Ground cover weeds

[ducks4you]

I keep reading about using newspaper--does anybody have any pictures or instructions about doing this? I LIKE the idea of the cardboard--you can shop at ALDI and get boxes A L L of the time, so they're free.

 

[Greensage45]

I didn't catch where someone identified the weeds.

It is not a weed! Well, for me it is, but it is Arugala

Time for salads...tons of salads!

I guess there must be some other use for it! I personally think it taste poisonous (I get a faint odor and flavor of peanuts or something peanut buttery)

Ron :mow

 

[injunjoe]

I see our friend there in the last picture!
If he likes it , it must be good.

Joe

 

[journey11]

ducks4you: Newspaper makes great mulch and you can get lots of it free if you don't mind to do a little dumpster diving. Only use the black and white sections--none of the colored ad flyers--as there are chemicals in the shiny colored ads. The black and white newspaper uses a plant based ink and is fine.

I fill my wheelbarrow with water and soak a few chunks of newspaper at a time. You need to soak it so it doesn't blow away while you are working and also it will hug tighter to the ground. Unfold them and lay it on THICK, like a 1/2" thick and overlap them so there are no cracks for the weeds to push through.

Once you have it all down you need to cover it with an organic mulch like spent hay, leaves, grass clippings, wood chips, etc. to keep it moist and weighted down.

Newspaper will break down eventually and can be tilled into the soil when you're done with it.

 

[ducks4you]

Thanks! EVERYBODY was talking about doing this, but it was starting to sound like a secret--I appreciate the instructions.
No need to dumpster-dive, since we get a daily local paper, 3-5 sections in each. I also have plenty of horse stall and chicken run mulch to suffice.

 

[Maralyn45]

Oh thats really sad with you.......

 

[RickF]

Of course, if you had some chickens, I'm sure they'd happily mow the weeds down to nothing for you -- of course they may also eat some of the other plants too!

Our 4 chickens are doing a fine job in the backyard where the grass is dead (completely -- due to a recent remodel) and the weeds (and bugs) are constantly being tackled by the chickens.. Too bad I can let them loose for a few months in the front yard to tackle my Bermuda grass.