Hello, new to the forum. We just had our landscaping redone and a weeping cherry was planted in the garden. While water the tree this morning, I noticed that the landscaper planted the weeping cherry with two tarps meeting above it in order to prevent weeds. There is very minimal room (less than an inch) around the tree.

My assumption is that water will have a hard time getting to the roots, so I moved the mulch, pulled the tarps slightly apart and watered gently into the root area.

My question is, will this tree have trouble staying wet enough if it is blocked by tarps from getting water?

In the image, tree is in the back left.

Is it solid like plastic, or like a fabric that water can go through?

sallyg said:Is it solid like plastic, or like a fabric that water can go through?

It's a plastic tarp. Very strong/durable it seems.

That's not good. Plastic suffocates the soil and anything planted in it as the soil can't breathe. Oxygen is very important, but so is water and the plants are not going to be watered but, I can see a lot of root rot in your future. Your landscaper shouldn't have used anything not permeable. He needs to replace it with landscape fabric.

100% agreed with Daisy,
There must be NO solid plastic tarp over the area of any tree or shrub roots. I wouldnt use it anywhere, but one might argue it could be under the rocks- except that the rock area is so close to the tree.