Keeping paved patios, garden paths and flower beds free of weeds can prove to be a difficult task. Luckily, a trick comes to the rescue – newspaper against weeds. We explain how to use the paper correctly and permanently remove wild plants.
Use newspaper correctly against weeds: This is how you permanently remove wild plants
If you have ever had a paved area outside, then you are probably familiar with the problem: wild plants. Most weed species are in season in June. If the weather is good, Giersch and Co. will be out and about again at the end of the summer. This means stress and a lot of effort for the garden owner. The use of commercially available weed killers between the joints is strictly prohibited.
Weed control can also prove to be a real challenge in flower or vegetable beds, especially if the wild plants grow right next to the bedding plants. Then you just have to get creative and find a simple and effective solution to the problem.
Newspaper offers such a solution. Nowadays the printing inks are harmless, are dissolved in water and are free of heavy metals. Therefore, using newspaper as a unique weed barrier is not only effective but also environmentally friendly. It also offers another decisive advantage: this method is not laborious, expensive or time-consuming. And very important – it works.
Newspaper against wild plants between paving stones
But why does the trick work so well? Most weed species germinate in light. This means that their seeds need direct sunlight to germinate. The growth of young plants is also inhibited when there is little or no sunlight. As a result, plants that are already rooted cannot develop further. They do not produce leaves, flowers or seeds.
At the same time, the newspaper will gradually decompose and does not need to be removed by hand.
Fight weeds in the bed
The trick can easily be used in small areas, such as a compact flower bed and a raised bed. In principle, it is also safe to use newspaper in the kitchen garden because the colors are not harmful to health and only small amounts of them end up in the soil. However, you shouldn't overdo it - using it to create a small vegetable patch is OK, but not a large kitchen garden.
In this case too, the application is extremely simple. You wet the paper and spread it out. Depending on the space in the garden, you can use from 2 to 4 layers. Basically, the shady the location, the more layers of newspaper. Try to cover the ground with the paper without spreading it directly onto the plant roots. You can also plant plants, but you should first remove the newspaper directly around the new plants.
Newspaper against weeds: instructions
This is how the trick works:
1. Clean the area – for this purpose, simply pull the weeds or cut them off close to the ground.
2. Take newspaper, soak it and stuff it into the joints or use it to overlap the bed.
3. Fill mulch into the joints or sprinkle it over the paper in the bed. The newspaper should be completely covered with it.
4. Then it's time to water the bed regularly and wait. After 10 to 16 weeks they willWild plants enterand no longer grow. You will then have a weed-free bed for the next year.
The trick is particularly effective if you have weakened the wild plants first. For example, if you have already watered them with hot water several times. However, it is of little use if you have clogged the joints with newspaper immediately after cleaning with vinegar. Under no circumstances should you first spray the plants with weed killer and then spread out newspaper.
