Thursday, February 15, 2007

A Great Tip from Trash Talk: Cardboard Reuse

Cardboard works great for weed control in the yard or garden. Lay out the flattened cardboard first making sure to overlap it by at least six inches. If the weeds are very established or if your weeds are more like small shrubs, do a double or even triple layer to ensure nothing grows through. We found that it is best to wet the cardboard with a sprinkler to soften it before applying the top layer of bark mulch or gravel so the cardboard will settle in and smother all the weeds completely. In as little as one year the cardboard will have composted into a rich loamy soil while the weeds have been killed off by lack of sunlight and air. Simply top off the bark mulch periodically as it too breaks down over the years.

2 comments:

ASK ME HOW I CAN HELP YOU!! said...

another handy hint!
thanks.

Heather said...

Hi, just found this part of your blog and I love it. What a great idea, thanks for all the tips. I have ongoing weed issues with my large garden and have decided to try something new this year. I will get some old windows from my folks' reno and place them flat on the sprouting weeds on a sunny day. The extreme heat of the sun through the glass is supposed to bake the weeds and kill them for good. Each day you just move the windows to a new spot throughout the Spring and (hopefully) soon you should have no more weeds. I have also taken old carpet from renos and placed it upside down in my garden paths to keep weeds down, I cover it with chipped bark or pine needles or what have you so that it doesn't look hideous and it works extremely well. Thanks for this, Mary-Sue.