Mulch on the Brain
This is going to be either an extraordinarily BORING or perty durn HANDY post, depending on your interest in gardening + weeds + mulch.
Today, I find myself obsessed with mulch. That’s right: chewed up, rotted, and wilted organic matter.
In due time, you’ll know every annoying detail…about my new adventure at Sunshine Community Gardens. 
For now…prepared to be bored or interested in:
Article: “Weeds ~ Friends or Foe? Mulching Methods”
Link: http://www.ghorganics.com/page24.html
Discussion: “pros & cons: leaf mulch vs wood mulch”
Link: http://forums2.gardenweb.com/forums/load/soil/msg0721070127139.htm
Organic gardening tips from: organic.lovetoknow.com
If you don’t feel like pulling weeds but don’t want to use a lot of chemicals on your garden, there are some other organic options:
- Boiling water: It is said that pouring boiling water on weeds will kill the weeds as well as the seeds. Just be careful not to get any on you, or on the plants that you want to keep!
- Mulch: Not only can mulch help prevent weeds from growing in the first place, mulching can smother and kill existing weeds. Two or three inches of mulch will eliminate weeds and help hold water in your garden’s soil.
- Soapy water: Another method is adding about five tablespoons of liquid dish soap to four cups of water. Mix it up, put it in a spray bottle and spray on the weeds, preferably on hot days.
- Alcohol spray: You can do the exact same thing with four cups of water and between one and five tablespoons of alcohol, depending on the stubbornness of the weeds.
- Vinegar: Undiluted vinegar is a great choice for killing weeds. Put it in a spray bottle and use on weeds, being careful not to spray your plants, because it can kill them, too.
- If you’re looking for how to kill weeds before they sprout, try cornmeal gluten. It’s a great pre-emergent herbicide that also adds nitrogen to the soil. This is a particularly good choice for lawns because it won’t hurt the existing grass.
Snippet from article: “Mulching as an aid in weed control”
Link: http://www.thegardenhelper.com/weeds.html
Mulching is an extremely effective aid in controlling weeds, especially the annual varieties. Mulching also provides the additional benefits of conserving soil moisture, keeping the soil at a more uniform temperature, preventing erosion, and creating a more attractive garden appearance. A good mulch prevents the light from reaching the seeds which are sprouting at soil level. This lack of light prevents the seedlings from becoming established, and before they can reach sunlight, most will die.
A thick layer of organic mulch such as grass clippings, leaves, garden bark or other such materials is the best choice. Spreading one of these organic mulches several inches thick, throughout the garden will greatly aid in your weeding efforts, as well as improving the soil as it decomposes over time.
Synthetic mulches such as black polyethylene film or the commercially available ‘weed blocker’ mulches are also effective methods of weed control.
Weed blocker mulch material is the better of these two choices in most situations, because it allows the water and air to pass through, while blocking light. Weed blocker comes in rolls of different widths and sizes. It is easily cut to fit between rows and around plantings. A layer of garden bark is all that is needed to hide the cloth and add protection and beauty to the garden. Unfortunately, many perennial weeds will take advantage of the available air and water. Weeds which spread by runners or rhizomes may eventually manage to emerge from the edges of the mulch.
Black polyethylene film works well as a mulch in some cases. Because it blocks all light, and water, and air, it is perhaps the best choice for pathways and areas where you want nothing to grow. Even the toughest perennial weeds will eventually perish, thanks to this mulch. It is easily cut to fit, and when covered with landscaping bark or other decorative material, it will look great and prevent most weeds, for a long time.
Poly film traps a considerable amount of heat, and does not allow water to penetrate, so it should not be used around your perennials and flowering shrubs. It is useful between the planting rows of many vegetable crops which thrive in warm soil, such as tomatoes, eggplant, or melons.
