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How soon can i plant in sheet mulch?
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Posted by
Dana3 Pacific Northwest (
My Page) on
Sat, May 5, 12 at 15:19
| I started the sheet mulching process on my lawn 2 weeks ago using brown paper bags, compost and leaves from my yard, its about 2 inches deep and has stayed pretty wet from the rain, everything looks good so far.
Here is my question, Is it too early to start planting a few perennials? I also want to use part of that space to plant pumpkin starts next month, but i imagine the grass underneath hasn't broken down yet.... |
Follow-Up Postings:
RE: How soon can i plant in sheet mulch?
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| Immediately. Punch a hole through to the soil and plant. |
RE: How soon can i plant in sheet mulch?
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- Posted by jolj 7b/8a-S.C.USA (My Page) on
Sat, May 5, 12 at 15:42
I layered my orchard with large thick(3/8-1/2) boxes 30 days ago. I planed to mulch the boxes to keep them in place. Before I got all of them covered a wind storm moved a few & only the broom straw grass was left, all other plant were gone.
Did you shred the leaves, if not you may not get a fast brake down. Did you till the bed first, I understand this type of garden is a low labor garden. But one tilling will help with drainage & brake down of top lay next to the soil.
You can sprinkle an organic fertilizer on the leaves to jump start them also. |
RE: How soon can i plant in sheet mulch?
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| You can plant in it now! There is really no need to do anything more except maybe add more mulch. |
RE: How soon can i plant in sheet mulch?
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| If you mulched over grass it would be best to wait about 6 months to give the grass time to die off and to give the soil bacteria time to digest the now dead grass and roots. You can plant right away, but you do run the risk of the grass growing back along with the perennials. |
RE: How soon can i plant in sheet mulch?
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| Thank you for the advice, i am going to plant some things this weekend! |
RE: How soon can i plant in sheet mulch?
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| I agree with the waiting - planting over a lawn this soon is just asking for problems. You will be dealing with lawn grass in the plants, through their roots and stray grass seedlings popping up from now until the end of time. FWIW, 2" is not nearly deep enough to efficiently suppress the turf grasses and any existing weeds. I understand this is a short cutting process but unless it is done thoroughly and with the proper degree of completeness, all you will be doing is making more work for yourself down the road. |
RE: How soon can i plant in sheet mulch?
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| 2 inches of mulch on top of brown paper bags, newspaper, cardboard, is ample to kill what is growing under that. 2 inches of mulch with nothing under that mulch would be inadequate. |
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