Landscaping

» Robert Dailey - Landscaping cloth

Georgene:
Landscaping cloth is okay, I guess, but it isn't the perfect solution, in my opinion. Yes, it's porous, and at first allows water and nutrients to get through to plants. However, after several years, small dirt particles (dust, sand, etc) will collect in the pores and prevent substances from getting to the plant roots. Additionaly, if the dust particles or the water itself is alkaline, even slightly, the alkaline will eventually cause accumulated dust particles to crust, thereby further reducing penetration.
Landscape cloth is a great short-term solution(in my opinion) but I believe its long-term properties are highly inflated.
It's tough for gardeners, but I don't think anything can substitute for mulch and weed pulling, unless one resorts to chemical solutions, which have their own negative results.