Landscape fabric: beginner's question

A question about : Landscape fabric: beginner's question

I am setting up a balcony garden from first principles: I have no knowledge or experience of such things.

I learned that you can get black fabric that lets the water through and keeps the soil in. I thought it sounded good, and bought a roll. I intended to use it in pots and containers.

I tested it under the tap, and the water rolled straight off. Will it become permeable once it has been in use for a while, or have I got the wrong type of material?

Best answers:

• I can not think why you would need it at all in pots or containers of any kind. You put the compost in the pots and plants in the compost and water the compost.
• I read that it was a good way of stopping earth escaping from the containers.
• Erm a pot doesn't let soil out, that's kind of the point. Or do you mean through the drainage hole in the bottom?
• Its a weed supressant fabric that goes on top of soil. ive never known anyone use it in pots to keep the soil in, unless its used to line the pots
  Its designed to allow water through, but its a slow process, so running under a tap wont achieve the same effect. I would think if used as a liner in a watered pot, it would drain too slowly and rot the roots
• A piece of newspaper over the holes or even a kitchen tissue, Or a small handful of gravel. No need to buy weed fabric.
• I don't think we have even established the type of landscape fabric, as there are two types, spun bonded, which is like heavy fleece, and woven polypropylene. Neither seems the best for the above purpose IMO, as the spun bonded stuff is quite weak and the other frays and folds messily.
  Probably the most durable pot bottom (or pot topper for those who are truly anal about weeds ) is capillary matting. I'd guess you could re-use it for up to 10 years....or at least until your colander goes rusty.
• The description includes the following:
  "Heavy Duty Breathable Landscape/Building Fabric Ground Cover
  Small perforations allow water to drain naturally "
  I got the idea of using such material from some 'how to' article I found online. I will investigate capillary matting.
• And by the time you investigate that and probably buy that too, you may as well have just bought some normal plastic plant pots, which do come in a variety of sizes....
• Personally if I was using containers similar to the ones you are I would line with moss
  https://www.selections.com/gardman-fr...FefnwgodKxYApg
• I am not wild about the standard, utilitarian pots that many plants come in: I prefer more attractive containers. In any case, a batch of succulent plants I got came without pots.
  I will look into the moss too.