Weed control - whats your mulch process?

[isuhunter]

In previous years I have used grass clipping to mulch my garden. Well I bought a new mower and haven't invested in a bagger yet.

So - I'm curious what everyone does for weed control/mulch?

[jmsieglaff]

Straw. I buy chopped straw in a plastic 'bale' at the hardware store and also save the straw bale we use in the fall for decoration.

[oakley]

Seedless mulching straw. Buy one big bale every Spring from my local Nursery that also has a
landscaping business. Very light, good coverage. Grass clippings are too dense for my climate. It
forms a heavy choking mass when wet. Weekly thunderstorms are common here.

[b54red]

I mulch the heck out of everything. I hate weeding. I used to use grass clippings and straw but down here in our heat the grass clippings just dried up to nothing too fast and constantly needed more replenishing than my yard could provide. Straw just got way too expensive down here. I still use straw in my compost but I'm lucky if I can find it for 6 dollars a square bale.

I now use mostly cypress mulch which is reusable and pine bark. They are both dense enough to hold in moisture well and suppress weeds very well. The cypress mulch with its light color is also great for keeping the soil cooler under my late tomato plantings that have to survive and set fruit in temps well over 90 degrees.

Bill

[brownrexx]

I cover my entire garden with a think layer of straw in the Fall and then in the Spring I just pull it back in the areas where I want to plant. I add more straw as needed to keep the garden mulched.

[AlittleSalt]

I use dried oak leaves. We have a lot of oak trees, so leaves are free and they do a good job at keeping the weeds away and cools the ground some.

[jtjmartin]

I use whatever I can source for free. Last year a neighbor had pine needles bagged up. It makes a wonderful mulch. I always mulched, but TVers encouraged me to go 4-6 inches deep. Weeding took about 5 minutes a week.

This year it's aged mulched leaves that I picked up curbside in the Fall.

[ako1974]

Originally Posted by oakley

Seedless mulching straw. Buy one big bale every Spring from my local Nursery that also has a
landscaping business. Very light, good coverage. Grass clippings are too dense for my climate. It
forms a heavy choking mass when wet. Weekly thunderstorms are common here.

+1, but I do use grass clippings as well, especially later in the summer when they dry more quickly.

[Cole_Robbie]

I use plastic mulch for the rows, and then I run a weed-eater down the walkways. The grass sod between my rows is full of earthworms.

[imp]

I just covered almost the entire front yard with wood mulch. I am tired of mowing weeds. I'll plant some tomatoes out there and be done with scraggly weeds having to be mowed. The mulch is 3 to 4 inches thick, but wasn't a big yard.

[pmcgrady]

I'm doing the same as Cole Robbie this year, plastic mulch but I'm covering it with straw to keep the heat down.

[fonseca]

I can tell you what I won't be using any more: pine bark. Endless hiding places for slugs, snails and earwigs. But it can be incorporated into the mix at the end of the year, which I prefer.

I used to use coir husk chips, which slugs and snails don't seem to like crawling over, but prices have shot up too much in recent years. If I could find 50lb bales on the cheap I would use it again. This is the best container mulch IMO, and also a great structural amendment for soilless mixes.

I have several bags of partially composted mulched oak leaves. I used this on some containers last year and it seemed to attract earwigs like crazy. They can do a lot of damage to a flowering plant.

I have cut coco mats to fit containers in the past, and while it was good to keep pests out and prevent splashing of soilless mix onto plants, it can't be incorporated into the mix at the end of the year, but is not in good enough shape to reuse next season. Also $.

I don't like plastic mulch for containers, even large 100 G ones, because it limits air circulation in the soilless mix. When I grew in the ground in VA I found it to be ideal for tomatoes grown in rows, no weeds. Cover with straw to keep cool.

I purchased a straw bale this year, and might chop it up with the lawn mower, use as mulch and then lightly seed over it with mini clover. I have already seeded a few containers with mini clover. I have used it as a living mulch in the past as it only gets 1-2" tall, but over a long season it can build up a thick rootmass and I don't want it competing for container space or nutrients.

Spiders seem to love straw mulch, and they are welcome guests.

My main reason for mulching is to keep soil temps down and exclude pests and disease, as I recycle my mix.

[Gardeneer]

Pine needle/pine straw here. That is free to rake and so I apply thick coat. As it compacts down under sun, i refresh with more. In the heat of summer sun it falls apart and makes a good soil amendment for our sandy soil.
I am doing this not so much for weed prevention but to retain soil moisture, keep it cooler and save water.

[Spike2]

Originally Posted by b54red

I hate weeding.

No way!!!

[imp]

The smile at the last one is the killer, LOL!! Maybe I won't hate weeding quite as much....

Good one, Spike!