landscape fabric v. plastic--blight avoidance - Page 2

PaulF · February 10, 2010

Over the years I have tried all of the above with varying success. Landscape fabric covered by straw seemed to work well. Last year I put newspaper and covered it with straw. Since I work a day a week at the local newspaper, the left over papers were cheap (free). Results were mixed. Fabric was better, but that was in an ideal year. Newspaper was cheaper.

This year I am going to try the newspaper/straw again only this time I am going to get the end rolls ... the newsprint rolls are 36" wide and maybe 25' to 40' long. I am going to roll it out, weigh the roll down, wet it a little and then put straw on top. We'll see.

Blueaussi · February 11, 2010

Paul, do you use several layers of newspaper? I've used it as a mulch, and the only complaint I had was that it broke down well before the end of the season, and the weeds started taking over. I debated putting thicker layers, but I don't know if that would make any difference. I usually use some sort of cheap landscape fabric. I can get several years use out of most of them.

PaulF · February 11, 2010

I used about four pages and had no breakdown or weed growth especially with the straw on top. The years using fabric was the best so far as weed control. The cheap stuff lasted one year and the good stuff was good for three.

dice · February 14, 2010

Some people have used rolls of used carpeting (Craig's List,
etc) and just cut it to whatever width they wanted. I expect
that slugs will like almost any mulch as protection from the
sun.

(I go through a lot of Sluggo-type slug bait every year.
My most effective remedy was putting something sticky in a
one-foot-diameter ring around the base of tomato plants and
then covering that with slug killer. The sticky stuff needs to
set up hard enough to keep squirrels from stealing the
grain-and-iron-phosphate slug bait, which they find a tasty
snack out here, yet be biodegradeable over the winter. I
dislike silicone for this, although one could cut the ring and
just peel it off at the end of the season. Plaster of paris and
traditional, cheap mortars are ok, because they do get hard
enough to keep the slug bait in place, yet you can just turn
them into the soil at the end of the year, no harm done.
I would avoid those fancy polymer reinforced, drying time
chemically adjusted mortars and grouts for tile, etc, for this.)

yotetrapper · February 14, 2010

I was under the assumption landscape fabric needed to be covered in order to prevent rapid deterioration. Those of you using it as a mulch, do you cover it with something?

Blueaussi · February 14, 2010

Yes, I cover the weed cloth. I use everything from purchased pine bark to hay to leaves to whatever else is to hand.

bughunter99 · February 14, 2010

For a garden where looks matter (evil homeowners associations), landscape fabric covered by cocoa bean mulch looks great, keeps soil completely off the leaves and weed are zero. It's pricey though, probably not an option for really big beds.

February 10, 2010	#16
PaulF Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Brownville, Ne Posts: 3,296	Over the years I have tried all of the above with varying success. Landscape fabric covered by straw seemed to work well. Last year I put newspaper and covered it with straw. Since I work a day a week at the local newspaper, the left over papers were cheap (free). Results were mixed. Fabric was better, but that was in an ideal year. Newspaper was cheaper. This year I am going to try the newspaper/straw again only this time I am going to get the end rolls ... the newsprint rolls are 36" wide and maybe 25' to 40' long. I am going to roll it out, weigh the roll down, wet it a little and then put straw on top. We'll see. __________________ there's two things money can't buy; true love and home grown tomatoes.

February 11, 2010	#18
PaulF Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Brownville, Ne Posts: 3,296	I used about four pages and had no breakdown or weed growth especially with the straw on top. The years using fabric was the best so far as weed control. The cheap stuff lasted one year and the good stuff was good for three. __________________ there's two things money can't buy; true love and home grown tomatoes.

February 14, 2010	#19
dice Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: PNW Posts: 4,743	Some people have used rolls of used carpeting (Craig's List, etc) and just cut it to whatever width they wanted. I expect that slugs will like almost any mulch as protection from the sun. (I go through a lot of Sluggo-type slug bait every year. My most effective remedy was putting something sticky in a one-foot-diameter ring around the base of tomato plants and then covering that with slug killer. The sticky stuff needs to set up hard enough to keep squirrels from stealing the grain-and-iron-phosphate slug bait, which they find a tasty snack out here, yet be biodegradeable over the winter. I dislike silicone for this, although one could cut the ring and just peel it off at the end of the season. Plaster of paris and traditional, cheap mortars are ok, because they do get hard enough to keep the slug bait in place, yet you can just turn them into the soil at the end of the year, no harm done. I would avoid those fancy polymer reinforced, drying time chemically adjusted mortars and grouts for tile, etc, for this.) __________________ -- alias

February 11, 2010	#17
Blueaussi Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: South Carolina Zone 8a Posts: 1,205	Paul, do you use several layers of newspaper? I've used it as a mulch, and the only complaint I had was that it broke down well before the end of the season, and the weeds started taking over. I debated putting thicker layers, but I don't know if that would make any difference. I usually use some sort of cheap landscape fabric. I can get several years use out of most of them.

February 14, 2010	#20
yotetrapper Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Oakland MS Posts: 231	I was under the assumption landscape fabric needed to be covered in order to prevent rapid deterioration. Those of you using it as a mulch, do you cover it with something?

February 14, 2010	#22
bughunter99 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: zone 5 Posts: 821	For a garden where looks matter (evil homeowners associations), landscape fabric covered by cocoa bean mulch looks great, keeps soil completely off the leaves and weed are zero. It's pricey though, probably not an option for really big beds.