Not Cannabis A Garden Weeds Tall 4 Foot Large Flat Leave Some Tri Point Some2 Point Leaf??

Last updated on April 20th, 2021

How I Smother Weeds with Newspaper This post was updated in March, 2021. Want to eliminate weeds without endless pulling? Do what I do, and smother the weeds with newspaper. Newspaper, as we have discussed before, makes weeds instantly disappear. And it prevents them from re-emerging for an entire season, if not longer. I papered and mulched one of my weed-choked beds just this morning. Would you like to see the easy procedure?

My garden bed was choked with weeds. The bed in question is located between my Kitchen Garden and Woodland Garden. As you can see, the bed is planted with young peonies, Baptisia, and some mighty expensive daylilies.

What's that you say?

You can't see the peonies? Or the Baptisia? Or the pricey daylilies?

That's because the bed has been overrun with wild onion, garlic mustard, and other invasive growth.

Pulling these weeds would be a waste of time. For once the soil has been fiddled with (through the act of pulling weeds or digging up wild onion bulbs), more weedy things would be encouraged to sprout.

How I Smother Weeds with Newspaper But weeds can't grow and seeds can't sprout if they are covered with a thick layer of The New York Times!

Applying the Paper

Lay the paper thickly over the weeds, and around and in between the desired plants First, water the bed deeply. Then lay paper directly atop the weeds, and in-between the ornamental plants.

How I Smother Weeds with Newspaper This young, aristocratic Baptisia heaved a sigh of relief when I approached him with newsprint in hand. Said he: "No longer shall I endure the common, weedy riff-raff that steals my food and water."

Papering the area between peonies The trio of 'Sarah Bernhardt' peonies were overjoyed, too. They can't wait for you to sniff their fragrant pink blooms.

using newspaper to smother weeds The daylilies practically shrieked their gratitude. Frankly, I felt embarrassed.

And by the way, water can permeate paper with ease. The soil below will receive moisture whenever Nature — or my garden sprinkler — deems to provide it.

Wetting the Paper

Back to our project. Spray the newspaper with water. Otherwise, a strong wind will blow, and send your papers flying. Wet paper won't budge.

Mulching the Paper

shredded leaves make a fine covering for a papered-over garden bed And finally, top the paper with mulch. I mulched my bed with three inches of shredded leaves. Shredded wood chips make a fine mulch, too.

More Thoughts

How I Smother Weeds with Newspaper My ornamental plants are delighted with their new, weed-free environment. And I'm happy, too. For I won't have to deal with weeds in this bed for at least one season. Another bed I mulched with newspaper remained weed-free for two years in a row.

as the paper decades, it feeds beneficial soil organisms And here's another great benefit to newspaper mulching. As the paper decomposes, it (and also the shredded mulch) will provide abundant food for beneficial soil organisms. In fact, if you are cursed with crappy, inert soil, try the newspaper routine as described above. Within one year your earth will be teeming with worms and other soil-building friends. My previously-asphalt-paved Rose Garden will prove this to you.

cardboard is a good alternative to newspaper, although it is harder to work with I suspect some of you are wondering if you can use cardboard in place of newspaper. Yes, you can. I like newspaper because it can easily be manipulated to fit around plants.

these days, newspaper ink is non-toxic You might also wonder if I'm afraid of the chemicals used in newspaper ink. No, I'm not. From most accounts I've read, today's newspapers are printed with soy-based ink. Even the glossy pages are coated with a non-toxic material. I have no doubt that the air we breathe contains far worse chemicals than those found in newsprint and cardboard.

If you have a nasty weed-infestation in your own perennial bed, consider smothering the offenders with newspaper (or cardboard). You will no doubt find, as I have, that this arrangement will produce only positive results for you, your soil, and your plants.

Hungry for more? Get my email updates and subscribe to my YouTube channel.