mulch equals no weeding?

[mek42]

If you mulch-no weeds.

(from another thread)

I'm intrigued. Last time we had a garden, we did it the yuppie way with all sort of costly doodads, one of which was that water permeable black fabric stuff to put on top, slit holes in for planting. What a PITA and expensive too!

Can non-walnut American domestic wood shavings be used as a mulch to get this no weeding effect? Do we plant first, let things start sprouting and then apply the mulch?

[Contrary Housewife]

If you apply it thick enough. It's got to be 2" or more deep to block light getting to the ground.

But IMO the weed barrier is a better deal. I got a roll for $10 two years ago and am still using it. Bags of mulch are $3-4 each and only cover about 2 square yards. The roll of weed block covers 16 sq yds.

The recommended solution is weed barrier with mulch on top.

[Russ]

From this old gardener... forget the fabric, buy a hula hoe.

[KeithBC]

I'm still learning about mulching, but so far it seems to work moderately well. I would not go so far as to say "no weeds", though.

What I have noticed is that you get much fewer annual weeds. The seeds have a hard time germinating under all that stuff. It won't stop perennial weeds: they will still come up through it. But they do seem wimpier when they first break through the mulch.

I am not a big fan of fabric or plastic to block weeds. They don't work very well. You have to cover it with something and that then becomes a new layer for weeds to grow in. Weeds grow very well in bark chips covering fabric, and, over a few years, will start growing in gravel, too. Weeds will grow right through the cheap fabric.

I use straw as a mulch. It makes a dry surface (especially important for strawberries) and retains moisture at the soil level. It gradually decomposes at the bottom, adding compost to the soil. I just add a bit more on top every year.

[Trentt]

I've used the fabric and I suppose it would be great for a perennial border or something that you're not going to plant fresh every year.

I don't use the fabric OR wood chips because most of my garden gets reworked every year and both these types of weed barriers need to be removed. (For this same reason I avoid stones, although they look nice.)

That said, I never found ANYTHING to be a foolproof weed barrier. Debris and dirt and dust gets carried atop any weed barrier by wind and elements and tenacious weed seeds will root in any medium. I've had to pull weeds that have grown THROUGH the landscaping fabric, leaves on one side, roots on the other - not fun.

I put down layers of newspaper and apply a dense blanket of cocoa bean hulls. I still do some light spot weeding but it works pretty well, and furthermore it deteriorates throughout the season so I don't have to remove it the following year to work the soil and plant whatever goes in that year.

Some people object to cocoa bean hulls because they are toxic to dogs, though I use this method at my sister's house, and her next-door neighbor (who happens to be her daughter) has a dog who roams free and never bothers the mulch, though he'll happily eat whatever vile rotting carcass or trash he can find. So in my experience it is not a big attraction to dogs, though all dogs are different.

[Russ]

all that said about the mulch and weeding,... it still is great for moisture control.

[MomToTwoBoys]

I use the mulch primarily as a moisture control for the bushes. It doesn't keep animals from walking on it (which is what I had hoped) but it keeps the soil cool and moist. Even if it doesn't squash all of the weeds, the amount that it prevents is more than enough for me to justify having the mulch (rather than not having it at all).

I can't use the black fabric because it prevents root growth for the bushes.

I have the weed fabric and I haven't even used it. It's too much of a PITA to use in the places that I bought it for, so it just sits idle on the side of the yard.

[Missourimom]

From this old gardener... forget the fabric, buy a hula hoe.

These really work well.

[frugalfranny]

Have not tried the hula hoe as I read that it didn't do the tap root type weeds and I seem to be fighting those more this year. Even have more dandelions.......thanks to my wind storms, probably.

I dislike the fabric or plastic.......ripped all mine out and that was a pain too. Some one else had put it in......UGH!

Using wood (or newspaper or straw, for that matter) will change your soil PH.........so depending on what you are growing might want to check it.

I use newspaper with bark and if I get real disgusted with the weeds I will use preen so I can get something done besides weeding. My front yard is bad and we get so much wind that I have gobs of weeds there.......plus the birds pack seeds in.

[mek42]

Have not tried the hula hoe as I read that it didn't do the tap root type weeds and I seem to be fighting those more this year. Even have more dandelions.......thanks to my wind storms, probably.

I dislike the fabric or plastic.......ripped all mine out and that was a pain too. Some one else had put it in......UGH!

Using wood (or newspaper or straw, for that matter) will change your soil PH.........so depending on what you are growing might want to check it.

I use newspaper with bark and if I get real disgusted with the weeds I will use preen so I can get something done besides weeding. My front yard is bad and we get so much wind that I have gobs of weeds there.......plus the birds pack seeds in.

I need to see if I can buy a pH meter when they lock the doors at work. I could throw some amount of wood into some water, let it sit for a day or do, then check pH, then figure out how much base to add to bring to neutral.

[mndtrp]

Mulch equals easier weeding.

I use ground up tree branches, but only grow perennials. If it was an actual garden, I would probably use newspaper.

[mek42]

How sharp should a hula-hoe be? I'm pretty sure I have some 1/8" flat stock laying around somewhere and will be generating some 8/4 maple offcuts soon that I could turn a handle from.

[Russ]

It's not "knife" sharp if that makes sense.

[TheRootedNomad]

Always nice to start the day off with new knowledge as I had never heard of a hula hoe.

As for the mulching bit. We've mulched our flower beds since we bought the house 11 years ago and we ALWAYS have more weeds than I want to deal with. This year I'm going to do something different and go old school, like my grandfather, and use the spade and just turn the ground over around the plants in the flower bed. So far, so good. The first time through took me forever as the ground hadn't been turned in several years, there were still some large roots from when we pulled out some old bushes, and it took awhile before I remembered that it's much easier to turn after a rain. I've only had to do it once since and it took me less than a half hour. I'm playing with the idea of putting down plastic and lava rocks but if it stays this easy, less than 30 minitues every few weeks, I may not bother.

[Russ]

My wife hates to hoe but since we bought the hula hoe, I think she thinks its fun!

Muhahahaha my evil plan is working!!!