"Romy Beeck" wrote in message
...

"Romy Beeck" wrote in message
...
No one has still told me about using stone instead of paper. Will the
newspaper work under stone as good as newspaper. I don't like mulch as
much
as stone becouse you have to had more mulch every year. thank you

DID I SCREW THAT ONE UP...Let me start again...Will stone work on paper
as
good as mulch?


Will stones hold the paper down? - yes. Is it as good as mulch? - no. Either
way, the paper will tend to supress the development of weeds until it
finally breaks down. But newspaper covered with a layer of organic mulch is
an excellent way to clear an area of weeds for later planting - you simply
just till it all under. Can't do that with stones and when the newspaper
does finally break down after a few months, the weeds will be back and they
will be harder to remove from the stones than they would from a loose layer
of mulch. Adding mulch each season or annually is a GOOD thing, specially
if you use a compost - replenishes and continually adds to the organic
matter in the soil, helps to conserve soil moisture in summer (something
stone does very inefficiently) and is more effective at supressing weeds.
Plus, it just looks better, specially when the choice is something like
those red lava rocks.

pam - gardengal