Newspaper as weed barrier

crabcake

crabcake

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So this morning, JH and I were chillin' on the Keller bus, rollin' down the road toward Ghetto D.C., when he tells me about using soaked newspaper under his mulch to keep the weeds from popping up. :confused: I ask if it's the same as that black plastic/clothy stuff I have gotten at Lowes/H.D. and all, and he says, "Better, cause it actually works."

Anyone got the skinny on this? Before I go out and make a fool of myself in front of my neighbors begging to rummage through their recycle bins, I want to hear some other success stories and scientific data to back up this theroy of his. :bubble:
 
jazz lady

jazz lady

~*~ Rara Avis ~*~
PREMO Member
I've used it for many years and it works great. :yay: Just don't use any of the glossy inserts. Colored newspaper is fine as the dyes are vegetable-based.

But you MUST put mulch on top of the newspaper IMMEDIATELY else you'll be chasing papers around your yard. :stupid: :bonk:
 
James White

James White

Have a nuisance?Im 4 hire
Mulch: Shredded newspaper is an effective and inexpensive mulch. Studies at the University of Vermont indicate that a 6-inch layer of shredded newsprint, left intact, can help suppress weeds for two full growing seasons.

It's also as good at retaining moisture in the soil as other organic mulches.

Raspberries, sweet corn and tomatoes produce larger harvests when they are mulched with shredded newspaper instead of an equal amount of straw. The studies suggest that there may be benefits to using newspaper over some other traditional mulches.

Shred the newspaper, then dampen it before spreading it as mulch. To keep it from blowing away -- and to improve the appearance, if that matters -- sprinkle a thin layer of chopped leaves, finely shredded bark, grass clippings or compost over the newspaper.

Weed barrier: A weed barrier is a little different than a mulch, more heavy duty. Use whole sheets of dampened newspaper, several to many layers thick, to replace black plastic or landscape fabric in construction projects.


*** No this is not copyrighted material***
 
crabcake

crabcake

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Originally posted by cariblue
Hmm. Is this something I could use to choke out the weeds along my tree line? I have briars and stuff like that growing there that I haven't been able to kill.
Click to expand...

that's what I'm gathering from my conversation with JH this morning ... the weed barrier I put down didn't choke 'em off. :ohwell:
 
jazz lady

jazz lady

~*~ Rara Avis ~*~
PREMO Member
Originally posted by cariblue
Hmm. Is this something I could use to choke out the weeds along my tree line? I have briars and stuff like that growing there that I haven't been able to kill.
Click to expand...

The problem with briars is they come up from the root and can go right through most mulch. The only successful way I've cleared something like that is pull the plants up, till the area and remove as many roots as possible, then cover the area with black plastic for a month or so to 'cook' whatever is underneath. Once that's done, cover with newspaper and top with another mulch.

There are some chemicals that kill stuff like that, but I don't use them.
 
jazz lady

jazz lady

~*~ Rara Avis ~*~
PREMO Member
Originally posted by cariblue
I have too many larger roots there to till it. :ohwell: I guess it's not really that big of a deal. I've lived with it this long.
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You can try it, but I've not had much success. The roots just send up shoots that go right through or around the paper.
 
crabcake

crabcake

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Originally posted by jazz lady
You can try it, but I've not had much success. The roots just send up shoots that go right through or around the paper.
Click to expand...

so are you saying that the newspaper method -- for most common weeds -- is as effective/ineffective as the other weed barriers (plastic)?
 
jazz lady

jazz lady

~*~ Rara Avis ~*~
PREMO Member
Originally posted by tatercake
so are you saying that the newspaper method -- for most common weeds -- is as effective/ineffective as the other weed barriers (plastic)?
Click to expand...

It depends. :crazy: This is how I use the different products:

Tomatoes LOVE red plastic mulch and do fantastic with it. Black plastic mulch is great for strawberries and brassicas (cauliflower, broccoli, brussel sprouts).

I've also used woven or spun-bound weed barriers - sort of like plastic mulch but made out of a fabric and comes in rolls. Spread it down, cut holes for planting, put in your plants, then mulch over and around the plants. Use this for things you don't want to spread.

Newspaper is good for pathways (between planting beds) and growing watermelons, cukes, and other vines. It keeps the fruit off of the ground, which doesn't allow them to rot and insects to get at them. It also does a good job of keeping moisture in.
 
crabcake

crabcake

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I'm just looking for something to keep 'em from growing around shrubs and stuff ... like Yews, Heather, Nandina, etc. I won't even attempt to grow veggies until I can manage to keep weeds down. :lol:
 
jazz lady

jazz lady

~*~ Rara Avis ~*~
PREMO Member
Oops. :blushing: Guess I got carried away.

I've used this stuff around my bushes and trees with great success. Landscaping fabric is great and easy to use. :yay:
 
crabcake

crabcake

But wait, there's more...
Originally posted by jazz lady
I've used this stuff around my bushes and trees with great success. Landscaping fabric is great and easy to use. :yay:
Click to expand...

That's what I had down under the 6 inches of mulch, but they still came up. :frown: I'm at the point now where I wanna rip that crap out, till the whole area and just plant grass again. :ohwell: Dang weeds! :mad: I even had Trugreen treating the area and they still persisted.
 
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