What is Underlayment and Why Should You Use It?

Have you spent several weeks pulling out and killing weeds in your yard? It can feel like no matter what you do, your weeds just keep growing around your trees, your shrubs, and your grass, stealing their water and leaving nothing left for your plants. If left unchecked, you can quickly find yourself with a lawn of dead grass and dirt. Your shrubs may even start dying and your trees may lose color. 

But not everyone has the time and energy to keep up the fight against weeds. Weed-killing fertilizers can be taxing on time, so what if there was something you could lay down and replace with less regularity? We have such a thing, it’s called underlayment, also known as landscaping fabric.

When Do You Need Underlayment?

Underlayment is a fabric made for your yard and can be placed around your plants. You may have seen it before, some of these fabrics look like tarps with holes that plants poke through. 

You can slip your shrub or small plants through them so that their leaves are out, but the ground is covered. This blocks sunlight from getting to weeds, but it still lets water through so the plants can grow. 

This material is a lifesaver for anyone who doesn’t have time to pull up weeds or wants to keep weeds from ever growing. You can wrap it around trees and large shrubs, and it also serves as a good tool to control drainage. 

If you find out that you or any of your nearby neighbors have a weed problem, you should consider getting landscaping fabric to lay it down over them. Landscaping fabric is both a way to kill weeds and to prevent weeds from growing. 

Does Underlayment Protect Everything?

Underlayment does not protect your grass. Because grass is so small, it would be blocked by underlayment, so you can’t lay it over your entire yard. It's more for the immediate area around your trees, shrubs, and taller plants.

There are also large perennial plants that do not need much sunlight to grow. These are not the most common weeds in our area but if you find that your weeds are large, you need more than just underlayment to protect your plants.

Underlayment can also act as a deterrent against pests. Many won’t try to dig into dirt they can’t see, and this will protect the roots of your plants. Sometimes this deterrent doesn’t work with animals like gophers, but more often than not, they don’t want to touch your landscape fabric. Sometimes animals still eat your plants but leave the ground underneath alone, so it is a minor deterrent against pests.

What Are All the Types of Underlayment?

The different types of underlayment are differentiated by the materials used to make them, and then by their effectiveness. 

• Woven fabric: This landscaping fabric is the most common type, made with linen fibers to create something durable and semi-permeable, perfect to sit out in the elements. This is the best for weed control around trees, shrubs, and flower beds that aren’t going to be changed out too often. These woven fabrics can come in various colors to match the aesthetic of your yard.

• Non-woven fabric: This is typically made from polyester or polypropylene materials and is best suited for preventing weed growth in harsher areas like gravel paths or gravel beds. Weeds can destabilize the ground and lead to unnecessary accidents. They can also run paths over time, making them dangerous to tread. The weeds that grow between gravel are tougher than most, so they require tougher fabric.

• Spun: This is similar to non-woven fabric, which is made from polyester fibers, but unlike non-woven fabrics, this has bonded layers that make it extremely durable. This landscaping fabric is thicker to hold up against pests, insects, and invasive grasses where most fabrics can’t do much. This type is also tough enough to be used in irrigation, drainage, and preventing seepage.

• Perforated: These are the lightest type of landscaping fabric, and usually come pre-cut so you can place them around your plants. These are best when you plan to change out the plants in your garden often. If you change your plants out often, you’ll quickly wear down your landscaping fabric so use this lighter, cheaper, and easier-to-replace fabric.

For Landscaping Fabric, Contact Pioneer Landscape Centers

We have underlayments of various colors, sizes, and types to match your needs. If you’re having trouble getting rid of weeds and keeping them out of your yard, this fabric for your plants can help. Protect your trees, your shrubs, flowers, and other plants long-term with this useful accessory. Contact the experts at Pioneer Landscape Centers to find the underlayment that’s right for you.