When it comes to best landscape fabric under rock, it can be a several year investment that you want to ensure starts off right. You want to carefully consider several important criteria when you’re selecting your new materials, and it’s a good idea to compare various options, so you get the one that’s going to suit your needs.
We rounded up the top five best landscape fabric under rock, and our mini-reviews of each one will give you a good idea whether or not it’ll accomplish everything you need it to. Our easy to follow buyer’s guide will also give you the important points to consider when you’re considering your next choice as well.
Best Landscape Fabric Under Rock Reviews
| Agfabric | Mutual WF200 | Scotts | Landmaster Pro-Tough | DeWitt P3 | ||
| Check price | Check price | Check price | Check price | Check price | ||
| Item Dimensions | 6’ x 300’ | 6’ x 300’ | 4’ x 220’ | 4’ x 300’ | 3’ x 250’ | |
| Item Weight | 39 pounds | 43 pounds | 11 pounds | 24 pounds | 26 pounds | |
| UV Protection | + | + | + | + | + | |
| Warranty | n/a | n/a | 25 years | 25 years | n/a | |
| Spheres to Use | Garden areas that don't get a lot of foot traffic | Stone paths or pavers | Walkways, patios and retaining wall jobs | Permanent landscape, under decks and walkways | Yards and gardens | |
| Landscape Staples to Use With | Pinnacle Mercantile | Sandbaggy | GardenMate | AshmanOnline | Pinnacle Mercantile |
1. Agfabric Landscape Ground Cover – Best Landscape Fabric Under Rocks
We recommend this product for someone who wants to plan out their garden and that uses smaller plants or shrubs to do so.
- It is plastic based but woven
- You get lines to help you plan your garden
- The ends will fray if you cut it
- It may not let enough water through
2. Mutual WF200 – Best Landscape Fabric Under Rock and Gravel
We recommend this number two best landscape fabric under rock for anyone who has a large area to cover and wants a slightly thinner but durable landscape fabric.
- Fabric works to hold the soil in place
- You get a lot of material for the price
- The ends can fray
- It may come folded instead of rolled
3. SCOTTS – Best Lightweight Fabric Under Rock
We recommend this to anyone who has larger flower beds because it lasts for years and it won’t weaken due to heavy traffic.
- Allows for good airflow
- You get enough material for large gardens
- Water may pool on the fabric and take a few days to soak through
- The middle of the material is weaker
4. Landmaster Pro-Tough – Best Heavy Duty Landscape Fabric
We recommend this product for people who have permanent landscape projects to do and need to put a barrier between their pavers or stones and the soil because of its long-lasting durability.
- You can choose from 5, 15, or 25 year landscape fabrics
- It’s excellent for semi permanent or permanent landscape projects
- It has a very tight weave that may cause water to pool
- It may not allow for adequate airflow to get to the soil
5. Dewitt P3 Pro 5 Weed Barrier Fabric – Best Weed Control Fabric Under Gravel
We recommend this product for anyone who has recently turned up the soil around their flower beds.
- Let in water
- Big dimensions
- Tear resistant
- Thickness
- Can be used for commercial and professional goals
- Durability is less than 10 years
- Without mulching, it can let weeds to grow through
- Less affordable as compared to other materials
- Better not to move often
Landscape Fabric Under Rock – Buyer’s Guide
Landscape cloth helps you ensure that any weeds that may spring up in your flowerbeds or landscaping are cut off from the water and oxygen that they need to survive. They also work to prevent any new growth from taking place because it’ll stop any weed seeds from taking hold in the soil and growing.
Cloth Considerations
Average Cost and the Cloth Composition
For the most part, this cloth comes made from tightly woven fibers or as a solid sheet of heavy-duty materials with pre-punched holes that lets water flow through to the soil quickly and easily. Also, some cloth types come with a special UV-resistant coating to help protect your cloth from damage from sun exposure. You can buy folded sheets or roles that come in several sizes and widths. Typically, it’s around three to four feet wide and up to 200 or 300 feet long.
The cost of your cloth does vary, but it usually starts out at approximately $0.45 per square foot, and this can go up to around $0.85 to $0.90 per square foot. The cloth’s thickness and the specific brand will play heavily into the final price per square foot.
Maintenance
Some cloth comes with specific maintenance routines, and it’s very important that you check what your particular brand needs to ensure that it lasts as long as it possibly can. This is where things like an additional UV coating or the cloth’s thickness comes into consideration. The more protection layers the cloth has and the thicker it is, the better it should stand up to normal wear and tear or environmental exposures.
Thickness
Thicker landscape fabric will cost more, and it’s typically bulkier and more difficult for one person to handle on their own. But, it can be a better choice for preventing weeds from sprouting. It’ll usually have a longer usage life than thinner cloth, and this can actually save you money over time because you won’t have to worry about replacing it every season or every two seasons.
Tips for Choosing and Maintaining Best Kind of Landscape Fabric
There are hundreds of different types of cloth available, and picking out a good brand can be difficult. But, there are several things to consider as well as several things you can to do ensure your fabric lasts for a longer time.
Professional-Grade Cloth
You may be tempted to choose a thinner fabric because it’s cheaper. However, you may be paying more to replace it if you fall into this trap. Ideally, you want to choose a professional-grade cloth that has a thicker composition and weighs more. These are two key things to check for when you’re determining the quality of your cloth. If you’re unsure, you can always compare two cloth rolls side by side to see which one weighs more. If you’re in doubt, choose the heavier one.
Be Proactive in Protecting Your Cloth
Don’t lay your cloth down without adding any of your moss, mulch, or ground cover first because you don’t want to rip it up and place this once you’ve laid your cloth down. If you’re not sure what you should add to enrich your soil, you can take a sample to your local county office and ask them to analyze it. They can tell you what it’s lacking and how to rectify it.
Place it on Level Ground
Take the time to break up any debris or large clumps of dirt before you put your cloth down on the earth. This is also a perfect time to add any additional soil components you need. You want the area to be as level as possible before laying your landscape cloth down as this can help to ensure you get a tighter seal when you stake it down. It also reduces the chances of holes or tears happening due to debris poking through.
Lay it Rough Side Down
Almost any landscape-specific cloth will have a slightly rougher side and a smooth side. You want the rough side to be facing the soil because the rough surface is more prone to stick where you put it and not slide around as much. If you can’t tell, double check your packaging because this usually has brand-specific instructions for correctly placing the cloth.
Cover It with Mulch or Gravel
As a general rule, landscape fabric isn’t a very pretty material. It’s more for function than a show, and you want to cover it with two to three inches of mulch, bark, or gravel. Not only can this make your landscaped area look neater, but it can prolong the life of your cloth. It’ll provide a barrier from sun exposure, and people are less prone to walk on it. This layer can also help to hold your fabric in place, and it helps trap in and retain moisture for the underlying soil.
Benefits of Picking the Right Landscape Cloth
Once you’ve found a good cloth and get it put down correctly, there are several benefits you’ll enjoy with having it. Best heavy-duty landscape fabric is designed to be at least semi-permanent, so it’s generally considered to not be a good choice for vegetable gardens or flower beds. So, if you have a structure or semi-permanent landscaping project, you could enjoy these benefits:
- Stops or drastically slows new weed growth
- Reduces evaporation to help retain an optimal moisture level
- Helps with erosion control on sloped areas or areas prone to washing out
- Eliminates the use of chemicals for weed control
Frequently Asked Questions
1. Can you buy different widths and lengths?
Yes, there are several different widths and sizes when it comes to the various brands of weed barriers. They’re typically between 100 to 300 feet long and anywhere from four to six feet wide. Many companies have several size choices available so you can customize it to your needs.
2. Why should you buy fabric over plastic?
For the most part, the fabric is typically more durable and lasts much longer than plastic will. You can also buy several different thickness levels, and this can also lead to it lasting longer. It’s healthier for the environment as well because it’ll eventually rot away without introducing chemicals into the surrounding environment.
3. Do you have to secure the edges?
Yes and no. You don’t ‘have’ to secure it down. However, it is recommended that you secure it down. This will help to ensure that it stays in place as you apply your rocks or mulch, and it’ll help reduce the possibilities of weeds growing up around the edges. To secure it, purchase specially designed stakes or staples. When you have your material in place, secure all four corners first with the stakes or staples. Then add one every three or four feet along the edges and a few throughout the middle to ensure you have a secure hold. It should have some slack but not move much in the wind.
4. Does the fabric-based material let sunlight through?
Yes. It is made to be porous and woven, so it does allow for a small amount of sunlight to get through it and penetrate the soil. It does block a good portion of it so your soil won’t get direct sunlight all day. Also, many brands have a UV protected layer. This helps to stop the material from breaking down due to direct exposure to sunlight, but it doesn’t have much of an effect on how much sunlight actually gets though, that depends on how tightly woven it is.
5. Can you pick from woven and non-woven brands?
Yes, it comes in woven and non-woven designs. The non-woven type features tightly compressed layers while the woven type is small pieces that are tightly woven together. For placing it under heavy-duty materials like stones, you’d want more of a non-woven type. The tightly compressed layers make it more durable, and there aren’t as many holes that could lead to snagging or tearing as you’d get with the woven type.
6. Can you cut and fit it into a specific area?
Yes, you can cut and shape your under rock landscape fabric to fit the area you want it to cover. However, you should be aware that this may lead to fraying or unraveling in the areas where you cut it.
7. Do you have to prepare the ground before putting the cloth in?
It is a good idea to pull any existing weeds and remove any large rocks, sticks, or debris. You also want to level out the area if it’s possible to ensure that nothing pokes through your landscape fabric and that it secures tightly to the ground.
Under rock landscape fabric is an excellent choice for anyone who has both long or short-term projects that need a weed barrier. It’s also an excellent tool to help prevent soil erosion during a period of heavy rain or washout. It’ll help to protect your plants or shrubs from weeds and overexposure to sunlight, and it’ll help to keep your garden pavers or stones in place.