UF/IFAS Okeechobee County Extension Service

458 Highway 98 North

Okeechobee, FL 34972-2578

Phone: (863) 763-6469

E- mail:  dfculbert@ifas.ufl.edu

Quick Links:   Benefits of mulching   Using newsprint as mulch   Upcoming events   References    

August 10, 2005

Feature Article - for release the week of August 14, 2005

Dan Culbert - Extension Horticulture Agent

Reading up on mulch

Mulch is magic stuff.  It’s anything that can be put down on landscape beds or garden sites to reduce weeds and conserve moisture.  While we don’t have any water shortages right now, there are more than enough weeds to go around.  I asked one of our Master Gardeners, Dick Dutton, to read up on it.

Well read he did, and he came up with a great suggestion for an inexpensive alternative to the plastic sheets, river rock, or ground up cypress trees often purchased for use as mulch.  And according to his sources at Prairie Yard and Garden, answer is in your hands right now - old newspapers can work well as mulch – the subject of this week’s Extension column, written by Master Gardener Dick Dutton.

Mulching is one of the simplest and most beneficial practices you can use in the garden. Mulch is simply a protective layer of a material that is spread on top of the soil. Mulches can either be organic--such as grass clippings, straw, bark chips, and similar materials--or inorganic--such as stones, brick chips, and plastic. Both organic and inorganic mulches have numerous benefits:

Newspapers mulch can be used as a replacement for plastic polyester mulch cloth that is often used a weed barrier between the soil and mulch material. Decorative and functional mulch can be placed on top of the newspapers. 

The process of newspaper mulching is fairly easy to do. Use only the recyclable portions of the newspaper and avoid using any of the shiny paper sections.  This is because some of the color dyes may be harmful to beneficial bacteria and fungi in the soil if composted and used.

Before using newsprint as mulch, soak the newspapers in water - this helps them stay in place - and lay them flat on the ground, overlapping the edges approximately 3 inches. Use a layer at least 5-10 pages thick of paper in order to prevent any light reaching the plants. For particularly tough weed problems or more woody vegetation you may need as many as 30 layers.

For a finished look, and to hold the paper in place, cover the wet newspapers with a 2-4 inches layer of conventional mulch material. If you are using leaves, as mulch, put 6-10 inches over the newspapers.  The covering material may need to be watered down after application to hold in place.

Using the newspaper mulch method, and very little effort, your garden area will be ready for planting that new flower bed or vegetable garden this coming fall.

Next Thursday, August 25th, I will be hosting a workshop, Pond Appeal, for persons who want to the give their pond some help.  This free workshop will be held at our Extension office from 1 to 3 PM.  Pre-registration is required – just call or email our office to reserve a seat for you and anyone else who wants to learn about the finer points of aquatic weed management, aquascaping, and things you can do to make the most out of your pond.

 

Plans are getting underway for our next Master Gardener training class.  Master Gardeners are Extension volunteers that want to help people create a Florida Friendly Landscape.  We are looking for folks that like to help people, but you don’t need to know a whole lot about plants – that’s what our trainees will be learning about during this 10 week course.

Our next class will start on September 7th and run for ten consecutive Wednesdays, until November 9th.  Please call our office for a copy of our “Sprouting Kit” if you are interested – or want to recommend someone who has a willing green thumb.

I’ve placed more information on our Okeechobee web page, http://okeechobee.ifas.ufl.edu.  If you need additional information on mulches, please email us at okeechobee@ifas.ufl.edu or call us at 863-763-6469.  Local residents can stop by our office at 458 Hwy 98 North in Okeechobee, and visit our Okeechobee County Master Gardeners from 1 to 5 PM on Tuesday afternoons.  

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Trade names, where used, are given for the purpose of providing specific information. They do not constitute an endorsement or guarantee of products named, nor does it imply criticism of products not named. The Florida Cooperative Extension Service - Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer authorized to provide research, educational information, and other services to individuals and institutions that function without regard to race, color, sex, age, handicap, or national origin.  Florida Cooperative Extension Service / IFAS / University of Florida.  Larry A.  Arrington, Dean Last update: 08/11/2005 .  This page is maintained by Dan Culbert  Hit Counter

references

Black, R.J. et. al.  Mulches for the Landscape.  ENH 103  Gainesville: Florida Cooperative Extension Service, March, 1994. http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/MG251 

Duryea, Mary.  Landscape Mulches: What Are The Choices in Florida?  FOR 80.  Gainesville: Florida Cooperative Extension Service, January 2001. http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/FR079

 Jarvis, Beth ed. "Newspaper Mulch." Prairie Yard & Garden website. Morris: University of Minnesota, 2/1/05 http://www.mrs.umn.edu/pyg/tips/soil_planting/tip_704.shtml