One of the garden experiments that I have tested this year is newspaper mulch.
It just seems right that anything so full of bad news ought to be recycled into something good.
The old newspaper was cut into large strips about 10 inches or so and feed into my paper shredder. I had to cut the strips so the newspaper would fit into the shredder's mouth and not jam her.
This provided bags of shredded paper to work with.
The next step was to grab a hand full of the shredded paper and dunk it into some water.----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The water makes the newspaper gump up into a mouldable mess that can then be pressed around the plant.
This seedling was my first try back around May 18th with the new mulch.
The newspaper itself and the dye to print it are both organic and will break down naturally with age.---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The dye used is not poisonous. I read it myself on the Internet so it must be true.Here is a fresh batch of wet newspaper mulch applied around the base of this Everglades Tomato.
After it dries some it kind of sticks together in the shape you stuck it down in.
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The newspaper does great to keep water from gouging a hole in the soil when you water the plant it surrounds.
It can be moulded to flow the water toward the plant in the containers center.
The containers that I tried with this mulch have been weed free something I can't say for wood chips . ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 
All things considered this mulch is great and did all the things mulch is supposed to do.
All things considered this mulch is great and did all the things mulch is supposed to do.
Here is a picture of the mulch now that has been in use since May.
It has started breaking down and adding itself to the soil . Can we say organic compost. And as you can plainly see in the picture it now has a consistency somewhere between chopped tobacco leaves from a fine cigar and old dog poop.
My opinion is that shredded newspaper mulch does it all ,aesthetics aside. The best part is it does it for free. This falls right along with one of my first rules of gardening---NEVER PAY CASH WHEN IT'S FREE IN THE TRASH.
-------------------------------------------------------sanddune------------------------------
That looks as though it breaks down very well Sanddune. I would have been nervous that it would not allow water to flow through but maybe the shredding is what makes it work. I find a layer of newspaper in my compost will stop moisture flowing through, so think the trick is to have it wet first and well shredded.
ReplyDeleteThe newspaper mulch idea looks great. I have put shredded newspapers in my compost bin, but I haven't tried it as a mulch. I enjoyed reading your post; you have a good humor - I liked the never pay cash rule. Thanks for stopping by my own blog. I will be checking back with yours to see how your garden grows. Good luck!
ReplyDeletelife.in.the.tropics and Deborah,
ReplyDeleteI have most of my plants in containers because of my sand {can't call it soil} and nematoades in the ground. The containers dry out quickly here in the daily 5-10 kt seabreeze so mulch is important. I put the wet shredded newspaper around the plant like a donut leaving a space open around the plant stem and it directs the water to the plant. It's worked well for me. Test it out for yourself I think you will be pleased. Thank you both for the comments and the kind words.
Hi sanddune, I am leaving this message here, because I'm not sure how often you check your messages at Blotanical. I think your blog deserves recognition, and I am giving you an award, should you choose to accept. You don't have to - don't feel obligated. You can read about it on my post "An award no lizard can give". Happy gardening!
ReplyDelete