Skip to Content.
Sympa Menu

nafex - Re: [NAFEX] cardboard and assorted weed barriers

nafex@lists.ibiblio.org

Subject: North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

List archive

Chronological Thread  
  • From: Lee Reich <lreich@hvc.rr.com>
  • To: North American Fruit Explorers <nafex@lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [NAFEX] cardboard and assorted weed barriers
  • Date: Wed, 18 Feb 2009 06:02:37 -0500

I think you probably would have a problem keeping an already too wet soil wetter even longer if you cover it with cardboard or any other mulch (except in a dry year, of course, as you mentioned).

Also, landscape fabric is generally useless. It usually needs a mulch on top to block the light that comes through its tiny holes and because it's so ugly; weeds eventually grow into that covering. It is also a mess in case you want to plant something new or dig into the soil for something else, and does not enrich the soil with organic matter, as does an organic mulch.

The reason I use newspaper is because it disappears after a season, after it has smothered weeds. As I describe in my book, Weedless Gardening, I keep weeds to a minimum after that by not ever turning the soil (thus keeping dormant weed seeds asleep) and by replenishing, as needed, a thin, weed-free, organic mulch on top of the ground. I wet the paper not only to hold it down but also so that roots of transplants and seeds planted into the mulch layer on top of the newspaper can grow down to and through the wet newspaper into the soil below. 

Lee Reich, PhD

Books by Lee Reich:
A Northeast Gardener's Year
The Pruning Book
Weedless Gardening
Uncommon Fruits for Every Garden
Landscaping with Fruit

On Feb 17, 2009, at 10:21 PM, Lori Rizzo wrote:

I have a question - I live in a flood plain, clay soil - i.e., poor
drainage.  Will using the cardboard cause a problem with water retention -
fungi, etc.?  Last year I mulched with straw, and didn't have a problem,
though it was a dry year for us.  I did buy some landscape fabric for this
year to try out.  East TN - zone 7.

Lori

Lori Rizzo, RN BSN MBA
Health Care Quality Improvement
Pet Training & Behavior Improvement!
Maryville, TN
larizzo@charter.net

-----Original Message-----
From: nafex-bounces@lists.ibiblio.org
[mailto:nafex-bounces@lists.ibiblio.org] On Behalf Of tanis cuff
Sent: Tuesday, February 17, 2009 9:51 PM
To: nafex@lists.ibiblio.org
Subject: Re: [NAFEX] cardboard and assorted weed barriers


Nice heads-up re carpet & winter, Alan.  I've seen synthetic carpets used as
pathes or mulches and they ALWAYS make a mess-- hard to remove if/when you
want-- and always looks awful.

For newspapers, I've found 8-10 sheet layers are needed to slow down
rhizomatous grasses, and larger areas than you intend to open up if you want
to kill the grass.  I aim for 50% overlap of 4-5 layer pieces.  If you want
to till the area in autumn, use no thicker than 6 layers.

Some mulch, most any kind, is needed to hold down the newspapers.  Also to
hide it from woodchucks which want it for nesting material.



________________________________
Date: Tue, 17 Feb 2009 18:14:26 -0500
From: alandhaigh@gmail.com
To: nafex@lists.ibiblio.org
Subject: [NAFEX] cardboard and assorted weed barriers

I've always been a bit squeemish about herbicides and so I've used all
manner of weed barriers to establish the fruit trees I install and to
protect my garden. I've used cardboard for years as have many gardeners as
well as newspaper, and carpet. Sometimes I use landscape fabric. Pretty much
whatever I have around- I never let newspaper or cardboard leave my
property, unless it's to mulch some trees I'm installing. I'd be a bit
reluctant to use cardboard for raspberries for fear it would deter emerging
plants so I use the flimsier newspaper for that. If there is any kind of
drainage issue I use very porous landscape fabric- don't want to interfere
with the transfer of oxygen for carbondioxide.

Old wool rugs or carpet works great, as long as you pull it away during
the winter- rodents love it.


_________________________________________________________________
Windows LiveT: E-mail. Chat. Share. Get more ways to connect.
http://windowslive.com/explore?ocid=TXT_TAGLM_WL_t2_allup_explore_022009
_______________________________________________
nafex mailing list
nafex@lists.ibiblio.org

Reproduction of list messages or archives is not allowed.
This includes distribution on other email lists or reproduction on web
sites.
Permission to reproduce is NEVER granted, so don't claim you have
permission!

**YOU MUST BE SUBSCRIBED TO POST!**
Posts from email addresses that are not subscribed are discarded.
No exceptions.  
----
To subscribe or unsubscribe, go to the bottom of this page (also can be used
to change other email options):
http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/listinfo/nafex

File attachments are NOT stripped by this list.
TAKE STEPS TO PROTECT YOURSELF FROM COMPUTER VIRUSES!
Please do not send binary files.
Use plain text ONLY in emails!

NAFEX web site:   http://www.nafex.org/

_______________________________________________
nafex mailing list
nafex@lists.ibiblio.org

Reproduction of list messages or archives is not allowed.
This includes distribution on other email lists or reproduction on web sites.
Permission to reproduce is NEVER granted, so don't claim you have permission!

**YOU MUST BE SUBSCRIBED TO POST!**
Posts from email addresses that are not subscribed are discarded.
No exceptions.  
----
To subscribe or unsubscribe, go to the bottom of this page (also can be used to change other email options):
http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/listinfo/nafex

File attachments are NOT stripped by this list.
TAKE STEPS TO PROTECT YOURSELF FROM COMPUTER VIRUSES!
Please do not send binary files.
Use plain text ONLY in emails!

NAFEX web site:   http://www.nafex.org/




Archive powered by MHonArc 2.6.24.

Top of Page