I've always seen the benefits of using a cardboard mulch purely the block light getting to the grass/weeds underneath so I can easily make new beds without disturbing the earth. I certainly wouldn't use it for it's nutritional content. A few inches of compost will do the same job but that can get quite expensive. I really love the no-dig cardboard approach and try to use it whenever I can!
I plan to use newspaper and some cardboard to put a barrier down against fungus. I had my greens destroyed by downy & powdery mildew! Hope it works next year!
@@jeanneharris5421 I don't understand how cardboard and newspaper would prevent mildew? Mildew is caused by too much humidity and not enough air circulation.
When I took over a very overgrown allotment, I cut down & composted the overgrowth, then after heavy rain, laid corrugated cardboard covered in 3" of home made compost & composted domestic garden waste from the council. I planted through this & had few weeds apart from where I'd planted through. The cardboard was still evident in places more than 6 months after being laid but gone by the start of the next year.
We have sand. We put cardboard down in a very very sandy dry area. It has kept the area moist. For the first time in 40 years, something is growing there and for the 1st time the sandy soil under the cardboard is staying moist. I don’t care if it takes a year for the cardboard to breakdown
I thought the whole point of cardboard was a more effective weed block than fabric. There is no nutritive value, just saving time and effort where you want to block weeds and make decorative mulch last longer. Thank you for your channel and the information
I purchased a house with a neglected yard for over 20 years. The only way to stop the crazy growth of weeds and perennial predators putting down cardboard and mulch was the only way to stop the insanity.
Hi, I appreciate your research and findings. I live in the mid-Atlantic- Maryland and the climate is quite humid, moist with abundant rainfall. I regularly use cardboard for sheet mulching and it works fabulous! As you have claimed, in my sunnier areas, it decomposes slower than the less sunny areas; more moisture speeds up the decomposition process. Cardboard is totally non-nutritious, so I add plenty compost and bark mulch with each application. I've added hundreds of square footage in garden beds over the past 2 years, with minimal effort. It has truly saved my back.😄
Just as cellulose is not in itself nutritional as a food but is essential for gut microbes as diverse as fauna in a rainforest, evaluating the role of cellulose in gardening is not just a matter of inert chemistry. Focussing on what is in the cellulose in a chemlab approach ignores the full role of the material in a living organic system. I could go on, and I'm not claiming to invalidate anything you are saying, I am slightly concerned by the non-scientific approach as seeing yourself from the outset as a debunker of certain ideas rather than as an objective seeker but I do note you are open to having your preconceptions disproved . I certainly find a lot of worms under old cardboard and I know the glue is a major factor, as is the protection from birds etc. Thanks for a lot of great info. especially as regards dyes and water permeability. I use cardboard preferably contains lots of glue, mainly for starting new beds. As the cardboard breaks up I use ripped up half rotted stuff selectively as mulch. I notice it's the glue that goes first. I live on Queensland Australia which is usually very dry and evaporation of water from the soil surface is a problem. It's quite difficult to grow many plants in Summer, red dragon snake beans being a notable exception.
All my life I've known people who use cardboard and used it myself. Never ever heard anyone ever say it did anything besides suffocate weeds. It does bring worms. Any human being who hunted salamanders or snakes as a kid knows anything laying on the ground wood, metal, or cardboard has lots of worm activity underneath.
I've never heard anyone claim that sheeting with cardboard or paper/etc was adding nutrients to the soil building process. Typically it is for suppressing weeds and perhaps adding organic material to improve soil structure after a couple applications. It's just a method to be used in moments of 'reset' for a small area in need. I agree with most everything you've mentioned here, but I'm a bit confused about what message you were trying to get across. A follow up video would be welcome.
Started using cardboard this year in my flower beds and I'm in love,no more weeding for the whole year! I also put it right over grass covered it with compost...no weeds..started new raised veg beds this fall,layered with leaves,steer manure,compost..will be lovely in spring ready to plant! Also worms love to live under cardboard ,when the cardboard has broke down the soil will be rich with castings Wa.state.PNW
Did you notice whether it was wet or dry underneath the cardboard? I just placed a giant sheet of cardboard on my flower bed where I have a few plants. I left the area around the plant roots uncovered, but am a but worried that the rest of the cardboard covered area will be dry next spring (which I was hoping to get cleared of weeds and grass to plant new flowers next spring).
I use cardboard on my newly dug swales to prevent evaporation and retain all that moisture from the rain. I live in a mediterranean climateand it works very well for this purpose and there's lots of worm activity underneath. I'll keep doing this until there's enough leaf matter produced by the plants and trees to take its place.
Cardboard cannot contribute nutrients to the soil for the reasons you cite, but cardboard can make it hard for weeds to reach sunlight. Nutrients can be added by covering the cardboard with compost. Anything that reduces weeding without using objectionable chemicals seems a good idea. I live in a Southern state and the idea of deliberately attracting termites provokes an anxiety attack. Termites can eat your house. They do have a place in a forest ecosystem where they break down fallen trees, but I don't want them anywhere near the wooden beams of my house.
@@Gardenfundamentals1 didn't work for me the buttercups and dandelions grew through it had 4 to 6 inches of compost with mulch on top but when it put down cardboard it stopped the weeds like you mentioned in the video this was lawn I turned into a few beds lots of good information in your videos
@@Gardenfundamentals1 I didn't get your point to the person with termite concerns. Of course she wouldn't 'deliberately' attract termites, but is the cardboard method risky in such a way? Well are accustomed to condos so need a lot directly spelled out (as the amount we still have to learn is overwhelming.). Thanks.
Hi. I've never run into such weed issues before so I have almost know knowledge about this battle - so my question is desperately serious but may seem stupid. After putting down the cardboard you suggested that clippings can be used on top as a mulch. We have lot's but much of the clippings contain weeds! How, if or when should we use it. Can anybody help me understand. I've been obsessed but feeling unsure (even hopeless) about just about it for a long time. So glad I stumbled upon this. Thank you so much for any answers!
I have used cardboard for years covered by 6 inches of shredded tree limbs for years in my gardens and every spring my soil gets looser, fluffier and FULL of worms !!! AND my garden is producing even more. OH despite climate control nuts I also top dress with fresh chicken and rabbit manure before a rain. All on top of a clay concrete soil !!! YES--- REMOVE ALL TAPE--- gets tangled in tiller. 😞
No one says cardboard and paper provide nitrogen. That's silly. It's there to use as a foundation to put kitchen scraps on. Then you cover that with leaves and woodchips.
People keep saying it is good for soil and to be good for soil it needs to contain nitrogen. I agree it does not contain nitrogen, and therefore adds very little to soil.
@@Gardenfundamentals1 the nitrogen comes from the dead stuff beneath the cardboard. It is just about weed suppression though. That's all sheet mulching is for.
I cardboard sheet mulched this past summer around my plants for the first time to keep the crazy weeds out. I'll tell you what traps under it....mosquitoes!!! But I'm definitely doing it again I'll just be covered in my summer lotion...OFF!
Does this mean it is wet under the cardboard? Because I was worried it will be dry underneath the cardboard. I just sheet mulched (using cardboard) around my plants in my flower bed. Kind of worried the bug spot under the cardboard will be all dry.
@@billyjolam if you put mulch on top--- after a good rain it will stay moist longer, kill the weeds and the worms love it--- along with any wildlife you may have--- birds, squirrels, turkeys
Did not work for me. Weeds grew right through the disintegrating cardboard plus mold and mildew started to develop on the underside of cardboard. I had a heck of a time getting rid of it.
I would put the newspaper and cardboard down in reverse shingle technique. Morag Gamble explains. Putting the paper down like shingles allows the water to flow off. Reverse shingles technique allows the water to flow under the next piece laid down. Check her out !
Card board is pure carbohydrates. Germs love it as it also holds water. The earth worms will come and eat the germs living in the cardboard. The worms and other insects aerate soil underneath and also had nutrients under the cardboard. I use cardboard with no mulch to convert dry clay into humas nutrient soil in 4 months.
I guess every one thinks carbohydrates are some kind of rich food source. It's just complex sugars. It's broken down into sugars. Cardboard is pure energy and soil life will love it. Thought it not fertile in anyway it will attrack all the other elements Into the soil
And Don't Kill the Messenger but cellulose is a carbohydrate because you guys are using Google for your information and not looking at molecules structures you're confusing what a material provides versus its structure
I will always advocate for using paper and cardboard to block light, retain moisture and not disturb the soil. I am adamantly opposed to landscape fabric and wish the stuff would just go away. I live in the PNW and if I lay it down in the fall, it gets wet enough to start the breakdown. In the summer, it helps retain water IF I irrigate for longer periods, less often. It seems the paper begins to breakdown and becomes a sponge of sorts. Overhead, short watering is just a waste as it is not sufficient.
@@Gardenfundamentals1 they love those conditions, and help with biodegredation and therefore nutrient cycling, and therfore soil building, they dont need n, but build n levels, so a suitable high carbon cover is a great approach
The thing your missing about your logic is, your talking about cardboard as if people only use cardboard by itself, than you make some sense. The fact is, people have lots of cardboard bc that's what is used to mail ship, so it makes sense to use it for a purpose, & adding it to your garden is a great way if done in certain ways,I e. when shredded, or when rebuilding soil in a dry site, where water retention is poor.
Except many of those course promote ideas that are not science based and don't work. You have to be able to pick through the fact and the fiction in those.
"Inks are plant based"...maybe don't just regurgitate what you've heard online without knowing what ACTUALLY in the ink. Just a thought from a 20 yr box maker. I'll be making a video soon, if anyone would like to know what's ACTUALLY in those inks.
@@stephanietaraderby8376 In defense of weeds, most my yard are "weeds", many of which are great pollinator attractors and edible. However, your point on plastic is absolutely correct. We all need to greatly limit our plastic use, such as stop using plastic shopping bags and many other things.
@@johngault8688 Oh my garden is full of 'weeds' too! My favourites are Herb Robert and Hairy Bittercress. Both edible. I mostly use cardboard when I want to turn part of a lawn into a flower bed (there is too much lawn in the world, in my opinion). In which case digging up the turf would be both labour intensive and destructive to the soil. In this situation cardboard and 5cm of compost on top works wonderfully. Can even start planting into it straight away. Don't knock it til you've tried it!
I've always seen the benefits of using a cardboard mulch purely the block light getting to the grass/weeds underneath so I can easily make new beds without disturbing the earth. I certainly wouldn't use it for it's nutritional content. A few inches of compost will do the same job but that can get quite expensive. I really love the no-dig cardboard approach and try to use it whenever I can!
I plan to use newspaper and some cardboard to put a barrier down against fungus. I had my greens destroyed by downy & powdery mildew!
Hope it works next year!
@@jeanneharris5421 I don't understand how cardboard and newspaper would prevent mildew? Mildew is caused by too much humidity and not enough air circulation.
@@stephanietaraderby8376
When I took over a very overgrown allotment, I cut down & composted the overgrowth, then after heavy rain, laid corrugated cardboard covered in 3" of home made compost & composted domestic garden waste from the council.
I planted through this & had few weeds apart from where I'd planted through.
The cardboard was still evident in places more than 6 months after being laid but gone by the start of the next year.
We have sand. We put cardboard down in a very very sandy dry area. It has kept the area moist. For the first time in 40 years, something is growing there and for the 1st time the sandy soil under the cardboard is staying moist. I don’t care if it takes a year for the cardboard to breakdown
I thought the whole point of cardboard was a more effective weed block than fabric. There is no nutritive value, just saving time and effort where you want to block weeds and make decorative mulch last longer. Thank you for your channel and the information
The irony that the shipping boxes are less likely to be toxic than the cereal boxes is somewhat overwhelming.
I purchased a house with a neglected yard for over 20 years. The only way to stop the crazy growth of weeds and perennial predators putting down cardboard and mulch was the only way to stop the insanity.
How long did it take before the area was clear (and usable)?
Hi, I appreciate your research and findings. I live in the mid-Atlantic- Maryland and the climate is quite humid, moist with abundant rainfall. I regularly use cardboard for sheet mulching and it works fabulous! As you have claimed, in my sunnier areas, it decomposes slower than the less sunny areas; more moisture speeds up the decomposition process.
Cardboard is totally non-nutritious, so I add plenty compost and bark mulch with each application. I've added hundreds of square footage in garden beds over the past 2 years, with minimal effort. It has truly saved my back.😄
Just as cellulose is not in itself nutritional as a food but is essential for gut microbes as diverse as fauna in a rainforest, evaluating the role of cellulose in gardening is not just a matter of inert chemistry. Focussing on what is in the cellulose in a chemlab approach ignores the full role of the material in a living organic system.
I could go on, and I'm not claiming to invalidate anything you are saying, I am slightly concerned by the non-scientific approach as seeing yourself from the outset as a debunker of certain ideas rather than as an objective seeker but I do note you are open to having your preconceptions disproved . I certainly find a lot of worms under old cardboard and I know the glue is a major factor, as is the protection from birds etc.
Thanks for a lot of great info. especially as regards dyes and water permeability. I use cardboard preferably contains lots of glue, mainly for starting new beds. As the cardboard breaks up I use ripped up half rotted stuff selectively as mulch. I notice it's the glue that goes first. I live on Queensland Australia which is usually very dry and evaporation of water from the soil surface is a problem. It's quite difficult to grow many plants in Summer, red dragon snake beans being a notable exception.
All my life I've known people who use cardboard and used it myself. Never ever heard anyone ever say it did anything besides suffocate weeds. It does bring worms. Any human being who hunted salamanders or snakes as a kid knows anything laying on the ground wood, metal, or cardboard has lots of worm activity underneath.
Thanks for always bringing us the science behind common practices!
I've never heard anyone claim that sheeting with cardboard or paper/etc was adding nutrients to the soil building process. Typically it is for suppressing weeds and perhaps adding organic material to improve soil structure after a couple applications. It's just a method to be used in moments of 'reset' for a small area in need. I agree with most everything you've mentioned here, but I'm a bit confused about what message you were trying to get across. A follow up video would be welcome.
Carbon is a macronutrient for plants. Heck, plants are around 45% carbon.
Started using cardboard this year in my flower beds and I'm in love,no more weeding for the whole year!
I also put it right over grass covered it with compost...no weeds..started new raised veg beds this fall,layered with leaves,steer manure,compost..will be lovely in spring ready to plant!
Also worms love to live under cardboard ,when the cardboard has broke down the soil will be rich with castings
Wa.state.PNW
Did you notice whether it was wet or dry underneath the cardboard? I just placed a giant sheet of cardboard on my flower bed where I have a few plants. I left the area around the plant roots uncovered, but am a but worried that the rest of the cardboard covered area will be dry next spring (which I was hoping to get cleared of weeds and grass to plant new flowers next spring).
Thank you. This is the first video on sheet mulching to address the possibility of toxins in the cardboard!
Cardboard is used purely as weed suppression. Never has it been touted as a nutrient additive.
Not true - just read some of the other comments here about how worms love the stuff.
I add shredded cardboard to my compost as a carbon source. Carbon is a macronutrient for plants.
I use cardboard on my newly dug swales to prevent evaporation and retain all that moisture from the rain. I live in a mediterranean climateand it works very well for this purpose and there's lots of worm activity underneath. I'll keep doing this until there's enough leaf matter produced by the plants and trees to take its place.
Cardboard cannot contribute nutrients to the soil for the reasons you cite, but cardboard can make it hard for weeds to reach sunlight. Nutrients can be added by covering the cardboard with compost. Anything that reduces weeding without using objectionable chemicals seems a good idea. I live in a Southern state and the idea of deliberately attracting termites provokes an anxiety attack. Termites can eat your house. They do have a place in a forest ecosystem where they break down fallen trees, but I don't want them anywhere near the wooden beams of my house.
1) Mulch alone can also keep light from weeds - a key point in the video.
2) The video never suggests "deliberately attracting termites".
@@Gardenfundamentals1 didn't work for me the buttercups and dandelions grew through it had 4 to 6 inches of compost with mulch on top but when it put down cardboard it stopped the weeds like you mentioned in the video this was lawn I turned into a few beds lots of good information in your videos
@@Gardenfundamentals1 I didn't get your point to the person with termite concerns. Of course she wouldn't 'deliberately' attract termites, but is the cardboard method risky in such a way? Well are accustomed to condos so need a lot directly spelled out (as the amount we still have to learn is overwhelming.). Thanks.
Hi. I've never run into such weed issues before so I have almost know knowledge about this battle - so my question is desperately serious but may seem stupid. After putting down the cardboard you suggested that clippings can be used on top as a mulch. We have lot's but much of the clippings contain weeds! How, if or when should we use it. Can anybody help me understand. I've been obsessed but feeling unsure (even hopeless) about just about it for a long time. So glad I stumbled upon this. Thank you so much for any answers!
I have used cardboard for years covered by 6 inches of shredded tree limbs for years in my gardens and every spring my soil gets looser, fluffier and FULL of worms !!! AND my garden is producing even more.
OH despite climate control nuts I also top dress with fresh chicken and rabbit manure before a rain.
All on top of a clay concrete soil !!!
YES--- REMOVE ALL TAPE--- gets tangled in tiller. 😞
This was pretty good but I think we can now say that plastic in soil you grow food in is not good and should be avoided
Toss some blood meal on top of the cb, it will help break it down quicker
I do this!!
No one says cardboard and paper provide nitrogen. That's silly. It's there to use as a foundation to put kitchen scraps on. Then you cover that with leaves and woodchips.
People keep saying it is good for soil and to be good for soil it needs to contain nitrogen. I agree it does not contain nitrogen, and therefore adds very little to soil.
@@Gardenfundamentals1 the nitrogen comes from the dead stuff beneath the cardboard. It is just about weed suppression though. That's all sheet mulching is for.
@@Gardenfundamentals1 It adds the carbon plants need.
I cardboard sheet mulched this past summer around my plants for the first time to keep the crazy weeds out. I'll tell you what traps under it....mosquitoes!!! But I'm definitely doing it again I'll just be covered in my summer lotion...OFF!
Only if the cardboard is not tight to the ground--- otherwise perfect hiding place like bushes---Toads like to hide under it too. 😀
Does this mean it is wet under the cardboard? Because I was worried it will be dry underneath the cardboard.
I just sheet mulched (using cardboard) around my plants in my flower bed. Kind of worried the bug spot under the cardboard will be all dry.
@@billyjolam if you put mulch on top--- after a good rain it will stay moist longer, kill the weeds and the worms love it--- along with any wildlife you may have--- birds, squirrels, turkeys
Did not work for me. Weeds grew right through the disintegrating cardboard plus mold and mildew started to develop on the underside of cardboard. I had a heck of a time getting rid of it.
I like your thinking! Lots of common sense. Thanks for sharing your thoughts!
I would put the newspaper and cardboard down in reverse shingle technique. Morag Gamble explains. Putting the paper down like shingles allows the water to flow off. Reverse shingles technique allows the water to flow under the next piece laid down. Check her out !
sheets of paper soon stick together so no water flows under sheets.
Card board is pure carbohydrates. Germs love it as it also holds water. The earth worms will come and eat the germs living in the cardboard. The worms and other insects aerate soil underneath and also had nutrients under the cardboard. I use cardboard with no mulch to convert dry clay into humas nutrient soil in 4 months.
Cardboard is mostly cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin. It contains very little carbohydrates.
Conflate cellulose with carbohydrates? Oh, my!
I guess every one thinks carbohydrates are some kind of rich food source. It's just complex sugars. It's broken down into sugars. Cardboard is pure energy and soil life will love it. Thought it not fertile in anyway it will attrack all the other elements Into the soil
And Don't Kill the Messenger but cellulose is a carbohydrate because you guys are using Google for your information and not looking at molecules structures you're confusing what a material provides versus its structure
Robert,
Thanks for the great information. I’m curious if you have any thoughts on Charles Dowding and or any thoughts on his methods.
Most of what he says is valid - but for a warmer climate.
I will always advocate for using paper and cardboard to block light, retain moisture and not disturb the soil. I am adamantly opposed to landscape fabric and wish the stuff would just go away. I live in the PNW and if I lay it down in the fall, it gets wet enough to start the breakdown. In the summer, it helps retain water IF I irrigate for longer periods, less often. It seems the paper begins to breakdown and becomes a sponge of sorts. Overhead, short watering is just a waste as it is not sufficient.
Can crumpled, and other old paper be used as well?
I have had good results using cardboard topped with mulch to eliminate goutweed patches in my yard.
Worms love moisture under the cardboard, especially in summer. Worm castings are THE most fertile thing.
The cardboard does block the weeds better than just woodchips
I am using cardboard to kill binder weed , wild morning glory. It's extremely aggressive. Any other ideas beside cardboard ?
Minnesota Wild!? Are you a Minnesota guy!? I was born and raised in the Twin Cities but now live in Coastal North Carolina.
I have never heard anyone say that paper has nutrients. Not sure where you are getting that from.
Can someone tell me whats the conclusion? My English is not the best
I find adding corrugated cardboard to my vermicomposting and my garden ups the worms. Not because they eat it. It's that they like to lay eggs in it.
which is better ,layering a raised bed or mixing the composition ?
Depends on the material, but it is better to mix in most cases.
where is the next video :(
I dont see the problem with it taking a year to break down. A lot of things do.
Never heard of soil fungi, colembola, and woodlouse
yes I have - but what is your point?
@@Gardenfundamentals1 they love those conditions, and help with biodegredation and therefore nutrient cycling, and therfore soil building, they dont need n, but build n levels, so a suitable high carbon cover is a great approach
Worms say they love cardboard and leaves i herd them say so
Corrugated fiberboard is bonded with corn starch which the worms love . Cardboard is not corrugated fiberboard.
I'm the 1k liker😂 great video, ty🎉
The thing your missing about your logic is, your talking about cardboard as if people only use cardboard by itself, than you make some sense. The fact is, people have lots of cardboard bc that's what is used to mail ship, so it makes sense to use it for a purpose, & adding it to your garden is a great way if done in certain ways,I e. when shredded, or when rebuilding soil in a dry site, where water retention is poor.
You are the king
Recommend watching courses on soil food web, available in RUclips for free
Except many of those course promote ideas that are not science based and don't work. You have to be able to pick through the fact and the fiction in those.
Glad to get some scientific facts instead of anecdotal observations.
I use coffee grounds cardboard sandwich topped with woodchip . I get millions of earth worms.
Cardboard is loved by my compost worms.
how do you know? Do they eat the cardboard or the food you put in the bin?
What if you pee on the cardboard to add nitrogen?
"Inks are plant based"...maybe don't just regurgitate what you've heard online without knowing what ACTUALLY in the ink. Just a thought from a 20 yr box maker. I'll be making a video soon, if anyone would like to know what's ACTUALLY in those inks.
Here are the references to confirm what I said in the video
www.gardenmyths.com/safe-compost-paper-cardboard/
I was never attracted to the idea of using cardboard in the garden. Cardboard belongs in the recycling bin; leaves belong in the garden!
It's great for killing off weeds to create new beds. Much better than that plastic sheeting!
@@stephanietaraderby8376 In defense of weeds, most my yard are "weeds", many of which are great pollinator attractors and edible. However, your point on plastic is absolutely correct. We all need to greatly limit our plastic use, such as stop using plastic shopping bags and many other things.
@@johngault8688 Oh my garden is full of 'weeds' too! My favourites are Herb Robert and Hairy Bittercress. Both edible. I mostly use cardboard when I want to turn part of a lawn into a flower bed (there is too much lawn in the world, in my opinion). In which case digging up the turf would be both labour intensive and destructive to the soil. In this situation cardboard and 5cm of compost on top works wonderfully. Can even start planting into it straight away. Don't knock it til you've tried it!
@@stephanietaraderby8376 You sound like a lady after my own heart...I'm sold😉