The best thing to use is a thick

2022.07.31
why does my kitten chew on everything

The best thing to use is a thick

The best thing to use is a thick layer of coarse material that excludes light but doesnt interfere with water and gas movement. My guess is that you are doing so based on a hunch informed by a combination of your own anecdotal experiences and readings on related topics (see below).

My heritage is 200+ years of farming people, originating in northern hemisphere, yet, being relatively isolated on an island, off the mainland Australia. I have flower beds that were neglected for years, there are many weeds that are very overgrown (annual sow thistles,pokeweed,lots of others.). I would agree with you if you said anecdotal evidence was less-reliable, but irrelevant, no. I was thinking about doing this for a while to start a garden but I dont exactly have cardboard. Without some sort of comparative experimental study you can only guess what your cardboard is doing. Butt suggests that a combination of deep burrowers and surface dwellers may get the best results. Adding an organic mulch will build good rich black soil mostly because it encourages the type of microbial action that retains carbon in the soil while bare soil encourages microbial action that just consumes the carbon turning it into CO2 which ends up back in the atmosphere. They take time, space, and money to do correctly. . Wow, Ive read all of the comments here and the gardeners using the cardboard missed the whole point. Earthworms are often found under objects that help them stay moist and cool while they find things to pull down into their burrows. It really is nothing like cardboard mulch as it covers a very small soil area. I thought about putting down a layer of cardboard, cutting out a 4-inch diameter circle in the center of each square-foot, and planting inside that area. It is up to proponents of a practice or product to demonstrate something works. Yes indeed cardboard mulch reduces gas diffusion more than wood chips do, anybody should be able to figure that out on their own, but so what? It makes sense that lasagna mulching can help create an environment (temp and moisture) that will increase earthworm carrying capacity. I now realize its not the best for soil health (didnt know that at the time), but will that soil health not improve once the cardboard softens and decomposes? I was wondering if the chemicals that are found in cardboard would also be a reason not to use cardboard for mulch. 3) Is there any research (or even anecdotes, haha) on using carpet in the garden? Just now getting caught up. Yes, you will need to pull the chips back to seed. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/315662938_Using_arborist_wood_chips_as_a_landscape_mulch_WSU_Extension_Fact_Sheet_FS160E. None of them should be inhaled, so if you are working around your chip pile its a good idea to wear a mask. Every order means at least one or two oversized boxes that pile up. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/315662938_Using_arborist_wood_chips_as_a_landscape_mulch_WSU_Extension_Fact_Sheet_FS160E?_sg=acoel-UtYrRrzRH87Cw2l66FWOxkPToxyGoJ-E49dIsN5_AZoDQVpM686X0E0SmdRDwgA8dqwzSNJMTKjwTRb5D44618wmHwsnKguXE1.yLe69PXeAqqfONrpigIupt97uEY8nFsdopZztas81Af-JE7A8ti5JkX5QOkp8kqL8z2FZV1uYafapYPdD5nnFQ. You have opened my mind to a new of thinking. It is ridiculously difficult to dig up and incredibly invasive. As you know, WSU volunteers have an obligation to provide science-based information. That is noble. But as a writer, I appreciate the time you spent, and the critique you made. Everything under it was dead dead dead by the time I bothered removing it. 6-8 of wood chips seems like a lot. Hopefully that is good enough for you. In your recent post, you stated, all sheet mulches are going to restrict water and air movement. The cardboard seems a little gentler on the earth, and so much less stressful. Ill look into chip drop. But intact newspaper has not been studied in a comparative way, and given its sheet structure it is going to restrict wate and gas movement to some extent. by that logic evidence of science didnt exist until peer-reviewed journals were created. arborist wood chips) are superior to all sheet mulches we tested in this regard. Yes, @Nolan Archer, we are stopping weeds, and as surprising as it may seem, it works a treat. And some of the other type of coated boxes like butter is often displayed in? However, its a little more complicated than the setup you describe. It provides many valuable nutrients and improves soil structure. Weve just published an article comparing diffusion rates of different mulches. The interview was here: https://awaytogarden.com/reducing-weeds-a-101-on-soil-solarization-with-sonja-birthisel/. Feel free to download this fact sheet.

Thank you! https://pubs.extension.wsu.edu/using-arborist-wood-chips-as-a-landscape-mulch-home-garden-series. That is clearly problematic. August 5 2020: You state: There is no theoretical plant or soil science that would support the use of cardboard, so the additional lack of any practical published evidence means theres nothing that a scientist could use to support the use of cardboard, given the collateral damage imposed on the soil ecosystem (which is totally ignored by gardeners who are solely focused on crop yields). As long as you can isolate the root zone from nearby populations then yes, it will work. I would like to see proponents of the method fund independent research to generate some direct evidence. This entire process is very attractive to nematodes (earthworms and other soil animals), bacteria and fungi, which as they crawl toward and through the cardboard actually open up pockets where gasses and moisture can transfer, both from the atmosphere and from subsoil. Your goal is to eliminate light, not oxygen. Or you could put down the chips just like you were planning to put down the cardboard a mulch donut. I ditto that! We dont have time to clean up science. Sorry to be so late in responding! few. The conclusions are not borne out by the results, which are all over the place. Bark, which many people erroneously call wood chips, dont absorb water and create dry soil conditions below. That will only exacerbate the problem. If you are planting annuals you will have to repeat this process every year. Many layers of cardboard will form incredibly dense forms of mycelial mats which can seed the surrounding soil for years to come with beneficial fungi and encourage processing of all types of pollutants. These articles have convinced me to go with hardwood mulch and the extra weeding necessary. So, a few questions on my mind. Alongside this, If there was a substantial rising demand for woodchip we would find that it would no longer be a free resource, especially if arborists realised they could make a good living out of it. No plant roots, no earthworms, no other oxgyen-requiring organisms. Summercloud, with the friendliest of intentions I would recommend that you refigure your assumption on cardboard that isnt rated for direct food contact. It seems like a lot of people would be interested in the results! If its already breaking down Id just leave it in place. Of course unpublished data is not irrelevant. Yes, we have comments turned on for all our posts but they have to be approved. Its really not an issue! It isnt an option openly promoted in my area. In science, anything reported that is not published in a peer-reviewed journal is anecdotal. Not a scientific experiment. The point of this post and all the others is that you dont *need* the cardboard or newspaper: there is no demonstrated, added benefit published in the literature. Hi Linda. Your iron deficient plants may be collateral damage from excess phosphate. If you introduce woodchip sourced from conifer woodlands to a soil that hasnt been exposed to this substrate before (e.g. You would be surprised how far perennial weeds can extend their root system. Just because it worked for you doesnt make it right. I am one of them. Weeds are called weeds for a reason. We know that fungus breaks down cellulose material, not bacteria. There is no on-off switch for aerobic/anaerobic conditions. Ive only been working with worms for about six years, but the usefulness of cardboard is something I have experienced many times. They are a mulch not soil. Its much easier to add a deficient nutrient than to remove a toxic one. Isnt cardboard full of adhesives and recycled paper that has undergone many industrial processes to make it usable again? Then Ill dump a bunch of mulch on topwith no cardboard! It may be coated as mentioned earlier to improve smoothness. Soil that is disturbed by tillage becomes depleted in carbon (organic matter) and the primary mechanism for that carbon loss is CO2 gas diffusion into the atmosphere. August 6 2020: You state: Anything that reduces oxygen diffusion into the soil will negatively affect the soil ecosystem and the more diverse and complex it is, the bigger the negative impact.. The wood chip layer is not permanent its broken down by fungi, which are necessary for healthy root growth. Having a combined treatment of cardboard plus chips is two variables.

You can check by pulling it back and if the turf simply falls apart, its ready. We were thinking of employing a sheet mulch approach to reclaim a large shady garden area located between our driveway and our house that had become overrun with invasive English ivy and vinca before we purchased the house, but reading information about sheet mulching like youve presented here has me second guessing. Are you aware of anything scientific that shows cardboard is detrimental to plants or soil life? It is a sheet method that breaks down over time, returning the gas concentrations to their pre-sheet norms. Thanks in advance. Ive also left cardboard in my driveway and it got rained on and when I moved it, I found worms under the cardboard, on top of the pavement. As oxygen content decreases, stress on living soil components increases as well, making them more susceptible to pests and disease. So its good to block CO2 gas diffusion to the atmosphere to some extent because a CO2 build up and lowering O2 in the soil suppresses the action of microbes that are just turning carbon into CO2 and encourages other soil microbes like Fungi that build soil organic matter that doesnt just end up back in the atmosphere. She conducts research in applied plant and soil sciences, publishing the results in scientific articles and university Extension fact sheets. Is there a published research paper somewhere that Ive missed? Yet you have no direct evidence yourself at the moment for why lasagna mulching doesnt. Lindas contribution to gardeners was recognized in 2017 by the Association for Garden Communicators as the first recipient of their Cynthia Westcott Scientific Writing Award. These are vigorously invasive plants that spread by underground rhizomes. Great questions regarding mulch depths. (gulp) AND THEN TONIGHT, AN UNUSUAL VISITOR, a single solitary (mole) CRICKET. You can email me for a pdf file. However, the disagreement appears solely to be between published science and anecdotal experience. After reading your entries, Ive come up with this what do you think? Using 20% acetic acid try to kill the really nasty weeds. Some local people lost a bunch of trees just that way, so its out of my comfort zone, even though Im aware of the benefits. If you look at the photo at the bottom of this post (https://gardenprofessors.com/mulch-murder-misinformation/) you will see what such experimental setups look like. Its not growing. 2) To keep grass and perennials from regrowing, you need much more. ) I am older than him and cut my teeth on scientific journals and history. 3 months ago, I put cardboard on hard dry ground on top of a hill, and covered it with 12 inches of leaves. Your study is for sixteen days. Soil life moves in horizontally from unaffected areas..

Fritz, if I was going to use cardboard I would grab it from workI work in a bakery and there are big pieces of plain cardboard that are used with pallets. Thanks for letting me know, Chris. The great interest in cardboard as a mulch should be supported by going behind the paywall. When and if someone publishes research on lasagna mulches, Ill be more than happy to read it. We have tried physically removing the plants in the past, but they seem to come back with a vengeance, so we have obviously been unsuccessful at removing all root material. Amazon boxes that are easy to tear and fall apart when damp means okay for the soil but for keeping weeds out, not so much. You say there is nothing to support the use of cardboard so I guess you may subscribe to that view. The local landfill offers free compost, but its created from the yard waste they collect and I have concerns that it likely includes a wide range of pesticides and herbicides that people use on their lawns. I echo So Cold Design and Photographys contention regarding your contradictions. Hi Doug ), Thank you! If I layer arborist chips down, when it is time to sow the seeds, do I remove the chips? Its taught me a lotI previously commented about having used carpet as a weed-suppressant and you strongly advised against doing so again. Dear Linda, from these comments I can see that many people take your advice and as you are a revered scientist they trust your expertise and credentials. Not all compost is created equal. In my environment, once wood chips are dry they become hydrophobic and repel water. Thats what pre-emergent herbicdes will do. The waste generated is recycled into products that will feed nutrients back into your soil for planting perennials and edibles, as well as helping convert a lawn into a garden. I started shredding corrugated with little to no ink for mulch and it looks like it will be helpful but then I paused because of literature that cites toxicity. But there is solid evidence that no mulch will change the pH of soil. Even with lots of money, the scientific evidence is sometimes swayed toward a preferred outcome (ask Monsanto). First, take arborist chips and lay them down. He states an important point in that whatever approach is made, a gardener should consider two things (1) providing material for the worms to eat whether organic or mineral and (2) providing an environment that fosters ideal conditions stabilization of temperature and moisture. oh wait. He does not to claim his tests are scientific although I thought he controlled most of the obvious variables well. Yes their experiences are, on the continuum of experimentation, singular (i.e.

The nematodes, protozoa, bacteria and fungi that form the soild food web are even more vulnerable to changes in oxygen and moisture levels than the plants and critters you *can* see. Thank you in advance for your feedback. Literally after months of frustration due to being un-able to transport FREE flattened cardboard boxes in order to lay no-dig garden beds (Im 60 years young), and prior to reading this, I had a breakthrough today after swallowing pride and seeking help from local recycler who will deliver a ute load, in. First off, ignore the advice from extension. Correct? OMRI listed products undergo review to ensure that they comply with national organic standards. Demonstration gardens are fine, but they should be labeled as such and without any suggestion that they are better than any other approach. Interior soil conditions are always more moderate than those at the surface: cooler in hot weather, moister in dry weather, and so on. How do earthworms compete with your plants ? I am trying to consider the bigger ecological picture, rather than the experimental scientific minutiae. Ive been using a couple of techniques. Wood chips absorb and release water like a sponge. I just wanted to find out if using cardboard as a weed barrier would work. Linda, I have been told by garden experts that your principles, as explained here do not apply to gardening in the tropics. Im talking from my non-scientific but practical experience. Is that a good idea? Have you conducted any scientific experiments or used apparatus to confirm lower levels of DO under the cardboard or is this still just at the scientific hypothesis stage? She also is one of the Garden Professors a group of academic colleagues who educate and entertain through their blog and Facebook pages. That will be published this year. Hi Linda. The function of science is not to disprove anything (though often it does). I cant post the entire article because of copyright. For instance: Tams and Bubn found that black polyprop maintained soil moisture the most successfully (this could obviously be a mixed blessing with regard to the gas and moisture movement you are rightly concerned about); Litzow & Pellett found that plastic was among three of the mulches that resulted in the largest percentages of tree growth; and in Siipilehtos article sheet mulching (not sure what plane waste is but the others were plastic fibre and newspaper which may or may not resemble cardboard) was superior for weed suppression and sheet mulched aspen trees were significantly larger than the controls and those given the other treatments. Diffusion rate needs far more correlation to soil life before I can make that connection. Similarly wood chips are tough and take time to break down. There is no comparison to apparent plant and soil health with and without cardboard. i had been watching No Dig Gardening channel on Youtube with Charles Dowding all winter and was really just about to sheet mulch a large area of my yard with cardboard. Try leaving a cardboard box outside in the rain and does it not become saturated? If so, it will be very difficult to control. But, leaves are less so arent they? I digress (often) but tonight being a blustery, wild & wet winters night (perfect conditions in coming days to lay the board down), typical here on the coast. Once this is done, then you can mow and mulch with a population that has limited underground reserves. At the end of the season I plan to take the cardboard up and let nature do its thing in the FallI let the leaves fall and dont clean up until spring. Hi Matt This blog is science-based, so thats what we focus on. Take a look at this recent post that discusses this: http://gardenprofessors.com/a-tale-of-two-weeders-lessons-in-managing-aggressive-perennial-weeds/, As a manufacturer of cardboard products, I feel I need to clear up some of your unsubstantiated claims about that substrate. Hi Dr. Chalker- Scott, have you found evidence that mulching with cardboard cardboard raises the PH in your soil; therefore, binding the nutrients in the soil? By importing woodchip from further afield Id be concerned about the embodied energy used in its supply. You can, of course, do whatever you choose. The bonus is that, when I dig and find cardboard, I know the dead vines are there and I should just be careful (the oil on the vines lasts at least 18 months after the vine dies). I do think it is crucial not to overload the area with organic materials, but all I know is that there is a crap ton of worms when I dig around. Thanks for including some practical drawbacks. Its hardly a mulch thats going to nurture soil life.. Might you say something about this. Over time you will see your weeding become much reduced, with just some recalitrant patches to manage. I dont have much experience with the cardboard causing problems. Ironically I have used this method because in fact I do want earthworms to help my garden. You are never doing only one thing in gardening (or any act for that matter), so it is very important to think about the short, medium and long term effects of sheet mulching; which by and large have many more advantages than perceived problems. I agree completely and proponents of the practice are best suited for providing funding for the research. Is there such a bitch hing as best mulch? But until then it is an unsubstantiated method with some significant potential drawbacks. I did wonder about the suffocation and upset to insect habitat (thankyou cricket) it is a big area. It comes up through just about anything. ???? Available in bulk from vendors in the Marketplace. Wow. You need to be able to isolate the area from invasion at least until your desirable plants have successfully colonized the area. I was originally going to comment that performing research on this shouldnt require grants of hundreds of thousands of dollars, but when I considered the intervening and confounding variables I thought otherwise. Even food grade cardboard containers (like pizza boxes) have had issues with chemicals used in their manufacture that led to the FDA banning the use of some chemicals. They need to establish into the site soil. Or would it be better to reach out to gardeners in other parts of the country? I guess the cardboard would work for a while, and then it decomposes, and youd be left in this situation regardless. Davids example of restoration work is a good illustration of the influence of field conditions that are difficult to replicate in a lab. How do you address this? Hate to wait that long with plastic on the back yard really not practical with the amount of wildlife we have. Hi, I appreciate your blog and professional approach to research and conclusions of the issues discussed. After two years I removed the plastic and found happy healthy morning glory root systems! This is insulting to the many hard-working researchers in the sciences everywhere. Then its not bark. He would have to have a well designed experiment and collect the data correctly. You have no evidence to base this kind of statement on, and if it were true that would mean that NOTHING grew in Alberta until smart people came along and sheet mulched the province. Wood chips + cardboard (the same as used above) How do we know what level of gas permeability is adequate for maintaining a healthy soil life? Not true. Right now there is NO published research, whatsoever, on cardboard mulches. Pete. Well, it depends on whether you want to follow science-based practices or not. And to be clear, its not my logic about worms its whats in the scientific literature. Regardless of the type of proper mulch used, you can always leave bare areas that are not prone to weeds. Bark mulch does. It also kills plant roots, earthworms, and so on. Termites like wood chips just fine, its not just a cardboard thing. Real soil systems dont just have microbes; there are all sorts of larger animals, as well as plant roots. Hi Will I went through three MG programs in three states, so appreciate your attention to detail as well as the patience you clearly have demonstrated. Next, mow that stuff right down to the ground and then heap on the wood chips as deep as you can at least 6 but you can go even deeper if you have the chips. Kudos to you for the thought and effort you put in to all your replies! I couldnt find anything that reviewed the results of 4 versus 12 for example. Grab a handful and smell the compost. or which cases call for more than 4. In the US the soil organic matter content of virgin soils was often in the 10%-12% range. Your study covers 16 days. I love reading gardening memoirs, and boy, there was a lot of crazy technique that was supposedly environmentally friendly even just 20 years ago!

Cardboard will decompose, but oxygen is needed for the process. B Flute cardboard comes in rolls (3-6 ft. wide) and is an ideal layer for sheet mulching to convert a lawn and/or suppress weeds. Its a continuum. But cardboard is still a useful addition to a compost pile as a source of carbon no? I have experienced first hand the rapid decomposition of cardboard as we build our gardens 12-24 high and make sure the layers are well watered. If you have adjacent rhizomatous plants, there is no mulch that will keep it out. ON the other hand, arborist chips maintain the highest soil moisture. No-till is preferable. Do you not think that since there are no peer-reviewed papers on the subject of cardboard as a mulch then it would be difficult to draw any conclusion about its effectiveness? The only guarantee you will have is that the weeds will grow like crazy around the outside edge of the cardboard and any overhead irrigation will be reading them, not your new transplants. Great article with some peer reviewed studies to back up the claims. Cardboard is meant to last otherwise Amazon would have a tough time shipping things in inclement weather. Is it a Sophies Choice of the plant world? ^_~.

For many people in Alberta dealing with heavy clay, sheet mulching or building up is the only way they are able to get anything growing. Then submit it for publication in a peer-reviewed journal. Is it a better option or not at all Thanks for your response. Wood chips will promote this activity.