Don't throw away old newspapers! How they can be useful in the garden

Advertising and other free newspapers that are put in the mailbox can be annoying, because they are unnecessary things that you receive against your will. But not if you are a gardener. Then these newspapers can be a great and fairly safe tool for weed control.

The life hack with newspapers was shared by bloggers Jamie and Brian Boyce, who run a YouTube channel about country life. In particular, they talk about growing vegetables on their own.

According to them, newsprint can safely protect any plants on the site from weeds, because it decomposes well in the ground and is not toxic, unlike conventional herbicides. At the same time, the paper can stop not only the growth of existing plants, but also prevent the development of seeds.

To use paper to protect plants from weeds, remove all adult weeds from the area you want to treat in advance. Then water the ground properly, place several layers of newspaper on it (usually 2-3 is enough) almost close to the vegetables, trees or bushes, and wet the treated area again - this time on top of the newspaper. All that's left to do is to pour mulch on top. A prepared compost mix is good.

Newspaper works well with mulch because it helps regulate soil temperature and retain moisture. At the same time, it blocks sunlight from reaching the seeds and roots of weeds, so they stop growing completely.

You can prepare empty beds for sowing in a similar way. In this case, it will be even easier to lay down the newspaper, because you do not need to take into account the existing plants. In addition to newspaper, you can use cardboard in the beds and garden. In a few days, the paper will begin to decompose in the ground, so it will not hinder the growth of useful plants. At the same time, it will also enrich the soil with some nutrients.

Earlier, OBOZREVATEL told why the popular life hack of feeding cucumbers with aspirin does not work.

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