newspapers under mulch...

a local gardener showed me how he lays down a layer of newspaper and then covers it with mulch where he is trying to improve soil quality. says it keeps the weeds out and promotes earthworm activity. is this something others do? can i do this around my plants to keep from having to weed as much? good gardening - jon

This message was edited Jul 8, 2006 1:11 PM

You certainly can, it does keep out weeds holds in moisture and improves the soil.
I would make sure that your soil is moist, nor soggy, before laying down the newspaper and mulch, as the newspaper if laid on thick could prevent water penetration.
Josephine.

This is great for your soil, I always make sure that there is space around the root of the plant so the water can get thru, sometimes the weeds do also, but I can pick those out. Depending on how many layers of paper you use, but in one of my front beds I only use two so that next spring I can dig around in there! The paper also keeps the water in the beds longer and protects any periannuals thru the winter!
later-linda

I always use shredded paper from the offices where I work,as well as the leaves,and grass clippings.I shred privet through my chipper , and put it on top of every thing,and then work the area the following Yr. It works like a dream,even on bad soil.Mike

It's my favorite gardening tip. I use newspaper in all my beds as a weed barrier. It's free and effective. Brown paper bags and cardboard work well, too.

I'm readying my back yard to become a garden over the next year or so, and I'm layering newspaper and cardboard with grass clippings. What I'm planning come autumn is to till the whole lot under. I also have a worm farm and a barrel composter going. Any comments or suggestions?

bglily,the only thing is experience,and of course you will get that , and I don't know how you are fixed with space , but one thing I wish I had done years ago, is to get a chipper sredder.Since I did that I have not only got control of all the privet,but found that the privet will break down supper fast,and the worms go wild over it.I am now going to maintain a area of privet so I can cut from it.You can find c/s on e-bay , but I would find one in your area,save shipping. Mike

good idea, mqiq -- my problem there is this is a relatively new neighborhood and trees... hmmm... do not abound. But I'm sure I can get my hands on some. Interesting about the privet. I'm a little amused at how much composting is taking over my "spare" time. Now I'm considering growing things just so I can compost them!

Mike, what kind of chipper/shredder did you get? My dh and I have been in the market for one for about a year. We have 2.5 acres and lots of limbs and prunings to chip and then the smaller stuff to shred. I had sort of been under the impression to just go with a more heavy-duty chipper, that the combos weren't that great. What's your advice?

Gwen

I will *not* shred the newspapers because I'm trying to keep quack grass out, and it will come up through any shredded mulch. I have to use ten sheets thick, covered w/ wood mulch.

Zeppy, 10 sheets will do it , I have read where you use 9,and don't shread them , to kill costal bermuda.I believe if you know where CB grew 40 Yrs. ago,I'll bet I could tell you where you can find costal bermuda.I'm not that familier with quack grass,but it sounds bad.Since I started using paper shreads,I have really increased my worm population,and improved my "bare areas",and about to tackle a real doozer,of an area,this week end. (for instance)

Mike

Gwen, we have an 8HP Simplicity c/s that we love. It takes up to a 3" limb with no problems whatsoever.

When you use 9-10 sheets of newspaper and cover w/ mulch/soil do you have to re-newspaper it the next season?

No the worms eat the paper,and eat,and live in the mulch,and you can do interesting things with the soil by now,but remember,you need to keep up the organic build up,so the soil becomes useful.You can use more papers,but it would be too noticeable.

I filled empty beds along the front and back of the house with rocks hoping that weeds wouldn't grow and I could place plants where I liked. I've grown a bumper crop of weeds ever since! Will newspapers under the rocks work alone to prevent weeds from coming through or do I have to use mulch too? I'm very excited about using newspapers, we have tried weed killers and flame throwers and neither worked well.

Try using several (6) pages thick. The weed killers and flame throwers hardly ever work.

Lulie --

Once the newspaper is down, rocks would work as well as any other mulch (although rocks aren't going to do much to improve your soil). In fact, for practical purposes the newspaper is mulch and if you didn't mind the look (and could keep it from drying out and blowing away) you could just use that.

Liane (a big fan of newspaper)

I use think corrugated cardboard. I prefer it to newspaper.

Karen

I'm planning to put down newsprint under mulch this spring to kill off the grass in my back yard prior to re-planting with native grass & forbs. It's going to take a lot of newspapers! One precaution I've read about (but don't have direct experience to corroborate) is that for some trees, covering more than one-sixth of their drip circumference with newspaper can be harmful, because it prevents oxygen from getting to the roots.

Thanks for the info, in another month I'll be putting down newspapers and in April I'll get ready for "strawbale gardening" ! I love DG!

If you're "short' on newspapers, talk to your local newspaper carrier or newspaper. They normally have "extras" they didn't sell and you can get all you need. Don't forget the coffee grounds to go with them. The worms like coffee while they read the paper......grin

I just put up a bean trellis this weekend over a patch of scrubby grass. I'd like to get the soil underneath the trellis ready for direct sowing my bean seeds. I want to do some quick lasagna here, but I need a little guidance. I've got a small compost bed that's FILLED with worms and I'm thinking of dumping the whole thing on top of the layer of newspapers. Will this do the trick to accommodate the seeds in about 3-4 more weeks? I keep thinking there needs to be some sort of soil or potting mix or something as the top layer for the seeds to germinate in. This is where I need your help. Please advise how my layers should go for direct seeding of the Kentucky Wonders and the Sugar Snap beans. Thanks!

It should be fine for seed starting if it's a fine enough texture. It might be more conducive to germinating seeds if you sift the top inch or so of compost through a sieve to a very fine texture. But if it's pretty well composted it should be fine as is.

Because I was too lazy to sift mine at the time I have started flower seeds right in well composted material without sifting it. It worked pretty well and germination was pretty good. But it was nice mature, cured compost.

Or you could top with an inch of soil or potting mix (again fine texture will work better) but many soils, as well as peat based potting mix, are harder to keep moist than pure compost. I see that you are in a warm climate, so remember that the seeds need to be kept moist to germinate.

Karen

Hi guys, I been sittin back doing some readin. It's interesting what everyone has said. I've used newspapers for quite a while. I usually don't go over 4 sheets thick. But I also cover the paper with grass clippings, sand or sawdust, more like when they grind stumps. really course stuff. I try to make sure I don't get any great amount of walnut grindings though. If the 3 or 4 layers are covered by 1" of sand that works good, Grass clippings, I try for 3" The sawdust is a little more compact so I cut that back to the 1 inch or 1 and a 1/2" With sawdust I put on some nitrogen a little later on, like near the end of the growing season. as sawdust does deplete the nitrogen in the soil. I till it all under in the fall. I want to give thanks too for reminding me to start going after coffee grounds, I keep forgetting to do that. If I use sand, I get the finest stuff that isn't good for any thing masonary. (Fill sand)
Here it runs about $4.00 a ton. So if I am short of grass clippings , leaves or sawdust, I will go get a pickup load of fill sand. I have some fair sources of chicken, rabbit and horse manure as well, so I really make use of my little pickup. There is a small town 10 miles north of here, that has a tree leaf and grass disposal area. I can get most all the mulch I need. Just don't like running 10 miles for nothing though.
Just thought I would post a pic. using paper and grass clippings.

Found another one,

and one more after those maters grew up.

I've been reclaiming the edges of the woods by our house for some naturalized planting and I always start by mowing the existing growth very short, covering hte area with a lot of newspaper and then covering that with a thick layer of very well shredded bark mulch. The following spring I add amendments right on top and till the entire bed and it's ready for planting.

"The following spring I add amendments right on top and till the entire bed and it's ready for planting..."

*****

What sort of "amendments" do you add in the Spring before you till?

Oh I just threw in some compost, composted manure and peat because I have very sandy soil in that area. I'm not very good with soil and I'm not usually sure what it needs but I figure you can't really go wrong adding that stuff.

Thanks.

Twonewfs;
That's my kind of philosophy on gardening as well. But I would think that your sandy soil would be very good for root crops, no hard clods to misshape carrots or taders. As long as it has good drainage.
I might really surprise myself if I actually took a soil sample in my garden. But then maybe I should do just that. After all I did pick up some sample kits at the last RU. I usually just rotate some of the crops around. so I'm not growing the same thing on the same spot all the time. Then add what I thought each area needed. Been working alright so far. LOL

Ya'll should see my lasagna bed. I went ahead and sifted all the compost from my bin into the trellis bed. I layered newspaper on the ground, and watered well. Then I put the compost in. It is filled with HUGE earthworms, and I can plunge my hands in up to my arms. I'm gonna post pics tomorrow. I have two Questions:

When ya'll say "layers of newspaper" how many sheets to a layer? and is that a completely flat or a folded sheet of newspaper? I'm suspecting I put too many sheets in my layer -- about 9 sheets...too late. But my industrial size earthworms can chew through anything!

2nd question. What other veggie could I grow beneath the bean Teepee? Once they take to the trellis, it'll get shady beneath it. My friend who built it grows swiss chard beneath his. I'm thinking of trying to grow beets in the center. Or would ya'll recommend something else?

Please advise soonest, as the bean seeds to in tomorrow morning.

Since our ground is still frozen, I'll have to let some fellow Texans answer your second question. But when I refer to layering newspaper, it is unfolded and laid out flat. All I have ever used is 3 sheets deep. But you are 100% correct Those healthy worms can eat through multiple layers as long as there is sufficent moisture. I wouldn't worry about the extra layers.
Russ

Thanks, Russ!

Where are my earthworms??? I haven't seen any earthworms in my soil. That's because it's new construction. The closest I've seen an earthworm is about 1000' away. This sounds like a joke, but how can I get some at my property. Will they just one day appear in my compost? Should I go dig them up like a fisherman would and put them in my paper and veggie pile?

Pam,
"If you build it, they will come..."

They like decomposing table scraps (no meat or fats). Actually, the don't eat the scraps. They eat the microorganisms that eat the table scraps. And, they absolutely will have an orgie if you spread a layer of USED coffee grinds in there, too. Then be patient and wait. I started with scrawny worms I'd find in some of the flower pots. Threw every one I found into my layered compost bin. Sifted the whole thing last weekend and the worms were FAT, FAT, FAT and plentious! could scoop a handful of black gold w/o getting at least 4-5 worms!

I hope you don't have hot compost if you're throwing worms into it. When I'm composting, that stuff generally gets to 150 degrees. They'll find it on their own when it's appealing to them.

Simplest way to bring worms from near and far is to just mulch your beds with fall leaves. I've stood there and watched them pull pieces of leaves into a tunnel. My beds have incredible networks of huge worm tunnels since I started mulching with leaves a few years ago.

Karen

It may even be a worth while investment, on a very small scale, Just to buy a dozen or so night crawlers from a local bait shop. If you feed them good they will do the rest of the work for you. Just turn them loose after you water an area close to the pile. If it is too hot, they will stay away from the hot part. Red wigglers are best for compost but I would take night crawlers, over nothing. If you seed the worms like this, I would do it night. More of the worms will survive the on-slot of hungry birds.

Well then night crawlers it is! I'll get some as soon as it warms up a little. My compost pile is anything but hot. When I went out to check it, it was frozen. It's very wet at the moment because I've got too much green and not enough brown. I'll fix that before adding the worms. Thanks so much

I got some nightcrawlers that I bought at a local convience store sold as bait. Should I add them to the pile or mix them w/ my indoor bin that I ordered red wigglers to w/?