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Soil, Compost & Mulch

Did I mess up the lasagna bed?

mlobaito_nnyzn4

7 years ago

I spent 3 hours this morning laying down leaves for the lasagna bed. I was in a hurry trying to get it done before the sun moved to the area and before my 3 year old woke up. Well I realized I forgot the first step newspaper! I am going to add more grass clippings and try to find a source for coffee grounds to also put on top. My plan is to plant winter sown perennials in the spring. Do I have to redo? Or will it work without newspaper? The grass was gone under the pile where my husband left the leaves last fall. Any advise to fix?

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Comments (6)

MaryMcP Zone 8b - Phx AZ
7 years ago
nah, you're good. Just add the newspaper now if you want to, or not. The purpose of the newspaper is weed suppression
bossyvossy
7 years ago
last modified: 7 years ago
Ditto
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mlobaito_nnyzn4
Original Author
7 years ago
If I choose not to lay down newspaper will I have issues with weeds after I plant in the space next year?
MaryMcP Zone 8b - Phx AZ
7 years ago
All those leaves might be thick enough. mlobatio, without a crystal ball, [and a lot more information] there is no hard and fast answer. If this is keeping you up at night, rake back the leaves and place the paper.
purslanegarden
7 years ago
The leaves now act as a mulch and if you see a weed or two peeking out, you can pull it just like with regular mulch. But wait too long and the weeds will begin to overcome even with a mulch topping.
kimmq
7 years ago
The newspaper is not an essential part of this project depending on the depth of the mulch put down. Newspaper, or cardboard, keeps any plants it is placed over from getting the sunlight they need to grow and if the mulch layer is 4 inches deep or more that will do the same thing. Block a plants access to sunlight and it will die.

"Weeds", unwanted plants, will grow in what ever space the can. While mulches help in suppressing this unwanted growth it does not necessarily stop that growth. Mulches serve 4 purposes, 1. aid in "weed" suppression, 2. aid in soil moisture control, 3. aid in soil temperature control, and 4. aid in adding organic matter to the soil.

kimmq is kimmsr

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