Landscape Fabric Selector | Find the Right Weed Barrier or Geotextile

Q: Does landscape fabric let water through?

Yes. Every landscape fabric is permeable, which is the difference between a fabric and plastic sheeting. What varies is how much water passes. A non-woven moves water through the body of the fabric at a high rate, while a woven passes less because its priority is blocking light and carrying load.

Buyer's Guide

How to Choose Landscape Fabric

Landscape fabric is a broad term covering products that do very different jobs. Weed barrier, ground cover, drainage fabric, driveway fabric, pond underlayment and retaining wall fabric are all landscape fabric, and specifying the wrong one is the most common and most expensive error in this category. The selector above narrows it by application in a few questions; the sections below explain the reasoning behind each result.

Almost every decision reduces to one question first: does the fabric sit at the surface where you will see it, or does it get buried? That single distinction determines whether you need a woven or a non-woven, and everything else — weight, width, roll length — follows from it.

Woven vs. Non-Woven Landscape Fabric

Surface

Woven fabric

Flat tapes woven together into a strong sheet that blocks light. Weed control works by denying light to germinating seed, so this is the construction used for weed barrier and ground cover. It is strong enough to be walked on, planted through and left exposed to sun for years.

Blocks light, so it suppresses weeds
High strength underfoot and under equipment
UV treated for exposed installations
Lower flow through the fabric than a non-woven

Specify for weed barrier under mulch and rock, ground cover, nursery floors, gravel driveways.

Buried

Non-woven fabric

Fibers laid in random directions and bonded together, leaving open space between them. Water moves through the body of the fabric rather than between threads, which is what makes it a filter rather than a barrier. It keeps layers separated and cushions what sits on top of it.

High flow through the fabric itself
Separates aggregate from soil and holds fines back
Cushions liners and spreads load
Not intended for surface exposure or weed control

Specify for drainage, French drains, drain fields, pond underlayment, retaining wall backfill.

The quick test. If the fabric will be visible or walked on, you want a woven. If it is going under stone, soil or a liner and will not be seen again, you want a non-woven. Where a job needs both — a gravel driveway over soft ground, for example — the non-woven goes down first for separation and the woven goes at the surface.

Landscape Fabric by Application

Most people arrive knowing the project rather than the product. Find the job below.

Landscape fabric for river rock Rock sits heavy and works downward into soil. Use a heavy duty woven weed barrier so stone stays on top of the fabric rather than sinking into the bed. Heavy grade weed barrier → Weed barrier under mulch Ornamental beds with modest weed pressure. A standard grade weed control fabric blocks light while letting water and air reach the root zone. Standard grade weed barrier → Gravel driveway fabric Keeps base stone and subgrade from mixing so the driveway stops swallowing gravel. Woven driveway fabric for separation under the aggregate. Driveway fabric → French drain & drainage fabric Wraps the stone and pipe so fines cannot migrate in and clog the drain. Non-woven filter fabric, sized to the trench. Drainage fabric → Septic drain field fabric Placed over the drain rock to keep backfill soil out of the field while effluent still passes through. Drainfield fabric → Pond liner underlayment Goes beneath the liner to protect it from rock and ridges and to support it over soft ground. Heavier weights for rocky excavations. Pond underlayment → Retaining wall fabric Separates drainage stone from backfill soil so the stone zone stays clean and water keeps reaching the drain. Retaining wall fabric → Ground cover fabric Nursery floors, greenhouse benches and commercial growing areas, where fabric is walked on and exposed year round. Ground cover fabric → Soil separation & erosion control General purpose non-woven geotextile for separation under aggregate, slope work and cushioning. Available across a range of weights. Non-woven geotextile →

What Fabric Weight Means

Fabric is rated in ounces per square yard. Within a single product line, heavier means stronger, more resistant to puncture and more cushioning — and it costs more. Across different lines the weights are not comparable, because a 3 oz weed barrier and a 3 oz filter fabric are built for entirely different jobs. Match the weight to the duty, not to a number you saw elsewhere.

Duty	Typical weight	Where it goes
Light	2–3 oz	Ornamental beds, low weed pressure, temporary plantings
Standard	3–4 oz	Mulched beds, general weed control, light drainage work
Heavy	4–6 oz	River rock and stone beds, drain fields, wall backfill
Severe	6–8 oz	Rocky pond excavations, cushioning, heavy separation duty

Weights are a general guide. Each product page lists the weight and roll sizes for that fabric.

How to Install Landscape Fabric

1
Clear and grade
Remove existing weeds, roots and debris, then grade the area. Anything sharp left under the fabric becomes a puncture later.
2
Roll out and overlap
Run the fabric in full lengths where possible and overlap adjacent runs rather than butting them. A butted joint that works open is a gap in the fabric's job.
3
Pin every edge and seam
Staples or fabric pins along every edge, at every seam, and anywhere the fabric lifts. Fabric not in contact with the ground is not doing its job.
4
Cut tight around plants
Cut an X no larger than the plant requires. Every opening beyond that is somewhere light reaches the soil and weeds establish.
5
Cover it
Top with mulch, rock or aggregate as the design calls for. Covering protects the fabric from sun and holds it in position.

Landscape Fabric FAQs

What is landscape fabric?

Landscape fabric is a permeable textile installed in the ground to do one of two jobs: block light so weeds cannot establish, or separate layers so soil and aggregate do not mix while water still passes. Woven fabrics handle the first job, non-wovens the second.

Does landscape fabric let water through?

Yes. Every fabric here is permeable — that is the difference between a fabric and plastic sheeting. What varies is how much water passes. A non-woven moves water through the body of the fabric at a high rate; a woven passes less, because its priority is blocking light and carrying load.

What is the difference between woven and non-woven landscape fabric?

Woven fabric is made of flat tapes woven into a strong sheet that blocks light, which suits surface use and weed control. Non-woven fabric is made of randomly laid fibers bonded together, which lets water move through the body of it and suits buried separation, filtration and cushioning. They are not interchangeable.

Which landscape fabric should I use under river rock?

A heavy duty woven weed barrier. Rock is heavy and works downward under foot traffic and freeze-thaw, so a light fabric lets stone sink into the soil and brings weed seed up with it. Heavier woven grades hold the stone on top of the fabric.

Should I use landscape fabric under gravel?

Yes, and on a drive or parking area it is the fabric that keeps the base working. Without separation, stone presses down into the subgrade and soil pumps up into the stone, so the surface thins and has to be topped up repeatedly. Use driveway fabric for vehicle traffic and a weed barrier for decorative gravel.

Can I put landscape fabric over existing weeds?

Clear them first. Fabric stops seed germinating by denying light, but established perennial weeds with a root system already in place will push through seams and planting cuts. Remove what is growing, then lay the fabric over clean ground.

Does landscape fabric kill weeds?

No. It prevents them. Fabric works by cutting off light to seed in the soil so it never establishes, which is why covering it with mulch or rock and keeping cuts tight matters so much. It is not a herbicide and will not remove weeds already growing.

Do I put soil on top of landscape fabric?

Not for weed control. Soil on top of a weed barrier becomes a seed bed and weeds will root in it above the fabric. Cover a weed barrier with mulch or rock instead. Buried separation fabrics are a different case and are covered with aggregate per the design.

What weight of landscape fabric do I need?

Match the weight to the duty. Light grades suit ornamental beds with modest weed pressure; heavier grades suit stone beds, drain fields and wall backfill; the heaviest suit rocky pond excavations and cushioning. Weights only compare within a product line, not across different fabrics.

Can I use weed barrier as drainage fabric?

Not sensibly. A woven weed barrier passes far less water through the fabric itself, so used as a filter layer it restricts flow and can clog. Use a non-woven filter fabric for French drains, drain fields and wall backfill.

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. Matching width to the bed or trench is what keeps seams and offcuts down, and seams are where fabric is most often defeated.

What does shipping cost?

Nothing. Shipping is free on every order at Landscape Discount, across every fabric, weight and roll size.