On 5/16/10 6:14 PM, virginia_scout wrote:
Mulch shredded newspaper

I was thinking of using shredded newspaper to mulch the strawberry
bed.

Anybody try this? Good idea, bad idea

Bill in VA

For strawberries, you will have to add a little extra nitrogen
fertilizer. As the newspaper decomposes, it will take up nitrogen from
the soil.

I live not far from the Oxnard plain, one of the most important areas in
the U.S. for growing strawberries commercially. The growers generally
use plastic sheets to mulch their beds. The soil is cultivated to
create long, narrow, flat-topped raised beds. The sheets are put down
on the raised area leaving the lower area uncovered for irrigation. The
strawberries are planted through slits or small holes in the sheets.
The plastic sheets reduce the amount of water required for irrigation.
They also keep the berries clean since they never come into contact with
the soil.

I use the output from my office shredder to mulch my camellia bed.
Camellias prefer a lean (low-nutrient) soil, so the impact on soil
nitrogen from decomposing paper is unimportant. The matted paper blocks
many weed seedlings from sending their shoots into the air. It keeps
the soil cool and moist. My camellias and the azaleas planted in front
of them (also preferring a lean soil) seem to thrive with this mulch.

--
David E. Ross
Climate: California Mediterranean
Sunset Zone: 21 -- interior Santa Monica Mountains with some ocean
influence (USDA 10a, very close to Sunset Zone 19)
Gardening diary at http://www.rossde.com/garden/diary