High-quality landscape fabric is specifically engineered to be permeable, which minimizes negative effects on beneficial soil life like earthworms and insects. Unlike cheap plastic sheeting, professional-grade fabrics allow water, air, and nutrients to pass through, maintaining the healthy, aerobic soil conditions that beneficial organisms need to survive.
While the fabric does act as a physical barrier to movement directly to the surface, the soil underneath remains a healthy, living ecosystem. By preventing weed overgrowth and reducing the need for tilling or herbicides, the fabric can actually help preserve the stable soil structure that earthworms and microorganisms thrive in.
