Using cardboard for weed control
bookjunky4life
12 years ago
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ralleia
12 years agoKimmsr
12 years agoRelated Discussions
Using Tarps for weed Control
Comments (13)Just wet the newspaper down as you apply it with a watering can or hose. I usually layer several full unopened sections thick, in overlapping layers. On top of the newspaper put a thick layer of your favourite organic mulch. I like layers of used coffee grounds, leaves, and compost. The idea here is to completely cover the paper and provide a growing environment for the roots that keeps moisture through the dry spells. If you do it this way, and resist the temptation to cut holes in the newspaper when planting (add some soil to the hole but leave the paper intact), you'll have zero weeds coming up from below. Now you just have to worry about the ones that grow from the top, and they'll come out easy from the mulch. Cheers, Kyle...See Morenew seeded lawn after using weed control fertilizer
Comments (2)>>seeds will not germinate if any type of weed control has been added. Well, not reliably, and even if they do, some gets taken out by the herbicide. One thing you can try is a soil flush--water a lot more than you normally would to drive the herbicide down into the soil profile. Don't allow runoff or extreme puddling, but small puddles that are temporary are fine. Fortunately, complete failure from an herbicide is rare (although there are a few I can think of that would cause almost complete failure), but it's definitely going to have an impact on how much seed sprouts....See MoreLayer of newspaper vs weed fabric vs cardboard beneath seedbed?
Comments (2)I think that lifting weed fabric that's underneath rooted plants could either be a great thing, or be disastrous. If the roost grow into the fabric (as they often do), you'd be ripping root systems apart as you lift the fabric. If roots don't penetrate, the fabric will hinder root growth and plant growth in turn. ;The fabric will also prevent some amount of GOOD critter action among the roots too, although this might not be that big of an issue for you. Also, if you have "wildflowers" that like to send down fast and deep taproots, this barrier will not be good. Nor will you have great luck transplanting them. :P I use a lot of cardboard, newspaper, and even paper grocery shopping bags as a method of creating new beds primarily. Thinner paper material is good in areas where it's more dry and the breakdown of organic material happens slower (like on hot dry sunny slopes and in a new rock garden, for example). I use cardboard where stuff happens faster, and in my yard cardboard is about the right thickness and has the right "stuff" to quell weeds while breaking down fast enough to allow the plants on top to establish happily. A good recipe for a fast and beautiful bed without a lot of work or worry: - a space that's about 10x10 feet in size or so - about 100 paper grocery bags - about a cubic yard of good compost -a roll of black landscape plastic or a bunch of black garbage bags - one order of a great seed mix This time of year, you mark your space, put down paper bags on the ground, wet them with a hose, then layer over about 6 inches of compost. Wet really well, then lay black plastic or plastic garbage bags over the top and let it sit over the winter. Then in the spring, pull back the plastic, seed it, and keep it watered. Viola, a new flower bed! Here is a link that might be useful: An Awesome Wildflower Mix...See MoreHow to use cardboard as a weed barrier in existing flower beds?
Comments (18)floral_uk z8/9 SW UK - What an ID to type out! :) Thank you. My husband had already planted a few things - raspberry bush, blueberry busy, Gladiolas and another flowering plant (don't recall the name), and there were three small Hostas that reappeared as well. I could of course wait till when the Glaiolas stop blooming to dig them up and put away the bulbs for winter, then do as you suggested. I do agree with your method but not sure how easy it would be to do it with all these plants in there already. The flower bed kind of starts from the lawn and is surrounded by a stone wall/border as it curves and then meets the grass again at the other end. I will try to post a photo shortly. kimmq - Thank you for your input! I noticed the plastic runners on the edges of a few vertical (ish) flower beds on hillsides, or curbs and wondered why they had been used. Now I know I guess :)...See Morebookjunky4life
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