Having a nice gravel walkway/driveway is every homeowner’s dream. But that becomes a hassle when the weeds come out of everywhere. That’s why the weed barrier is important. The best step to prevent this is covering your garden soil with weed barrier fabric and then laying down your gravel pavement.
Putting the gravel pavement will prevent weed grass from spawning, but won’t restrict air and water flow. Check out our list of the best weed barriers to put under gravel pavements in 2021. It’s time to make sure weeds never come back.
A good example is this: How To Lay a Weed Barrier Under a Gravel Driveway – Sumo Gardener
Everyone dreams of having a beautiful garden with long gravel pavement going through the garden. Who wouldn’t love that crisp sound when someone walks on it?
We all want this but unfortunately, grass weeds don’t take permission before spawning.
You see grass weeds can even grow from under gravel pavement. They can start growing from the ground under and peak through the gravel pavement.
This can make the pavement look messy and ruin the texture of your gravel pavement. You won’t be hearing any crisp sound of gravel if your pavement is covered with weeds.
The best solution you can take is to cover your garden soil with weed barrier fabrics first and then lay down the gravel on top.
Putting the weed barrier first will prevent weed grass from spawning, but won’t restrict air and water flow. So, check out our best weed barriers to lay under gravel pavements to stop weeds from ruining your dream garden pavement.
Best weed barriers under gravel
- ECOgardener Premium 5oz Pro Garden Weed Barrier
- Sandbaggy Non Woven 8oz Geotextile Landscape Fabric
- Snail Weed Barrier Landscape Fabric Premium 5oz
- Ctystallove Premium 5oz Weed Barrier Landscape Fabric
- Happybuy Premium Weed Barrier Fabric Heavy Duty
Here are the best weed barriers in the market right now. You can directly apply them to any soil and they last forever. We can promise these fabrics will not restrict water and airflow to your plants.
1 – ECOgardener Premium 5oz Pro Garden Weed Barrier
Features:
- This ECOgardener premium 5oz landscape fabric is 3ft x 50ft in length.
- His fabric will block light on the garden soil to stop the weed from growing, but not your plant.
- It is completely breathable and allows water and moisture to pass through.
- The ECOgardener is offering a heavy-duty fabric. It does not tear easily, but you can cut it with a normal sharp tool.
- Ecogardener wanted to make it easy for users, so it is very flexible and can be applied anywhere.
The ECOgardener is offering one of the most flexible, durable, and strong landscape fabrics on the market. They are strong enough to not catch a tear, all while flexible enough to spread in any area.
It is easy to use. You can cut it with any sharp tool and adjust it to your landscape. It is completely breathable. Air and moisture can easily pass through it except light. This light blockage stops weeds from growing.
It is a great tool to stop weeds in their path and grow only your plant. This helps your plant take all the nutrients of the soil alone. It is a great tool for any smart farmer or gardener.
Pros
- Easy installation and cutting.
- Very durable.
- The water retention feature keeps moisture for plants.
- Edges and corners do not unravel.
Cons
- Hard to apply fertilizer.
- Requires a lot of staples.
2 – Sandbaggy Non Woven 8oz Geotextile Landscape Fabric
Features:
- The Sandbaggy offers industrial-grade non-woven polypropylene landscape fabrics. They are very tough in their tier.
- These 8oz heavy-duty weed barriers are rated for tensile strength of 205 pounds. They are two times thicker than normal landscape fabrics.
- The Sandbaggy landscape fabric offers 110 GPM per square ft. They have the best drainage and pass-through rates in their class.
- Unlike other brands, the Sandbaggy landscape fabric has many uses, such as road stabilization, drainage installation and even retaining walls.
- Sandbaggy landscape fabrics are very flexible and easy to use.
The main goal of Sandbaggy was to make a landscape fabric that is strong and has multiple uses. This 3ft x 300ft roll of weed barrier has heavy-duty performance. Only 8oz in weight, this landscape barrier is very hard to tear.
It can withstand 205lbs of tensile strength. Sandbaggy confirmed it to be two times thicker than normal landscape fabrics.
On top of that, this fabric also has 110 Gpm which means it passes moisture and air more easily.
Its awesome qualities only indicate that it has multiple uses even outside your garden. You can use it for road stabilization, drainage installations, retaining walls, etc.
Truly it is a great product to have.
Pros
- Block sunlight and radiation.
- Sun radiation does not wear out the fabric.
- Mesh texture.
- Gridlines that help make the perfect cut.
- Very durable and have strong tear resistance.
Cons
- Edges and corners might get ravel.
- Takes a lot of time to pass water.
3 – Snail Weed Barrier Landscape Fabric Premium 5oz
Features:
- The Snail landscape fabrics are also of premium quality and offer heavy-duty performance.
- They are 4ft x 100ft and weigh 5oz.
- Made of woven polypropylene, it allows air and moisture to pass through easily.
- Very easy to install and very flexible.
- It’s lightweight so it could get blown away by a strong gust. Snail recommends using strong staples to hold them in place.
The Snail is a great brand for creating lightweight weed barriers. Their 5oz weed barrier is durable and permeable at the same time. Made of woven polypropylene, these landscape fabrics are very durable. However, they do not block air and moisture.
The Snail fabrics provide great light and moisture pass-through rates. They are built to help make your soil effective again. They are very eco-friendly.
One problem with Snail brand landscape fabrics is that they are too light. They could get blown away by a strong gust. Even Snail recommends that we use heavy-duty staples to hold them in place.
Pros
- It has durable woven fabric.
- Edges do not get unraveled.
- Strong yet easy to cut.
- U.V. rays protection.
- Can be used as a grow bag.
Cons
- Water absorption is slow.
4 – Ctystallove Premium 5oz Weed Barrier Landscape Fabric
Features:
- The Ctystallove landscape fabric is 5oz and 3ft x 50ft (short).
- They make dual-layer fabrics.
- The Ctystallove landscape fabric has multiple uses. They can be used for pavements, drainage line wrapping, soil separators,s, etc.
- The fabric is made of woven pp (Polypropylene). This makes it really strong and resistant to tears.
- It even has great air and water flow.
Ctystallove also makes great quality landscape fabrics. The only problem with this version of the fabric is that it is short.
The Ctystallove makes their fabrics out of strong woven polypropylene. They are very durable and have strong tear resistance. They will easily last a lifetime if maintained properly. They are hard to rip apart but can be divided into pieces by using a sharp tool.
Their strong but flexible quality gives them many uses. They can be used in other areas besides gardening.
Despite the strong texture, they are very breathable. Air and water can easily pass through these fabrics. We recommend these fabrics to any gardener.
Pros
- Heavy duty but lightweight.
- Best suited for gravel pavement and mulching.
- Very flexible and easy to cut.
- Strong material makes it last longer.
Cons
- It does not have U.V. protection. That is why the multiple-use function is kind of limited.
- Very slow water absorption.
5 – Happybuy Premium Weed Barrier Fabric Heavy Duty
Features:
- Happybuy makes these 3ft x 300ft Commercial grade landscape fabrics.
- Only 5oz in weight, these fabrics have mesh texture and premium quality.
- These are dual-layer weed barriers. They have the durability of heavy-duty woven fabric, all while having the flexibility of a non-woven fabric.
- Made of high-grade polypropylene, which gives them strength and resistance to tearing.
- Very breathable as usual.
Happybuy is also another brand in the market that delivers the same product. Their weed barriers are no different than others. Their quality may be close to one of the high-tier ones.
They offer the same breathable and durable landscape fabric. Their dual-layer fabric offers the features of a woven and non-woven fabric. This feature makes them multi-usable.
Happybuy is offering 100 pieces of heavy-duty staples along with the fabric. We recommend this to anyone with a small garden space and who wants to use it for a long time.
Pros
- Best use in gardening and gravel pavement.
- It can last more than 20 years if installed properly.
- Completely diminishes weed growth.
- Easy installation and cutting.
Cons
- U.V. protection is low.
- Fertilizer absorption is slow.
- Can’t stop the growth of crabgrass.
Alright, now you have seen our best weed barriers. Would you be interested in lawnmowers? If you have a garden full of grass or at least partially full of grass, you will need to mow them regularly.
So if you are looking for lawn mowers, you could check out our best cheap self-propelled lawn mowers list.
How to lay down the weed barrier?
Now, let’s come to the topic of installing or laying down a weed barrier under gravel. Just follow our steps.
Clear up the area
You first need to clear up the area where you want your gravel pavement. Make sure there is no grass, no plant, and no vegetation before you lay down the fabric. This will help you smoothen the area for the process.
Smooth Surface
You need a clear smooth surface before you lay down the weed barrier. A completely flat surface with no debris, rocks, or sand and no vegetation is ideal for laying down weed barriers. This will secure the installation of the fabric.
Lay down the fabric
Now if you have a smooth surface, lay down the fabric. You can cut the fabric to place it in the corners of your garden.
Use staples
You can use staples to hold them down, although this is optional. You won’t need to staple them if they are under gravel.
Plant through the fabric
If you want plants in your gravel pavement, you will have to leave holes for your plant. You can simply cut a hole in your weed barrier fabric to let your plant through.
Cover up
Finally, if you are done with all of these, you can cover up the weed barrier with either mulch or gravel. Since this is gravel pavement, you can just pour down all the gravel on your weed barrier.
That’s pretty much it. You now have beautiful gravel pavement in your garden.
Things to consider before getting a landscape fabric
There are some things you should keep in mind when buying a weed barrier. All the products in the market are not going to be top tier. Keep these pointers in your checklist to get the best one for you.
Let’s start.
Material
Obviously, most of the weed barriers are made of polypropylene, which is a plastic material. What you must check is the quality of the product.
Is the product durable?
Does it allow moisture to go through fast?
How much light does it block?
Consider all of these questions to find the best one in the market. In most shops, you can even test the fabric if you want.
Thickness
The thicker the fabric the more durable it is.
Low price landscape fabrics may be affordable but they don’t last long. Their initial buying price may be low, but you will have to replace them frequently. This frequent replacement will increase the cost anyway.
So go for thicker fabrics as you will need to place them only once.
Permeability
Water permeability is dependent on fabric material. High-quality fabrics will let water through fast while low-quality fabrics will be much slower.
Resistance
Thick and high-quality landscape fabrics are more resistant to tears. You can cut them with a sharp tool but you can’t rip them apart.
Fabrics made out of woven polypropylene are usually very strong. They are more resistant to the ground.
Weight
Thick landscape fabrics are heavy. They are heavier than thin landscape fabrics. Their thickness is what makes them heavy.
So look out for heavy landscape fabrics as they are more durable and last long.
U.V. Protection
U.V. Protection is a big deal when it comes to landscape fabrics.
The main purpose of weed barriers or landscape fabrics is to not let light pass through except for air and water. Blocking the light will prevent weeds from spawning. That is the reason why we use weed barriers in the first place.
But sunlight radiation or U.V. rays can damage the fabric over time. It is important to buy thick strong U.V. resistant fabrics that last long. That way you will get the most benefits.
There you go. Checkmark these points when buying a landscape fabric to get the best one for you. You should check out our list of weed barriers in the next section as they are already selected based on these points.
You can save a lot of time by checking our review of the best weed barriers in the market.
F.A.Q.s
Should I put a weed barrier under pea gravel?
Using a weed barrier or landscape fabric under any kind of gravel is going to be beneficial. The weed barrier will repel weed spores while keeping the soil fertile by letting water pass through.
Do I need a weed barrier under the gravel driveway?
You can use a weed barrier under a gravel pavement, although it is not recommended to use it under a gravel driveway.
What do you put down under the gravel path?
If you want to keep a very clean and well-maintained gravel pavement, you could put beach sand under the weed barrier and layer that with gravel on top.
Conclusion
A dream garden can take a lot of maintenance. It requires constant checking and upgrading of equipment. One of the problems that keep coming back is unwanted grass weed growth.
The best solution to this problem is to cut off their spawning for good. By using a weed barrier fabric, you will completely stop the weed from even appearing in your soil.
And if weed grasses are completely turned off, you can easily go and decorate your garden with gravel paths.
Hopefully, we have listed the best weed barriers for laying under gravel pavement for you. So there’s one less thing you have to worry about.
All you have to do now is get a roll of landscape fabric and get your dream gravel pavement.