On Thu, 22 Apr 2004 21:08:09 +1000, "Fran"
wrote:

"Al Dykes" wrote in message
I've seen references to spreading a couple pages of old
newspaper out as ground cover for weed control. I have my doubts
about how rain water seeps thru the paper. Is it fast enough ?

piggy backing here.. ..

When you use newspaper for weed control, it's to keep seedling weeds
from growing. It won't do a whole lot to stop strong perennial weeds,
but not even professional weed barriers do a lot there. If you make
sure the soil is adequately moist before you apply *any* mulch, the
mulch will help keep it moist. If you put a mulch over dry soil, it
will help keep it dry.

Once your ground is well watered.. and if in doubt .. choose an area
to sample and dig down and see how far you have to go before hitting
dry soil... and .. hope you do NOT hit anything dry. If you do, then
I'd put a sprinkler out there and water the area Heavily, let it sit
for at LEAST half an hour, an hour would be better so long as it's not
pooling or running off. Let it soak in, and move the sprinkler over
and water there for however long you have determined you can leave it
there before it pools up or runs off.. and water the entire area
you're going to garden and the adjoining area a bit so it doesn't suck
up the water away from the garden area. Do it again the next day.. it
won't take as long .. keep watering it until you figure it's going to
be damp down for feet not inches.. wait a day or so for it to get all
distributed. Check again in new spots near where it was dry before,
but not in the same hole because that soil will be all muddy more than
likely .. check or.. if you think you have done all you can.. THEN
soak any newspaper you want to u se, put wet paper on wet soil.. do
whatever it is you want to do with it.. then once that's done, yes
mulch it before it has a chance to dry out, it will keep much of that
moisture in. Then rain, watering that's lighter but steady will allow
water to pass through the mulch through the newspaper and into the
ground keeping it moist. Large amounts of water in a short period of
time is going to run off pretty much any ground, but one thing that
will happen once your ground is moist and you have mulch..like grass
clippings or anything they think is yummy, worms WILL move up through
that paper, and into the mulch so they will provide pathways for water
to move into the soil, with or without mulch or newspaper as long as
the soil is moist and there is food for them, they will come! ;-) By
then though, your desired crop will have grown enough to be able to
shade out weeds, and to compete with any that may start off to the
sidelines. The paper will have done its job, and become part of the
soil itself.

Janice

That depends on where you live and the climate you have. Where I live we
are now into the third year of a drought, newpaper controls the weeds in my
paths quite brilliantly. I lay down wads of newspaper which I wet by
dunking in a plastic bucket full of water. I lay these directly on top of
grass or weeds then spread sawdust or wood shaving on top.

The newpaper is long lasting and I seldom bother to look under it. When I
have looked under it, the soil is moist but probably from the runoff of
water underground from surrounding vegetable beds.

If I punched holes with a pitchfork it seems to me that
the paper would shred and blow away.

Why would punching holes int he paper do anything except make holes.
Surely you wouldn't lay the newpaper without planning to lay something over
the top of it to stop it blowing away anyway??????????

Punching holes will not by itself cause the paper to do anything except sit
there with holes in it. Wind causes paper to blow away and that will happen
if it is hole punched or not hole punched and it will certainly happen if no
mulch is applied. If you mulch the paper then it won't blow away or shred
until the mulch itself is either moved, rots or is blown away. Your muclh
on top of the paper is almost as important as the barrier you plan to create
with the newpaper. All the newspaper has to do is to exclude light for long
enough for the weeds or weed seeds below to give up the ghost.