Hello again,
Soon to be Garden Log contributor KCB has checked in with us with her thoughts about using newspaper as mulch. KCB is a landscape professional who does a great deal of inspiring gardening work in the southern Maine area:
" I have used (newspaper) in creating new beds. I have always covered it with compost. Penobscot Blend (from Coast of Maine sold right here at Skillin's) would be my choice (as the compost)..... Other points....some 'invasives' will still persevere (wild violets). If creating a new bed it may be best to rototill first. ALTERNATIVELY, thoroughly hand weeding the ground first.
Besides a thorough handweeding makes for excellent weeding and such fun laundry!"
"Excellent advice regarding the colored ink.....
There is a side affect of using Newspaper as a mulch ---earthworms. One result which was first unexpected and a more than happy finding. Earthworms love the newspaper. I haven't researched the why. I have heard of those who kitchen compost w/the 'red squigglers' add newspaper. I can attest to an earthworm rich soil. It doesn't take long for the paper to break down. In some cases I have turned it in; sometimes I just let it be. All depends on the reason for using this mulch. The newspaper does make it a little difficult to plant directly afterward as the newspaper after all is a barrier. I did do a small lamp post planting area a couple of years ago using this method. I did it mid fall. The original intent of the bed was for Crocus & Hyacinth early spring, then annuals. I moistened the area first and proceeded to plant the bulbs a couple of weeks later. The 'bulb' planter penetrated the paper. I cluster my bulbs and once I reached it I just pulled back the paper. To this day this little piece of color still only sprouts an occasional blade of grass, produced from a runner from the lawn."
Thanks KCB for your contribution!
If anyone else has any comments we would love it! Simply post them as a comment by clicking on "comment" at the end of this posting OR drop us an email at info@skillins.com!
Mike Skillin
Skillin's Greenhouses
January 8, 2008
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6 comments:
I have used newspaper as a mulch for years, even when creating new beds. Cardboard also works as a mulch for new beds if you put the cardboard around new plants, being careful the leave enough space around the root zone for air and moisture to penetrate.
This has been especially successful in areas where I had invasive weeds such as creeping charley and creeping bellflower.
Hi Mike,
It's all your fault that I am now thinking spring with all of it's joy along with it's problems to solve!
I have a hard time keeping the lawn from creeping into my gardens. I wonder if it would help to cut strips of cardboard and lay them flat with mulch or soil covering them along the edge of the garden. I didn't think of cardbpard until I read ali's blog. I am constantly edging. Hard work but I guess cutting all of that cardboard wouldn't be too much fun either. Especially if it doesn't work. What would happen if you used a little "Round-Up" along the edge? I've never used it so I don't know how damaging it could be. If I used a 2 by 4 and moved it along as I sprayed , would that prevent it from spreading to lawn I don't want to kill?
Barbara, I think if I were going to invest in time and materials to edge out grass and other weeds I would actually put some plastic edging down. We sell some easy to install edging such as Emerald Edging which are flexible and forever lasting plastic strips that hold off grass well.
I have tried Round Up to "edge" grass and it certainly knocked the grass back but it was impossible to put it down in a straight line and even on a still day I got some fairly serious "drift" that killed too much grass.
It may be back to the long handled edger for you and your grass OR again try some of that emerald edging.
I can see that you are an expert at your field! I am launching a website soon, and your information will be very useful for me.. Thanks for all your help and wishing you all the success.
Ah mate thanks a lot. I’ve been looking for a lot of jQuery tutorials regarding charts and i stumbled upon this.Just wanted to
say thank you for the help.
Susan Graham
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