It is a quite simple, efficient method of weeding with out chemical substances (and virtually with out effort). It comes from the Abbey Physic Backyard in Faversham.
The Abbey Physic Backyard in Faversham trials totally different strategies of natural and chemical free gardening, together with chemical-free weeding.
The Abbey Physic backyard is a wildlife-friendly, natural neighborhood backyard with a particular goal to enhance psychological and bodily well being.
Begin with some cardboard
I visited them final March. And I noticed a lot of shrubs and small timber with cardboard protecting the earth round them.
You then add selfmade compost on high of the cardboard, so you’ll be able to’t see the cardboard.
The cardboard helps suppress perennial weeds. It slowly decomposes with the mulch.
No want for weeding – the cardboard across the base of this plant will disappear from sight when it’s lined in mulch. But it surely’ll act as a weed preventer till the cardboard decomposes.
I attempted this out round a reasonably newly planted silver birch. It’s in a mattress which will get very crowded, and I wished to offer it house, not simply from weeds but additionally from encroaching crops.
However there are snowdrops planted across the base of the tree. I didn’t need to miss out on these.
Time it so you continue to get bulbs…
In April, when the snowdrop foliage was gone, I lined the earth across the tree with cardboard.
I added a layer of mulch on high. I didn’t should weed across the tree in any respect till round late August, when some annuals weeds settled on high.
The snowdrops are up, so the cardboard I laid down in April will need to have decomposed.
And now, in February, all of the snowdrops have come via. So the cardboard has now mulched down, enhancing the soil.
I’ll add one other layer of cardboard and mulch when the snowdrop foliage dies down.
And I’m going to guard a number of newly planted rose bushes in the identical method.
Higher than a weed-suppressing membrane?
I favor cardboard to a manufactured weed-suppressing materials as a result of cardboard decomposes. I’ve one mattress that’s infested with bindweed, however which has wonderful bulbs within the spring.
These Emperor tulips emerge in April, and the bindweed doesn’t come up until Could, so I’m hoping I can use a cardboard mulch to take care of the bindweed with out shedding the tulips. I’ll report again!
A cardboard layer might assist suppress the bindweed over the summer time and it’ll have disappeared by the point the bulbs come up this time subsequent yr.
I’ll report again on how profitable it’s.
Might you place a layer of cardboard over the entire mattress?
In idea, I may eliminate my power weed downside by placing a layer of cardboard and mulch over the entire border.
Nevertheless, there are a variety of perennial crops and bulbs that come up at totally different instances. I wouldn’t cowl a border in cardboard whereas there are alliums, dahlias or different crops ready to emerge.
I additionally love self-seeded crops, and people received’t pop up via cardboard.
Virtually every little thing on this image is self-seeded – the alliums, euphorbia and spikes of untamed gladioli, so I might lose alot if I lined the entire mattress in a weed-suppressing cardboard.
However the self-seeders do crowd out newly planted crops. So I’ve discovered it helpful so as to add the cardboard and mulch round something younger that I believe wants a little bit of house to get established.
Not all weeds….
It took me some time to understand the distinction between removing annual weeds and perennial weeds.
Annual weeds come from seeds. These are blown round on the wind, dropped by birds or dug up whenever you dig the soil.
Black medic (aka yellow trefoil) is a comparatively new arrival within the backyard. It’s an annual weed (and an absolute thug). It has in all probability been blown in on the wind or arrived with one other plant.
A weed suppressing layer, similar to cardboard, will solely forestall you exposing annual weed seeds via digging. It received’t cease them blowing in and touchdown on the mulch.
Butterburr or winter heliotrope romps via in my backyard. It’s a perennial and its roots get in all places, but it surely didn’t come via the cardboard.
Perennial weeds, similar to bindweed and floor elder, unfold by their roots. These are sometimes dormant within the winter.
A lightweight-preventing layer, similar to cardboard and mulch, will discourage them. Though they are going to definitely attempt to come up elsewhere. However ravenous perennial weeds of sunshine might be more practical than digging them up, as so many can re-sprout from the tiniest little bit of root.
This week’s video
This week’s video is the February backyard tour. And there’s a take a look at the sensible areas of the backyard too.
You possibly can go to the Abbey Physic Backyard from Wednesdays to Sundays – it’s an exquisite place to spend time and there are many good ideas for environmentally-friendly gardening.
It’s additionally open for Faversham Open Gardens & Backyard Market Day on thirtieth June, 2019.
And for extra middle-sized backyard ideas and backyard excursions, do be a part of us each Sunday morning – comply with us by e-mail.
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