Chopped Newspaper for Weed Control in Nursery Crops

Abstract

Chopped newspaper was evaluated as a weed control mulch for nursery row crops. Newspaper mulch at 2.3 and 3.6 kg/m 2 [4.2 lb/yd 2 (≈ 10 cm or 4 in depth) and 6.3 lb/yd 2 (≈ 15 cm or 6 in depth), resp.] suppressed weed germination for two seasons without a negative effect on Daphne burkwoodii ‘Carol Mackie’, Physostegia virginiana , and Salix caprea . Gaillardia grandiflora had less growth when mulched with newspaper during one experiment, but not in another. The authors observed that wetting the newspaper mulch after application followed by compression with a lawn roller pressed the paper into a mat which resisted blowing and weathering. Further reduction in blowing of paper mulch was achieved by applying a tackifier after rolling. Bark mulch at 19.4 dm 3 /m 2 (988 in 3 /yd 2 ≈ 10 cm or 4 in depth) resulted in weed suppression comparable to either of the two rates of newspaper mulch and better than bark at 9.7 dm 3 /m 2 (494 in 3 /yd 2 ≈ 5 cm or 2 in depth). All mulch treatments moderated maximum soil temperatures on July 5, 1993 at 7.5 cm (3 in) depth by more than 10C (18F) when non-mulched soil increased to 36C (96.8F). The rate or type of mulch applied resulted in similar summer soil temperatures at 2.5 and 7.5 cm (1 and 3 in) soil depth.