Control weeds with cardboard

[Chuck]

I had been to a lake resort recently and near the parking are is a big vegetable garden. The plots are covered with black plastic that has holes where the plants are - eggplant, bitter gourd, string beans and other vegetables. When I asked the caretaker why the black plastic covering of their plots, he said that weeds are discouraged to grown with that black plastic covering so they are saved from the chore of weeding.

Plastic sheeting is used in gardens where it is very cold to warm up the soil in the spring. It is used in hot sunny weather to solarize the soil, that is to kill all plants, seeds, insects and unfortunately the micro-organisms in the soil too. I would guess in the Philippines where it is hot that the soil temperature under black plastic would be in excess of 60C, not a good place to be if you were living in the soil.

 

[Corzhens]

Plastic sheeting is used in gardens where it is very cold to warm up the soil in the spring. It is used in hot sunny weather to solarize the soil, that is to kill all plants, seeds, insects and unfortunately the micro-organisms in the soil too. I would guess in the Philippines where it is hot that the soil temperature under black plastic would be in excess of 60C, not a good place to be if you were living in the soil.

You may be right on that. I first saw those plastic sheeting (so that is the correct term, thank you for the info) in Baguio City, there in the strawberry farm. That place has a cool temperature of 80 F at the most and it sometimes goes down to near zero during January and February. So I guess that plastic sheeting is okay there but not here in our place where it is very tropical. But maybe I want to experiment on it someday.

 

[Daren]

I guess it is a cool way of recycling so in that sense a good tool but. I personally would not like to see cardboard everywhere. I'd rather see weeds In my garden than cardboard. In some gardens I look after, cardboard go's in the compost bin, where it recycles the cardboard in the compost bin till it is no longer resembling bored and has become compost. That's when I'd put it on the garden. I Think its fun & educational to see what weeds come up & what they are. Some weeds turn out to be often plants of worth in the garden anyhow( If not ornamentally then as a food source ) I love a bit of chickweed in my sandwich & Nettles in my soup hehe & Ground elder is a great all round winner in the kitchen to lol, Hairybittercress, mint, and more . Come to think of it If you have not got weeds in you garden to eat come round and eat me weeds guys they are great!!!!!!!!!!Ps bring a fork I got Burdock & Horseradish growing wild too!!!!! Just don't eat that Giant hogweed as it will turn you to compost lol You would be better off munching on cardboard to be honest hehe

 

[majorcatfish]

there's a mom and pop strawberry operation that has a machine that hills/lays soaker hose/black plastic all in one and another tractor with workers riding in back slitting and burying the strawberries plants. we love going there in the spring and pick a couple gallons at a time, the only place it's green is between the rows....

have thought of doing that in the watermelon bed....

 

[emeraldnights]

Years ago, my husband finally agreed to help me plant a garden. He had grown up on a farm and had worked the garden all his life. I think he thought when he got married he'd get a break from that, ha! He tilled the garden, planted the seeds and then used newspapers around the plants. I believe he put mulch or hay over it? I had never heard of doing this but I have to say our garden did fantastic and we never had any issues with weeds. Evidently this was the way his parents raised him to do it.

 

[Molly Gene]

My neighbor swears by grass clippings. Every time they mow the yard, they pack a thick layer of grass clippings into the beds around the flowers. Its a lot of work, but it seems to solve the problem. It also works as a nice mulch and it decomposes nicely into the soil.

 

[Caribbean girl]

I've never tried it and I don't think I ever will. Cardboard doesn't look nice at all. I'd much rather let
little weeds grow than cover the space with something so ugly.

I don't think I have ever heard of controlling weeds with cardboard before, but I do agree that it would not look very nice especially in one's front garden or where it is in high visibility. I too would prefer to see the weeds grow so long as they do not get too tall and unsightly. I think I would just let nature run its course and have the weeds cut when they start to look untidy.

 

[Vinaya]

I don't think cardboard can control weeds. In the beginning cardboard will block air, water and sunlight for the weeds and the weeds begin to dry, however, soon cardboard begins to decompose which provides some sort of organic fertilizer to the weed. A good way to control weed is by uprooting as soon as you see it.