Covering weeds/grass with newspaper!!

Has anyone tried this, apparently it makes a very good 'mulch'

Val

 

I have used cardboard box (i.e. a box dismantled into square "panels") with a split cut from one side to the middle and slipped that around young shrubs to stop weeds growing under them. Then covered the cardboard with rotted manure (only mulch I had to hand). The cardboard and manure all rotted down (although the cardboard, applied in the Spring, lasted two Summer seasons). Worked pretty well. Newspaper would just blow about unless weighted down - and anything organic on top would mean that the paper was moist enough to rot in a short time I would think.

Woven weed suppressing fabric will last much longer and do a much better job ... its plastic though :(

Old carpet does a good job, but personally I would only ever use that on a hedge (or perhaps on the base of a tree) as it is an absolutely nightmare to remove. Definitely wouldn't use it on the Veg patch as I have no confidence that the Plasticisers wouldn't get into the subsequent food crops.

 

I meant to weigh it down, was thinking of using it under a membrane to make sure the weeds/grass didn't come back again,

Val

 

I have tried both newspaper (thoroughly soaked) and also cardboard (again, soaked thoroughly).

With the newspaper, I still had nettles and mare's tail come through

I've only just used the cardboard, so I'll have to get back to you on that one.

 

My friend has a huge drive which she wanted to gravel, she laid old carpets begged stolen or borrowed from skips, and it did a fair job, there are weeds now, but easily pulled up as the roots are not in the ground.