Polk County Master Gardeners
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Magical Mulch
Mulch? Magical? Well, maybe that’s overstating it a bit, but it certainly
does a lot for you. Cuts down the need for water, gives you at least a fighting
chance to keep the weeds in check, and improves the soil texture.
The Master Gardener projects here in Mena have used a combination of wet
newspaper and wood chips. The procedure is to get the beds in good condition
with the soil loose and deep, add fertilizer, and (if necessary) correct the
acidity. Then wet the papers. We found a wheelbarrow works fine - just open the
papers so they’re several sheets thick, stack them in the wheelbarrow, and turn
the hose on them. Then lay them on the beds, overlapping the pages slightly so
all the soil is covered. While they are still wet, spread a couple of inches of
wood chips over the paper. If you let the newspapers dry, they’ll be blowing all
over the neighborhood.
After the mulch is in place, you can dig right through it and the papers with
a hand trowel to set plants in place. If you happen to have plants already in
the bed you want to mulch, lay the newspapers as close to the plant as you can
and then spread the mulch all around.
You will still have weed seeds germinating, but it is easy to pull them up
while they are small and before they get their roots down through the newspaper.
When the mulch decays, it will enrich the soil and improve its texture.
There are any number of other materials you can use for mulch such as
hardwood, cypress, pine bark and cedar mulches, straw blankets, or lava rocks,
but wood chips are one of the least expensive. Check with lumber yards in your
area - wood chips are often a byproduct that you can buy fairly cheaply.
And spend more time smelling your roses and less pulling your weeds.
By Barbara M. Tobias
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