Did you know that using black and white newspapers as mulch can be a cost-effective option? As newspaper decomposes in your garden it becomes organic matter, making an environmentally friendly way to control the soil temperature, water and growth of pesky weeds! Let’s look at two specific ways newspaper can be used in your garden.
Improve Your Strawberries:
Believe it or not, the shape and color of strawberries can be improved by using newspaper mulch before growth, according to researchers at West Virginia University Extension Service. Source: http://homeguides.sfgate.com
Image courtesy of odanata98
Here’s how to use the newspaper around your strawberries:
1. Plant the strawberries and then water the garden thoroughly.
2. Layer strips of newspaper about 3 inches away from the stem of each plant. Overlap them until they layer about 12 sheets thick, and water the newspaper every 3rd layer to keep entire area moist.
3. At the end of the growing season, remove the newspaper to allow the plants to adjust to the cooler temperatures.
4. Prior to the first predicted frost put down new newspaper just as you did before, except this time coving the entire plant. Also add a few inches of other organic materials such as grass clippings to protect the plants from freezing and thawing throughout the winter.
5. Come spring rake the mulch and then repeat the papering process for the new growing season.
Prevent Weeds:
Did you know newspaper shreddings suppress weed growth and bacterial infections when used as mulch?
Photo courtesy of Dennis Hill
Here’s how to use newspaper to tackle tedious weeds:
1. Make sure your plants are at least 5 inches tall. Shred the newspaper into thin strips (about 1 inch).
2. Remove all weeds currently growing.
3. Add any necessary fertilizer and mix it into the soil.
4. Spread the paper shreddings about 2 inches away from each plant, overlapping them until you have layers of paper measuring about 2 inches thick.
5. For an extra touch, sprinkle a layer of grass on top of the paper mulch to add nitrogen back into the soil.
Make use of your old newspapers this spring and let EnviroShred NW help you take care of shredding the rest your unwanted documents that can’t be used for mulch.
Gardening tips from: homeguides.sfgate.com