Viewing post #2933803 by Arico

purpleinopp said: Did you have a question about it, @Gina1960 ?

Lee-Roy, I don't understand the comment about water/gas exchange. The physical barrier of the cardboard is a temporary thing. The smothered spot should not be disturbed and used until the cardboard has decomposed. By the time a smothered spot is used, the dirt under the former cardboard layer should have begun a noticeable improvement.

And adding organic matter to the soil is so rarely "an evil." Leaves belong on the soil surface, and mulch is just expediting the physical rendering of wood, which is also something mother nature puts on the ground. For example, if one used 2 feet of walnut leaves, it might take longer before plants can grow in that spot, but there aren't many examples that I've encountered. The soil-dwelling critters that transform organic matter into the "good soil" particles can't just show up overnight because cardboard was laid and covered with leaves or mulch. They need time to establish and then to do their work.

I originally learned the concept under the name lasagna gardening but I've come away from using that because it implies that there are specific layers that are needed. Layers of stuff are fine, but any quantity of organic matter that is a single layer will work, as long as it is heavy and dense enough to block all of the light and be physically heavy enough to prevent seedlings from being able to get through.

And it's not really a gardening method, but a way to clear an area of everything currently growing there while improving the soil in the process - to be used for gardening when it is ready.

But the name is unimportant, as the title of this discussion shows. Everyone familiar with the concept probably recognized the subject right away.

Every spot where I've tried to garden w/o smothering first has been much less successful. More about how I have used this in the past, in OH and AL:
https://garden.org/ideas/view/...

But don't just take my word for it. A microbiologist can enlighten:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?...

'Temporary' is very subjective and in this instance the time of decomposition depends on weather patterns, general climate and biological activity. If there's no precipitation/irrigation for any length of time, the decomposition may take a year or more. And a year of soil deprived of the maximum amount of water and oxygen is ofcourse not beneficial. Doesn't matter if you disturb the spot or not, a barrier is a barrier nonetheless and it will have an impact. It's like breathing through a towel; it works, and you'll survive. But it's not pleasant and can afffect you negatively long term.

And with 'lesser of two evils' I meant the possible alternatives: herbicides or worse.

I myself have only recently (not 8 weeks ago) tried to establish a new planting bed. It was full of grass and weeds (dandelions, chickweed, docks..you name it). I put a thick layer of wood chips directly on top of it (about 6 inches); nothing green poking through.




Two weeks later the first shoots started poking through and at first I could keep on top if it by burning them off with a gas burner, but soon enough things started growing through all over the place. It wasn't feasible anymore and not very ecological either. So, I resorted to using a herbicide (especially because the dandelions and docks were so numerous). It's not the first things I reach for, but somethimes you just have to. I'm not going to spend hours a day on my knees trying to dig it out....Now it's all practically dead so I can continue mulching.

By the way I never said that adding organic matter as mulch is a negative.