How to Keep Grass From Growing on Fence Line: Grass Maintenance 101

Who doesn’t love the look of a lush, immaculate, freshly mowed lawn? But if you have a chain-link fence or another type of privacy fence, you may struggle with grass and weeds growing underneath the fence line—which can be mighty tough to maintain. Since you obviously can’t mow under your chain link fence, you’ll have to find other ways to get rid of and prevent grass and weeds from growing. Try these tried-and-true prevention methods.

How to Keep Grass and Weeds From Growing Under a Fence

To keep your lawn looking its best, you’ll want to prevent messy-looking weeds and grass from growing under your fence. Here are the best ways to do so.

Install Landscape Fabric 

Landscape fabric is an effective, sustainable tool for creating a barrier in yards and flower beds. To keep grass and weeds away from your fence, lay down a piece of landscape fabric that aligns with the size and shape of the desired area. Be sure to consult the manufacturer’s instructions to determine which side should touch the ground. Cut the fabric to size, maneuver it into place around the fence perimeter, and then use stakes to keep it in place.

Dig a Trench

Dig a few inches deep along the fence line and remove the grass and weeds with a garden spade. Be careful not to bend the bottom edge of the fence. 

Spread Mulch

Fill in a trench with mulch and cover it with landscape fabric. This will help prevent (windblown) seeds from rooting and make it easier to pull weeds if they do crop up.   

Spray an Herbicide

While you can use an herbicide to kill grass, you should always use a homemade or organic herbicide rather than a chemical-laced product (the latter has negative impacts on the local ecosystem). A great DIY way to control and kill weeds in your yard is to use vinegar. Fill a spray bottle with vinegar and apply this solution to the weeds in the morning, before the winds pick up. (Vinegar can cause unwanted harm to other plants.)

Use Vinyl Strips

If you have a chain-link fence, you can apply vinyl strips to prevent grass from growing. Just ensure that the strips are at least 6 inches wide to cover the entire area.

Should I Hire a Professional Landscaper?

If you’ve tried the above methods and you’re still struggling with weeds and grass growing under the fence line, you may want to hire a professional landscaper to get the job done. Landscapers generally charge anywhere from $50 to $100 per hour for a crew of two people, but you should contact a local landscaper for quotes and consultations.