PSA: Started laying down cardboard under mulch to stop weeds

Haven't seen a single one pop through in weeks and it's saving my back big time.

3 comments

3 Comments

Cardboard works great until you get a really wet season. It breaks down super fast if the ground stays damp, and then you're back to square one with weeds. I had better luck with a few layers of plain newspaper or the brown contractor paper from the hardware store. Those seem to last a bit longer before rotting away. Just something to keep in mind depending on your local weather.

the_patricia3d ago

Note that newspaper doesn't always hold up better in wet weather. From my experience, it can break down just as fast as cardboard when the ground stays damp, @kim_mitchell43. Maybe the trick is to use a thicker layer or add more mulch on top.

the_quinn3d ago

Yeah the wet season breakdown kim mentioned is so real. I did the cardboard thing in my backyard last spring and it worked amazing until we got those heavy August rains. Basically turned to mush in like six weeks flat. What finally worked for me was the cheap landscape fabric from the garden center, the woven kind not the felt. It let water through but nothing came up, and it's held up for two full years now. Just had to really weight it down with a thick layer of mulch so it wouldn't show.