Using Mulch to Control Garden Weeds Naturally and Inexpensively
It's springtime and the home gardener is busy planting
flowers, shrubs and vegetables in anticipation of the
enjoyment they get from a beautifully landscaped yard
and/or a bountiful harvest. Springtime also means that the
weeds are popping up in your garden, threatening to take
over. Now is the time to get those pesky plants under
control and clear the way for your plants.
Mulching is the recommended way to not only control weeds
but retain precious moisture and protect root systems from
extreme temperatures. There are many different types and
ways to apply mulch. Some of them can be very costly. I've
found a better way to control weeds naturally and
inexpensively.
If you're putting in new plants, be sure to follow planting
procedures like proper depth and spacing as well as
watering the holes where your plants will go. For
established garden areas, make sure to hoe or pull weeds
more than two inches tall. Also be sure you have applied
any compost and tilled it into the soil well. Level the
ground and break up any large clods of soil.
Then it's time for the mulch. While you can purchase rather
expensive commercial mulches, a more cost effective
alternative is to use newspapers and shredded bark. The
newspapers are of course free, and you can feel good about
recycling them. The shredded bark can be picked up in
quantity at a very reasonable cost from your local sawmill.
First, wet the ground to be covered. Don't make a mud
puddle, but be sure to soak it well. Then lay out the
newspapers. You can use 1-2 sheets, overlapping them to
keep them in place. Put rocks or some other heavy object
down to hold them down temporarily. Once you have an area
covered, wet it again to soak the newspapers. This will
keep the paper from blowing away and you can pick up and
move the rocks or weights to the next area. Repeat this
procedure until the entire area is covered.
If you have existing plants, you can tear and fit the
newspapers around them. Make sure they snug right up
against the base of the plants to keep the weeds out.
Then apply the bark mulch. Since you've already put down a
weed barrier (newspapers), you won't need nearly as much
bark mulch as is usually called for. You can apply just
enough to cover the newspapers. Commercial applications
calling for mulch at a 2 inch depth will require one 2
cubic feet bag to cover 12 square feet. So it will take
about half that if you use the newspapers under it.
Which kind and size of mulch to use will depend on your
budget. The treated mulch will help repel insects, but is
about twice the price of plain medium sized bark mulch at a
commercial outlet. Purchasing shredded bark from a sawmill
will cost less than that.
Be sure to spread the mulch evenly. To keep your garden
weeds down, reapply as needed in the fall or spring each
year.
The newspapers will work as a weed barrier and are free
compared to expensive weed cloth. They will also retain
moisture in the soil and degrade naturally to improve the
condition of the soil in your garden. The mulch will cover
the newspapers giving your garden or flower beds an
attractive look. They too will degrade into soil-enhancing
nutrients. Mulching will also help protect roots from
extreme temperatures, keeping the root system warm during
cooler spring nights and cooler during the hot summer days.
----------------------------------------------------
Cindy Dykstra writes for Article-DirectorySite.com, where
you can find articles on everything from gardening to
health. Free content to use on your website, blog or
newsletter and free RSS feeds. Free article submission too!
Visit http://www.article-directorysite.com today!
It's springtime and the home gardener is busy planting
flowers, shrubs and vegetables in anticipation of the
enjoyment they get from a beautifully landscaped yard
and/or a bountiful harvest. Springtime also means that the
weeds are popping up in your garden, threatening to take
over. Now is the time to get those pesky plants under
control and clear the way for your plants.
Mulching is the recommended way to not only control weeds
but retain precious moisture and protect root systems from
extreme temperatures. There are many different types and
ways to apply mulch. Some of them can be very costly. I've
found a better way to control weeds naturally and
inexpensively.
If you're putting in new plants, be sure to follow planting
procedures like proper depth and spacing as well as
watering the holes where your plants will go. For
established garden areas, make sure to hoe or pull weeds
more than two inches tall. Also be sure you have applied
any compost and tilled it into the soil well. Level the
ground and break up any large clods of soil.
Then it's time for the mulch. While you can purchase rather
expensive commercial mulches, a more cost effective
alternative is to use newspapers and shredded bark. The
newspapers are of course free, and you can feel good about
recycling them. The shredded bark can be picked up in
quantity at a very reasonable cost from your local sawmill.
First, wet the ground to be covered. Don't make a mud
puddle, but be sure to soak it well. Then lay out the
newspapers. You can use 1-2 sheets, overlapping them to
keep them in place. Put rocks or some other heavy object
down to hold them down temporarily. Once you have an area
covered, wet it again to soak the newspapers. This will
keep the paper from blowing away and you can pick up and
move the rocks or weights to the next area. Repeat this
procedure until the entire area is covered.
If you have existing plants, you can tear and fit the
newspapers around them. Make sure they snug right up
against the base of the plants to keep the weeds out.
Then apply the bark mulch. Since you've already put down a
weed barrier (newspapers), you won't need nearly as much
bark mulch as is usually called for. You can apply just
enough to cover the newspapers. Commercial applications
calling for mulch at a 2 inch depth will require one 2
cubic feet bag to cover 12 square feet. So it will take
about half that if you use the newspapers under it.
Which kind and size of mulch to use will depend on your
budget. The treated mulch will help repel insects, but is
about twice the price of plain medium sized bark mulch at a
commercial outlet. Purchasing shredded bark from a sawmill
will cost less than that.
Be sure to spread the mulch evenly. To keep your garden
weeds down, reapply as needed in the fall or spring each
year.
The newspapers will work as a weed barrier and are free
compared to expensive weed cloth. They will also retain
moisture in the soil and degrade naturally to improve the
condition of the soil in your garden. The mulch will cover
the newspapers giving your garden or flower beds an
attractive look. They too will degrade into soil-enhancing
nutrients. Mulching will also help protect roots from
extreme temperatures, keeping the root system warm during
cooler spring nights and cooler during the hot summer days.
----------------------------------------------------
Cindy Dykstra writes for Article-DirectorySite.com, where
you can find articles on everything from gardening to
health. Free content to use on your website, blog or
newsletter and free RSS feeds. Free article submission too!
Visit http://www.article-directorysite.com today!
