Assumed that all plastic lawn edging is the same? Well, that’s actually not the case.
Plastic lawn edging varies greatly and determining the best plastic lawn edging depends on several factors.
First, there are different grades of plastic that is used for plastic landscape edging. Plastic is one of the cheapest materials for landscape edging, but the least expensive options can easily also appear cheap if not installed properly. Unfortunately, these materials make that possibility likely because the cheaper materials are a bit unpredictable. They can be hard to work with and even unroll in an odd fashion. Furthermore, cheap plastic can also lift up out of the ground more easily because it’s very light in weight, allowing grass and weeds to grow underneath the edging, invading your garden bed.
Thus, if you go this route, be sure to give focused time and attention to installing your plastic lawn edging the right way. The cheaper choices also won’t last you very long, so you might find making that choice is not as cost-efficient as you think, over time.
Want to be sure and avoid all this, but still think plastic edging is the right lawn edging choice for you?
To find the best quality of plastic edging for your landscape here are a few questions to ask:
- What is the plastic material composed of?
Common materials used for plastic landscape edging include high density polyethylene (HDPE), polyvinyl chloride (PVC), low density polyethylene (LDPE), and medium density polyethylene (MDPE).
The best plastic landscape edging that will serve its purpose best, will be made of plastic is
Polyvinyl chloride (PVC) is also very dense compared to other plastics and is easily accessible, relatively cheap and has high impact strength, with high tensile strength. PVC is more prone to cracks than polyethylene plastics, however.
Medium density polyethylene (MDPE) has great shock and drop resistance properties, while also being more crack resistant.
High density polyethylene (HDPE) has higher tensile strength and intermolecular forces resulting in a superior material for landscaping applications.
All of these plastics have various other uses other than landscape edging but serve as good mediums for high quality plastic edging too. However, it is recommend that HDPE be utilized for best results.
- Is this plastic edging an imitation of a high-grade plastic?
Cheaper plastic edgings are more than likely filled with low-cost additives. These additives are used to reduce the amount of higher-cost plastic used in imitation products.
These imitation products can also contain chemical foaming agents (CFAs) to convey a cellular or hollow structure in the product. CFAs work by being heated, creating bubbles that are dispersed throughout the plastic and making the plastic cheaper and lighter in weight. They also reduce the amount of plastic required for the product.
Thus, these additives are robbing you of good quality plastic. So, these plastic edgings might come at a cheaper cost but rightfully so.
Landscape edging made of these plastics won’t be very durable outdoors, breaking down when exposed to what the world’s weather and environment have to offer. Furthermore, these edgings may last you a couple of years, but will not withstand the test of time like higher quality plastics. This means that more quickly than you’d probably like, your landscape will have a cheap appearance. Additionally, these plastic landscape edgings will be likely prone to breaking, chipping, cracking, becoming brittle, and rotting away.
- What is the color, wall thickness, weight, and price of the plastic edging?
When searching for the perfect plastic edging to incorporate into your landscape, check for color, wall thickness, weight, and analyze the price.
The color of the plastic can tell you whether or not additives and fillers have been added to the product. A consistently true black color will indicate that it is a high-quality plastic.
The wall thickness of plastic edging is another good indicator for fillers. Fillers can be added to fluff the product making it deceptive, which is why it is also important to pay attention to the weight. If it looks bulky but doesn’t weigh a whole lot, it likely has small amounts of high-quality plastic and large amounts of additives and fillers. The use of fillers will make the product appear strong and durable, but the weight will easily give away if it is truly high-quality or not.
Last, but not least, you pay for what you get. Prices vary from seller to seller, but you should know that high quality plastic is going to cost more than the compared additive-filled plastic. There is a slim-to-none chance that you will ever find high quality plastic edging in a discount store, hence the higher price. Just remember… if you are interested in plastic edging, be sure to check out our Grass Barrier plastic landscape edging product. It’s made of high-quality recycled HDPE plastic and will last and last for years to come!