Cardboard and newspaper can be used as temporary weed barriers, but landscape fabric is significantly more effective for long-term projects. While cardboard and newspaper decompose quickly and enrich the soil as they break down, they lose their ability to block weeds within a few months, especially in moist conditions.
Professional-grade landscape fabric is a far more durable and long-lasting material, designed to provide many years of reliable weed suppression without decomposing. For a low-maintenance, professional-grade installation that you only want to do once, a high-quality, permeable landscape fabric is the more permanent and reliable choice.
