More plastic

I've mentioned artificial turf a couple of times as being a very bad idea. Let's repeat that -- a very bad idea. And here's another very bad idea -- weed barrier cloth, otherwise known as landscape fabric. Most of these fabrics are plastic or fiberglass, both of which are truly not good for the planet. In spite of all the hype around them, they ultimately do little to deter weeds. No amount of mulch on top prevents their decomposition. Over time they simply degrade and more plastic goes into the soil, air, and water. In other words, they end up looking like this mess.

What's worse are the people who put down actual black plastic, initially to kill the weeds, but then, instead of taking the plastic off, it's left there and mulched over. How do they think water will get to the soil when it rains? Hint: it doesn't. What do they think happens to the plastic? Do they think it lasts forever and won't break up into tiny plastic bits? Or worse, do they just not care?

A better method for initial weed control is either newspaper (preferably only black and white print) or cardboard. Gotta warn you though, even those methods, which are at least eco-friendly, will still give you weeds after a year or two. So, the bad news is, weeding by pulling up the unwanted messy plants is the only method that works. At least for a hot minute.

OK -- lecture over and out.