities. We do not recommend using this product at the place where the root is full of large blocks, because it will shorten the service life of landscape fabric.

Three simple steps to install landscape fabric

Are you ready to install landscape fabric in your garden? You can install it yourself! The following is a step-by-step guide on how to operate:

Step 1: Remove vegetation

Use hoes, shovels or similar gardening tools to start digging and clearing the roots of the area where the landscape garden is installed. If you are using a hoe, please swing the hoe upward, and then put the blade on the ground to hit the earth at a 45 degree angle. You need to reach deep enough soil to enter the root of the vegetation, and then lift the root out with quick action. Be sure to avoid digging near crops, or you may eventually kill your precious plants in the process.

Step 2: Leveling the soil

Once the area has no roots, you will need a garden rake or bow rake to remove unwanted debris and level the soil. Use garden rake to remove small stones, branches and remaining uprooted weeds. Rake the area until the soil surface is flat, smooth and clean.

Step 3: Pave the landscape structure

Unfold the landscape fabric in parallel with the covered area. Use a sharp art knife to cut the material as needed, but do not cut it too close, otherwise it may be cut too short eventually. Overlap the landscape fabric at least 6 inches. If the landscape fabric has a dark and shiny side, please check the instructions to make the right side up.

Use stones or weights to press the landscape fabric. After confirming that the landscape fabric is set correctly, use fabric staples to fix the material in place. Take a hammer or a small hand hammer to hit each staple of the fabric, and drive a stapler every 10 feet along the edge and seam. After binding in place, trim the edges of the fabric as needed.

Optional steps

Planting through landscape fabric

If you want to add plants in this area, please take a utility knife or cutting knife, and then make an X-shaped cut on the landscape fabric. Make a hole for each plant. The hole should be large enough to dig a hole for the root ball of the plant. Pull the flap, dig a hole with a trowel or shovel, and then pop the plant out of the hole. Cover the plant with soil and cover the bottom of the plant with flaps. We suggest to drill a few holes on the landscape fabric to avoid affecting its durability.

Add cover

The procedure of adding coverings enhances the appearance of the coverage area. You can use wood chips, pine needles, broken brushes, wood chips and other floor coverings as coverings. The height of the cover should not exceed 2 inches in order to cover completely. You can also use gravel or decorative rocks or stones to cover the landscape fabric.

Use the garden rake to spread the covering material on the covered area to ensure that the covering layer is flat without piercing the holes in the landscape fabric.