Mulching to retain moisture & suppress weeds
 

Last year I used red mulch, and it was a mess, with the red dye leeching out so I will definitely not be using that stuff again.

My containers range from 5 to 20 gallons and are not SWC's (yet), and I use Miracle-Gro Potting Mix (not moisture control).

Can anyone recommend either pine bark (shredded or nuggets), or shredded hardwood, or even newspaper, or something else?

Thanks!

The Claw

A mulching we will go
 

I like to use 6-8 layers of newspaper to cover the potting mix/soil. I give that a good soaking and then pile on a few inches of shredded leaves that I keep piled up near my garden. It holds in the water quite well and helps in my war on weeds. I've had to pull a couple of weeds every week or so since I started using this plan of attack. Before that I was watering and pulling weeds daily....and sometimes it was like an endless battle against the weeds. At times they seemed to grow back at one end of the garden before I could get to the other end.....and the other end was only ten feet away. :love:

I like to put something down in the way of mulch for my containers, and lots of it. As with any other mulching you'd do elsewhere in the garden, leave a bit of a gap next to the stem. Shredded b&w newsprint works well, but does need to be wet down well immediately after applying, or it will blow away.

Avoid glossy paper as metals and chemicals that you might not care to have in your garden are frequently used to achieve that effect. Colored newsprint is fine if you know the dye used was soy based. Much of it is these days.

Other personal preferences include wheat straw or shredded leaves.

I use wheat straw for a mulch in potted plants. Keeps the top cool but allows air flow. As it decomposes it adds fertility to the soil.