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  • From: "Thomas Olenio" <tolenio@sentex.net>
  • To: "North American Fruit Explorers" <nafex@lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [NAFEX] mulch (was gypsum)
  • Date: Tue, 19 Apr 2005 15:30:57 -0400

Hi,

This being spring, and spring clean-ups happenening everywhere...

Do not forget that used jute backed, carpet makes a great weed block. You can collect acres of it curbside this time of year.

Cut the carpet in 3' round circles or squares, put a slice in it to the center point, and you have a mulch mat.

Put the jute side facing up and slide around tree. Blocks weeds, rain goes through it, it holds moisture in the ground, and can be removed easily in the fall. Best of all it is FREE.

I would not spend my money on expensive weed mats, when they are all around us for free. Invest in fruit, not mulch mats. Recycle, reduce, re-use.

Later,
Tom


On Tue, 19 Apr 2005 11:12:03 -0700, Stephen Sadler <Docshiva@Docshiva.org> wrote:

There are some nice round ready-fit mats, and if you used one, the tree
should be able to get the benefit of fertilizer spread around, not over, the
mat, provided the roots have any sort of spread.

You could use any mulch you find attractive; my sister favors wood chips,
which she gets for free from arborists. I wouldn't use straw for the reason
you mentioned. You could apply manure tea or organic liquid fertilizer
which would travel through the mulch into the soil. Even fertilizer that
gets caught in the mulch will dissolve down as you water.

I don't like just killing the weeds around trees, as it's less attractive
than mulch, but there are organically approved weedkilling sprays, which are
at least as effective as Roundup - some test better.

My choice of the moment is to use mats and apply fertilizers between the
mats and foliar feed directly to the trees.

Stephen Sadler, Ph.D.
USDA 9, AHS heat zone 8,
Sacramento CA - Mediterranean climate

-----Original Message-----
From: nafex-bounces@lists.ibiblio.org
[mailto:nafex-bounces@lists.ibiblio.org] On Behalf Of Del Stubbs
Sent: Tuesday, April 19, 2005 5:19 AM
To: North American Fruit Explorers
Subject: Re: [NAFEX] mulch (was gypsum)

Lucky, that is bizarre, they must have gotten gypsum mined near a uranium
deposit. I am
dropping the sheetrock idea because I dont need it fauling up certification
in the
future. Thanks for all the useful commentary folks. However, half the
reason I
considered it was as a sod smothering mulch. Since I won't use easy
solutions like
roundup to kill back grass around young trees, and I have too many to weed
whip up to the
trunk every couple weeks, mulch has been a real study - that I am not
satisfied with yet.
If I use mats (ie, cardboard, carpet, perforated mats, etc. ) then rotted
manure I apply
is seperated from the root circle. If I use staw it soon builds up to a
mound that will
build too deep around the trunk. What do other non-roundupers do?
Thanks, Del, n MN Z 2/3

--- Lucky Pittman <lucky.pittman@murraystate.edu> wrote:


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