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Right place to post this (garden weed/mulch question)

16 years ago

I don't know which forum to post this in.

In my garden area around my lawn I am constantly removing weeds.

I plan to do a complete overhaul of the area (leaving the flowers and plants) and putting down a weed protector (there was one there but it's probably disintegrated by now) and then put down a wood mulch.

When is the best time to do this?

Should I wait till spring or is the Fall okay to get this done?

Any recommedations on mulch and weed blocker? How often do you replace mulch?

Also want a mulch that's pet safe as my dog sometimes likes to chew on the stuff.

Thanks!

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Comments (4)

quirkyquercus
16 years ago
The only mulch my dogs wont chew is what we in georgia call pine straw. It is actually havested fallen needles from longleaf and slash pines. It is expensive and probably not available in colorado but you can get your own mulch for free by raking up pine needles if you have pine trees nearby. I used to do this. It's not that hard nor time consuming. Freshly harvested needles have great color that adds to the landscape.

I replace mine 2-3 times a year. And by "replace", I mean add more.

I think you'll find the consensus is that those weed fabrics are a waste and dont work. If you find weeds to be a problem and dont want to pull them or spray them you could apply a pre-emergent designed for planting beds.
penaddict
Original Author
16 years ago
So then just pull out as many weeds as I can and put down some type of mulch on top?
Should I do this now or wait till after winter?
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I always put down a layer of newspaper (and wet it) before I mulch - about 6 to 8 sheets - making sure to place it a few inches from the plants. This helps keep down the weeds growing through the mulch. The newspaper breaks down of course, so you have to do this every year (or perhaps twice, if you mulch in spring and in fall) before putting down new mulch. If your area is small enough, you could rake up the mulch and lay some paper down and remulch. Otherwise, as mxk says, use a rake or "claw" (just what the heck IS the name of that tool? :) I can't live without mine!) and cultivate lightly and the weeds should come out easily. Just yesterday I finally had some time to do some work in the vegetable garden. It's been very dry here, and I thought my newly planted cukes and tomatoes needed some mulch. I didn't get to shred as many leaves as I usually do last fall (my mulch of choice), and had nothing on hand, so I cut up old leaf bags, ones which the bottoms had rotted on anyway (I re-use these things till they literally fall apart), laid that down, and then mulched with shredded paper. Doesn't look too pretty, but one is so blinded by the sun boucing off the white mulch no one can look for long anyway, lol!
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skoot_cat
16 years ago
The weed barrier/mats/sheets are a waste of time and money. I put it under my limestone rock walkway and weeds grow right through it. When I pull the weeds, some of the roots are embedded in the material. What a joke.

Mulch is the way to go, and go thick. I put it down about 3-4" in all my landscape areas/beds once a year. I still get a few weed, but not many. Plus they are easy to pull because most of the root is growing in the mulch.

Contact your local dump they might offer free recycled mulch. Put the free stuff down heavy, then lightly top with whatever mulch you prefer.
minatx
16 years ago
Put sections of newspaper down between your plants. 5- 10 sheets thick and then water it so it sticks. Cover the newspaper with 1 - 2" of mulch and you're set for the whole season. I did this to my vegetable garden and it worked really well. Just cut a hole in the newspaper if you need to plant something later.

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