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Mulch. Just do it.

mad librettist

Active member
Veteran
living mulch: just... live it?

living mulch: just... live it?

it's like having little wicks all over, and little parasols everywhere. ground cover conserves moisture, tends to the herd, and provides habitat for fauna.
 

Scrappy4

senior member
Veteran
How about using paper for mulch? I used it outdoors in sand, I lined the holes with newspaper to hold in moisture, it worked well. And some use cardboard outdoors in veggie gardens. I have some weed barrier cloth around somewhere, I would think that would be ok too........scrappy
 

Dignan

The Soapmaker!
Veteran
Paper would work to slow evaporation from the soil surface, which is part of the goal. But the other nice thing about mulch is that as you water the pot, the water is dispersed and evenly waters the pot.

The paper would need to be very very porous. Maybe paper towels would work. But bark mulch is cheap and easy to find, plus it lasts more than one grow.
 

mad librettist

Active member
Veteran
Mulch. Just do it.

I use cardboard all the time. worms dig a nice wet piece of cardboard. also, you can load it up with seaweed extract or some such.
 

Microbeman

The Logical Gardener
ICMag Donor
Veteran
I'm not sure which is the worm's favorite but boy they love cardboard; bunch of glue addicts!
 

Ninja420

Member
Would soaking those bark chips in fish hydrolysate help do counteract the the microbes from using N from the soil?

Ninja
 

mad librettist

Active member
Veteran
why not add a little layer of something like dried leaf/alfalfa or such under those chips?

I prefer less woody mulch tho
 

Dignan

The Soapmaker!
Veteran
Would soaking those bark chips in fish hydrolysate help do counteract the the microbes from using N from the soil?

Ninja

Unless your chips are mixed into your soil, the microbes are not going to rob your soil of any noticeable amount of N. Mix them in and you might be in trouble.

I recently experimented with adding spent filter carbon to my soil mix and it was disasterous. LOL
 

Dignan

The Soapmaker!
Veteran
Worms love cardboard
This is true
But the prob with cardboard:
You can't water through.


- by MoHo

Shred it and you'd be good.
 

Dignan

The Soapmaker!
Veteran
I can see it already. Sitting for two hours in front of the TV watching Cosby Show re-runs and poking holes in cardboard. ;)
 

big ballin 88

Biology over Chemistry
Veteran
Nice idea, i've been considering the same thing. I'm getting tired of mulches and having to separate them unless i want to keep buying it. I much rather just utilize some roman chammomile or clover.
 
O

oddis90

Thats cool man! Im interested in how long it takes for those to create a good enough shade for the soil. Keep us updated on how good of a mulch it is
 
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