I hate garden weeds. They’re the absolute bane of my existence because it seems that when you’ve managed to (finally) get ahead of them, they find a way to pop up once again. I don’t know about you, but I don’t have enough time in the day for continued garden weed maintenance! If you (like just about every OTHER gardener out there) is tired of trying to control weeds in the garden, I have an incredible garden hack for you! You can use this handy trick to control weeds in your garden…and all while recycling a typical household item!
Are you ready for the big weed control secret? It’s just newspaper! Follow my tips and tricks for a totally weed-free garden!
Believe it or not, but newspaper is a proven method of weed control in any garden. The newspaper suffocates the weeds while still allowing for water and nutrients to penetrate the soil below. It’s an all-natural weed-control method and you’ll wonder what you did without it!
To get started on your weed-killing mission, you’ll need to find plenty of newspaper. You’ll want to use at least two layers in your garden, so ask a neighbor for a few extra, or head to a paper recycling plant!
Before laying the newspapers down, wet the soil with a watering can so the newspapers have something to stick to.
Once you have enough newspaper handy, you will want to lay it directly onto the soil of your garden. Take care to avoid any currently growing plants, but do your best to cover as much surface area as possible with the newspapers, leaving 3 to 4 inches of surface area around the plants that you do not want to get rid of.
Now that your newspaper is laid out and your garden weeds are ready to be controlled, I like to cover the newspaper in another layer of water. Wetting the newspaper again is crucial so it doesn’t blow away in the wind! It would be such a bummer to have to start the entire process over again!
Next, cover the wet layer of newspaper with a layer of mulch, wood chips, or anything else that will keep the newspaper safe from any wind or rain. Just remember that your newspaper won’t stop the spread of weeds if it isn’t there!
And that’s it! Say goodbye to weed-filled garden beds. Gardeners won’t have to worry about removing the newspaper from under the mulch as the newspaper will decompose over time.
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