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Dewitt Landscape Fabric
DeWitt
Landscape Fabric
Professional Grade Geotextiles
DeWitt introduced the first permeable weed control fabric and has spent more than 30 years developing the range. Choosing between them comes down to what the fabric has to do, and whether it sits on the surface or gets buried.
- Woven fabrics for the surface, non-woven for burial
- Weed control, drainage, filtration and liner protection
- Free shipping on every order
- 7Fabric lines
- 30+ yrsDeWitt development
- 2.2–8 ozWeight range
Start Here
DeWitt Landscape Fabric
DeWitt has been manufacturing landscape fabric for more than 30 years. They introduced the first permeable weed control fabric to this market, and now offer one of the widest ranges of woven ground covers available. This page covers the seven DeWitt fabrics carried here.
Nearly every wrong purchase in this category comes from the same confusion, so it is worth settling first: woven and non-woven fabrics are not interchangeable. They look similar on a product page and they do entirely different jobs.
Woven fabric is a surface product. It is strong, it stands up to being walked on and planted through, it holds up to years of sun, and it blocks light — which is what a weed barrier or ground cover has to do. Non-woven fabric is a buried product. Water moves through the body of the fabric, it keeps layers separated, and it cushions. That covers drainage, wall backfill and liner protection.
Get that distinction right and the rest follows easily enough — weight and roll size are determined by the job.
The Decision
What Is The Fabric Doing?
Seven fabrics, grouped by where they sit. Find the job below.
01
Buried — non-woven fabrics
General Weed Control
Sunbelt · woven black · 3.2 oz
The general purpose ground cover. Blocks 99.7% of direct and indirect sunlight while still letting water, air and nutrients through. Striped every 12″ so plants can be spaced off the fabric.
View Sunbelt → 02
Cost Effective Cover
Ultraweb 3000 · woven black · 2.2 oz
The lighter, more economical woven cover, with the highest UV protection in the range and strong water infiltration. The comparison that matters is against black mulching plastic, and it is not a close one.
View Ultraweb 3000 → 03
Reflective & Frost Protection
White Ground Cover · woven white · 3.2 oz
The only fabric here with two seasonal jobs. White reflects light rather than absorbing heat, and between that and the thickness it also serves as a frost blanket over plants and shrubs.
View White Ground Cover → 04
Heavy Duty Weed Barrier
Pro 5 & 20 Year · needle-punched · 4.1–5 oz
Two heavyweight barriers for use under mulch, rock and soil. Pro 5 at 5 oz adds stability on slopes and is striped every 12″. The 20 Year at 4.1 oz is the lighter of the two.
View Weed Barriers →
05
Drainage & Separation
Non-Woven Geotextile · 4, 4.5, 8 oz
Staple fibers that will not rot or decay. Used to keep stone and soil separated, for drainage and filtration, behind walls for erosion control, and as cushioning under roads, landfills and airfields.
View Non-Woven Geotextile → 06
Wall Backfill & Drain Wraps
Soil Filter Fabric · 3.1 to 6 oz
Holds soil back behind a retaining wall and keeps dirt out of the drainage pipe. Installed correctly, it is the difference between a drain that keeps working and one that has to be dug up.
View Soil Filter Fabric → 07
Pond Liner Protection
Pond Underlayment · 4, 6, 8 oz
Installed beneath the waterproof liner to keep rock and ridges from working through it, and to support it over soft ground.
View Pond Underlayment →The Whole Range, Compared
| Fabric | Construction | Weight | Position | Job |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sunbelt Ground Cover | Woven | 3.2 oz | Surface | General purpose weed control and moisture retention |
| Ultraweb 3000 | Woven | 2.2 oz | Surface | Economical cover with the highest UV protection |
| White Ground Cover | Woven | 3.2 oz | Surface | Reflective, and doubles as a frost blanket |
| Pro 5 & 20 Year | Woven, needle-punched | 4.1 & 5 oz | Surface | Heavy-duty barrier under mulch, rock and soil |
| Non-Woven Geotextile | Non-woven | 4, 4.5, 8 oz | Buried | Drainage, filtration, separation and cushioning |
| Soil Filter Fabric | Non-woven | 3.1–6 oz | Buried | Behind retaining walls and wrapping drainage pipe |
| Pond Underlayment | Non-woven | 4, 6, 8 oz | Buried | Protecting pond liners from sharp objects |
Weight is not a quality rating. Within a single line, heavier means stronger, more
resistant to puncture and more cushioning — and it costs more. But a 3.1 oz filter fabric is not a
lesser product than an 8 oz geotextile. It is a different fabric for a lighter job.
The Distinction That Matters
Woven Or Non-Woven?
Woven — surface fabrics
- Blocks light. Weed control works by denying light, and woven fabric is built to do it.
- Strong. Resists tearing and puncture when walked on and planted through.
- Made for sun. UV treated to sit exposed for years without breaking down.
- Less flow through the fabric. Water still passes, but nowhere near as freely as a non-woven.
Use for weed barrier, ground cover, nursery and greenhouse floors, under mulch and stone.
Non-woven — buried fabrics
- High flow through the fabric. Water moves through the body of it, not just between threads.
- Keeps layers separated. Stone and soil stay apart while water still passes through.
- Cushions. Protects liners and spreads load over sharp or uneven ground.
- Will not rot. Built to be buried permanently.
Use for drainage, wall backfill, pipe wraps, pond liner protection, separation under aggregate.
The quick test. If the fabric will be visible or walked on, you want woven. If it is
going under stone, soil or a liner and will not be seen again, you want non-woven.
Across The Range
What Every DeWitt Fabric Shares
Thirty years of developmentDeWitt introduced the first permeable weed control fabric and brought it to this market ahead of anyone else.
Permeable by designEvery fabric here is permeable. What varies is how much water passes, and whether light is blocked as well.
UV treatedThe surface fabrics are treated for prolonged exposure, which is what separates a ground cover from plain sheeting.
Roll widths to match the bedFrom 3′ to 16′ across the range, so the roll can be matched to the area and seams and offcuts kept down.
Free shipping, every orderOn every fabric, every weight and every quantity, with no minimum order to reach.
Ask before you orderTell us what the fabric has to do and we will point you to the one that fits, not the most expensive one.
Three Rules That Apply To All Of Them
Overlap, never butt
Weed barrier or filter layer, the principle is the same: a butted joint that works open is a gap in the fabric's job. Overlap adjacent runs and pin the seam.
Keep cuts as small as possible
Any opening larger than the plant or pipe requires is somewhere light reaches the soil, or fines reach the aggregate. Cut tight.
Pin it properly
Staples or pins along every edge, at every seam, and anywhere the fabric lifts. Fabric that is not in contact with the ground is not doing its job.
DeWitt Landscape Fabric FAQs
What is the difference between woven and non-woven fabric?
Woven is a surface fabric: strong, blocks light, and built to be walked on, planted through and left exposed to sun. Non-woven is a buried fabric: water moves through the body of it, it keeps layers separated, and it cushions. The two are not interchangeable.
Which DeWitt fabric do I need?
Start with where it sits. At the surface: Sunbelt for everyday weed control, Ultraweb 3000 where cost is the priority, White Ground Cover for reflection and frost protection, Pro 5 or the 20 Year for a heavy-duty barrier. Buried: non-woven geotextile for drainage and separation, soil filter fabric for walls and pipe wraps, pond underlayment under a liner.
Does a heavier fabric mean a better fabric?
No. Within a single line, heavier means stronger, more resistant to puncture and more cushioning, and it costs more. Across different lines the weights are not comparable — a 3.1 oz filter fabric and an 8 oz geotextile are built for different jobs.
Can I use a weed barrier for drainage, or the other way round?
Not sensibly. A woven weed barrier passes far less water through the fabric itself, so as a filter layer it restricts flow. A non-woven is not built for surface exposure or foot traffic. Using either in place of the other is the most common and most costly mistake in this category.
Do all of them let water through?
Yes, all of them are permeable — that is the point of a fabric over plastic sheeting. What varies is how much water passes, and whether light is blocked at the same time.
What size roll should I order?
Work out the area in square feet, then match roll width to the shape of what you are covering rather than going on area alone. Several lines offer two rolls with the same coverage in different widths, and matching width to the bed is what keeps seams and offcuts down.
How do I secure landscape fabric?
Landscape staples, fabric pins, stakes or spikes along every edge, at every seam and anywhere the fabric lifts. On some fabrics rock and mulch will hold it where pinning is impractical.
Will these fabrics rot?
No. All are polypropylene, which does not rot or decay in the ground. The surface fabrics are UV treated as well, because sunlight rather than moisture is what degrades an exposed fabric.
What does shipping cost?
Nothing. Shipping is free on every order, across all seven fabrics, every weight and every quantity.
Can you help me choose?
Yes. Tell us what the fabric has to do — whether it will be exposed or buried, what is going over it, and how heavy the loads or the soil are — and we will tell you which of the seven fits.