Which is why I am significantly concerned about using woodchip on my garden in greater quantities. The scientific method evolved. Wood absorbs water. 
It also disturbs soil life. And Id have to get buy-in from someone at UNC who knew something about identifying and counting soil organisms. Termites like wood chips just fine, its not just a cardboard thing. corrugated cardboard flute roll The trick to keeping weeds that spread underground under control is to keep taking off the top growth so eventually the roots starve. Feel free to download this fact sheet. I started covering parts of my lawn with cardboard boxes, filling them with mulch. The link only points to a short synopsis of the study without a detailed conclusion. You get NO weeds with wood chips if you use a deep enough layer, and they dont interfere with water and gas movement like sheet mulches do. And you need to have something else that you want to grow there to keep new weeds from becoming established. When you want to plant, move aside the chips until you get to a layer that looks composty and is moist.
I also want to thank you for having the patience, tenacity and clearly, the passion, to respond to so many peoples questions. mcr@clark.wa.gov Bad idea? When we dug a hole to plant some trees we noticed that the previous owners used cardboard in all the flower beds. 
It is ridiculously difficult to dig up and incredibly invasive. I have very much enjoyed this post and the subsequent conversations. When laying on top of each other, as they compress and if damp, they are not as three dimensional as woodchip (i.e. Of course you dont want to overdo it, but it sounds like the cardboard decomposes long before the soil can become anaerobic. I see you recommend 12 of wood chips but that amount seems out of the question for 1000 + ft2. Its spores can cause death in chickens. just as you would do if you were seeding a lawn. They are more laminate in morphology, like lots of pieces of paper. Please read the post carefully. rolls community and home-made compost, well-rotted local farmyard manure, local woodchip, waste cardboard), In anecdotal trials, which you seem to frown upon, this mixed approach has shown that over many years both plants and soil life thrive. mulch mulching Sonia. Im not sure did you test damp cardboard vs. dry cardboard? worms? There are no weeds, which saves time/money/energy, lots of worms, and everything under any cardboard is a bit damp, even when there is no rain for days. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/335224039_Carbon_dioxide_and_oxygen_exchange_at_the_soil-atmosphere_boundary_as_affected_by_various_mulch_materials. Anecdotal is exactly the right term in this case. Coarse mulch is also ideal for pathways. cardboard rolls toilet empty tubes clean arts crafts paper garden I thought sheet mulching would be a good way to get rid of it without trying to dig it up or using round-up (which is what most folks are told to do where I live). We were left with heavy, packed clay. An ode to the fascinating life of slime mold, Chuang and Chen demonstrated this nicely in 2008, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7WdM__pw7Sk, https://www.researchgate.net/publication/315662938_Using_arborist_wood_chips_as_a_landscape_mulch_WSU_Extension_Fact_Sheet_FS160E, https://www.researchgate.net/publication/315662987_Scientific_literacy_for_the_citizen_scientist_WSU_Extension_Manual_EM100E, https://www.researchgate.net/publication/285739101_Impact_of_mulches_on_landscape_plants_and_the_environment_-_A_review?_sg=acoel-UtYrRrzRH87Cw2l66FWOxkPToxyGoJ-E49dIsN5_AZoDQVpM686X0E0SmdRDwgA8dqwzSNJMTKjwTRb5D44618wmHwsnKguXE1.yLe69PXeAqqfONrpigIupt97uEY8nFsdopZztas81Af-JE7A8ti5JkX5QOkp8kqL8z2FZV1uYafapYPdD5nnFQ, https://www.researchgate.net/publication/315662938_Using_arborist_wood_chips_as_a_landscape_mulch_WSU_Extension_Fact_Sheet_FS160E?_sg=acoel-UtYrRrzRH87Cw2l66FWOxkPToxyGoJ-E49dIsN5_AZoDQVpM686X0E0SmdRDwgA8dqwzSNJMTKjwTRb5D44618wmHwsnKguXE1.yLe69PXeAqqfONrpigIupt97uEY8nFsdopZztas81Af-JE7A8ti5JkX5QOkp8kqL8z2FZV1uYafapYPdD5nnFQ, http://gardenprofessors.com/how-to-get-rid-of-your-lawn/, https://meridian.allenpress.com/jeh/article/25/4/239/80254/Impact-of-Mulches-on-Landscape-Plants-and-the, https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S016719871930580X, http://www.uclan.ac.uk/staff_profiles/assets/PUBCATS_for_Web_1991_to_2007(1), https://sharepoint.cahnrs.wsu.edu/blogs/urbanhort/Media/JEH%2025(4)%20239-249.pdf, https://pubs.extension.wsu.edu/scientific-literacy-for-the-citizen-scientist, http://gardenprofessors.com/a-tale-of-two-weeders-lessons-in-managing-aggressive-perennial-weeds/, https://www.theoaklandpress.com/news/nation-world-news/oakland-county-discontinues-program-to-prevent-spreading-of-invasive-species/article_aac5f1f2-dbd6-5520-83dd-f56ab11f6743.html, https://pubs.extension.wsu.edu/using-arborist-wood-chips-as-a-landscape-mulch-home-garden-series, https://awaytogarden.com/reducing-weeds-a-101-on-soil-solarization-with-sonja-birthisel/, https://www.nacaa.com/journal/index.php?jid=1024, https://gardenprofessors.com/how-to-get-rid-of-your-lawn/, Altpapier im Garten NICHT einsetzen! As a mainlander, the cacophony of mole crickets here in summer is deafening.good luck with the vege patch.. I assume I would end up with fewer worms in the area because they would be suppressed by the cardboard while the plants would have a chance to get established. I place at least a 3 layer of compost or well rotted manure on top of the cardboard and many gardeners water the cardboard first, to aid the breakdown of the material. Cardboard doesnt last long once its wet. 3 months ago, I put cardboard on hard dry ground on top of a hill, and covered it with 12 inches of leaves. The only problem I would see with this situation is that the anaerobic conditions created underneath these barriers will favor the proliferation of microbes that do well under low oxygen conditions. Did I do permanent damage with my tarp? Yes, cardboard sheet mulch kills off perennial roots, but that is only a symptom of the damage its use inflicts on *all* soil biology. Im sorry but I have seen soil and growing systems greatly improve following sheet mulching.
In your recent post, you stated, all sheet mulches are going to restrict water and air movement. I have a home vegetable garden that I expanded last year, and the newest plot had a *ton* of uncontrollable weed growth in late spring/early summer. If they are gardening principles (i.e., benefits and drawbacks of various mulches, importance of water and gas movement in and out of the soil, etc. I have enjoyed reading through the article and all of the responses. Using words like smother should alert you to the fact that you arent just affecting weeds. These articles have convinced me to go with hardwood mulch and the extra weeding necessary. I would not put them next to wood siding, because they do hold moisture, but next to concrete they will be fine.
Just like how panes of glass in a greenhouse exclude a certain amount of light and more if they are dirty? Literally after months of frustration due to being un-able to transport FREE flattened cardboard boxes in order to lay no-dig garden beds (Im 60 years young), and prior to reading this, I had a breakthrough today after swallowing pride and seeking help from local recycler who will deliver a ute load, in.
I am concerned about using wood chips because I have read that they can deplete the nitrogen in your soil. When you lasanga your garden, you build up layer upon layer of humus and cellulose. Ive had chips down for about a month now (Victoria BC). There is a lot of research correlating mulch depth with weed control Ive also written about this. There is no published research demonstrating any beneficits to using cardboard sheets as a mulch so any discussion of it is anecdotal. On the other hand, in the dampland right next to it we continued the sheet mulch and it killed off the grasses that had made the soil tillable. These boxes are made to withstand rough handling and to protect the contents from the external environment. Lasagna gardening is not based on anything one would find in nature. Yes, cardboard (shredded or otherwise cut up) is a good brown material for compost piles.
With regard to the possibility of damage to biologically rich, high-oxygen-demand landscapes mentioned, are these garden environments and how might such damage occur? (gulp) AND THEN TONIGHT, AN UNUSUAL VISITOR, a single solitary (mole) CRICKET. Linda, you say there is no science behind using cardboard, but then you say there is no science around it period! Scavenged cardboard boxes make an ideal weed barrier. Im so glad Im not the only one who read all the comments! Summercloud, with the friendliest of intentions I would recommend that you refigure your assumption on cardboard that isnt rated for direct food contact. Thats only one reason that proponents of cardboard mulch need to start funding and publishing research! B Flute cardboard comes in rolls (3-6 ft. wide) and is an ideal layer for sheet mulching to convert a lawn and/or suppress weeds. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/285739101_Impact_of_mulches_on_landscape_plants_and_the_environment_-_A_review?_sg=acoel-UtYrRrzRH87Cw2l66FWOxkPToxyGoJ-E49dIsN5_AZoDQVpM686X0E0SmdRDwgA8dqwzSNJMTKjwTRb5D44618wmHwsnKguXE1.yLe69PXeAqqfONrpigIupt97uEY8nFsdopZztas81Af-JE7A8ti5JkX5QOkp8kqL8z2FZV1uYafapYPdD5nnFQ But my time is divided among many online sites and emails. But you dont explain the relevance of the observed rates of diffusion to subsequent plant growth or productivity. After reading through 5 years worth of comments to the effect of Dont use cardboard b/c it reduces oxygen, now I find out that tarps are okay because soil life just moves in? 
Just lay it on top and let it incorporate like nature does. I suggest you read some books on the history and philosophy of science. Also youve saved us a lot money burlap isnt cheap, and neither is hiring a landscaper with a bobcat. ), Whoops I have a fourth question! Also, common earthworms are technically an exotic species in America. Otherwise like the article said, this is all anecdotal at best. If local arborists could not meet local demand then it might need to be sourced from woodlands of which I have no knowledge, which may not be managed sustainably, or perhaps the woodchip is derived from ancient woodlands being cut down (which is happening here in the UK on a dreadful scale, killing so much precious and irreplaceable diversity). As someone who also struggles with noxious weeds like morning glory and witch grass I would gladly exchange smothered soil for eradicated weeds. You can easily work it apart with a bit of tension, and water will soak through it, not run off the sides. Its a laboratory artifact.). I believe you, but this situation with the cardboard completely rotting away and leaving the soil moist seems like a good thing. But since you asked, we have data from a 2018 experiment that show cardboard restricts gas transfer ten times more than wood chips. I hired students to spread the chips.) (And many thanks for your research and replies over all these years!). I now know that I should put a bunch of compost on topand I think its OK to till that in, since there is no existing soil structure or beneficial organisms to protect. Always remember, everything composts, it is our job to pile it up and plug some starts in it. To be more clear, wood chips do not create dry and lifeless conditions underneath. These were surplus, formerly used as outdoor garbage receptacles. The kill was total and we ended up planting in the chips that were on top of the cardboard. I should also point out that this is not the same as sheet mulching, Im using smaller sections of cardboard with spacing to the next cardboard. However, if its very hot that means the material is still actively composting and you will need to wait until it cools down before applying around plants. First I should say that deep wood chip mulch has been amazing to enable gardening in the hot and arid desert southwest. I really appreciate your responding to my inquiry & am sooo glad I ran into this article before doing anymore sheet mulching! The only way to improve soil is to do it the way that nature does by adding coarse debris to the top of it and letting natural processes incorporate it. Ive seen this difference between two plants from cuttings from the same parent plant only several feet apart with drippers that were within ~2% output of eachother. Can one sow wild flower seeds in arborist chips? I havent been able to source additional chips to top up what I have. Im not trying to layer cardboard to decompose, just use it to temporarily keep the weeds to a minimum. Absent that information, all we have is published evidence about worm behavior, comparative mulch characteristics, and cardboard manufacture. Interesting. You mentioned in another reply the potential for pathogens to develop in an anaerobic environment. (assuming we have some metrics to define what a healthy soil life looks like) Has there been any scientific study to established the relationship between gas permeability and soil health in more detail? Im sure we can all think of many instances from our daily lives where we can reliably predict the outcome of events whilst relying entirely on our experience without a peer-reviewed paper in sight. is the glue that is used to laminated normal cardboard safe for gardening in pots of night shades? The producers/brands for the marketplace compost and pallet mulch are: Tree trimmings area good recycled mulch option and you can often get them forfree from local arborists. It got me thinking, and I googled, and here we are Thankyou Linda (and everyone/discussion). We know that fungus breaks down cellulose material, not bacteria. Thats when the earthworms come to the surface. From reading the abstract, the only thing we can conclude from the article is that wood chips are better than cardboard. Do you just leave it at this point? This would be preferable to on-going lasagna methods, which continue to add oxygen-suppressing material over the soil. But, you refer to how cardboard is *so* water impermeable. Pine cones are like bark in that they dont absorb water. In my area, in Massachusetts, bark mulch contains a lot of ground up wood. Unfortunately, people who use this as a mulch are not paying attention to details on what might be more permeable. Weve got data to demonstrate that which should be out in press this year. Weve all observed that earthworms crawl to the soil surface during heavy rains; this is due in part to water filling their burrows and reducing oxygen availability (Chuang and Chen demonstrated this nicely in 2008). Be sure you are using arborist wood chips, not bark or any other commercial wood product. Thank you. I would put these onto a solid surface, such as a concrete pad. Our Spoil is 19 feet sifting sugar sand that Mom has been Organic Gardening on for 56 plus years. This is almost always the first response I get from gardeners who dont believe that cardboard causes problems. Clay is the only component of soil that binds nutrients. It will suppress the weeds without damaging the soil, and you can use those chips in your veggie garden between the rows after planting. As responsible gardeners, we must consider where all this woodchip is going to come from and what this ultimately costs. Plus I want a softer, more predictable walking path, and 12 would be too high to be practical in my circumstance. I dont think youll find many gardeners reading this post who use cardboard alone. People everywhere are buried in Amazon boxes. And also, if someone obtains results with a practice, and can convince others without the need for science, it is likely that he wont do the extra effort to make it also scientific. CDFA California Department of Food and Agriculture. If youve read the other posts linked at the beginning, youll see discussion about the problems with sheet mulches, which include newspaper, cardboard, and landscape fabric. Im talking from my non-scientific but practical experience. Around perennial plants I take a sheet of cardboard that is roughly a similar area as the dripline of the plant and cut a hole in the middle for the plant. And at the end of the day, nothing exists except atoms and empty space. My results were mixed. In every hole we dug there were no earthworms and there ground was dry. insects) will cost you money because it is slow, painstaking work. Although over years the location I chose proved too tempting for the roots of nearby vegetation and trees. I was originally going to comment that performing research on this shouldnt require grants of hundreds of thousands of dollars, but when I considered the intervening and confounding variables I thought otherwise. Thank you for letting us know. How do I stop Bermuda grass from coming up through the material if I cant smother it with cardboard? 1) To prevent seed germination, you need at least 4 of chips. I reviewed your linked document and it says that mulch 3 and under did not suppress weeds while 4 and 6 inches does, but then I also noticed you referenced using 8-12 inches to another commenter above. Hi Linda! I have worked on landscapes where the soil was dead inert no life whatsoever and has sprung to life after sheet mulching. Then Ill dump a bunch of mulch on topwith no cardboard! With this in mind, and please correct me if you have evidence to the contrary: No seed can germinate and grow through a foot of wood chips. I think Id build a grid out of wood so it would contain the mulch and separate the units. Im sorry, but this is just way too long for me to respond to. To ensure the compost does not include biosolids, we work with vendors who sell compost that has been certified by a third party. That is certainly not a desirable outcome for any garden or landscape. I wouldnt breathe these in just like I wouldnt breathe in dust. Can other then natural looking cardboard be used shredded also? Both may be effective and/or more or less suitable than the other in different circumstances. You can find a post on this if you search for getting rid of your lawn. Wow, Ive read all of the comments here and the gardeners using the cardboard missed the whole point. The best non chemical approach so far has been deep mulch with regular hand weeding of the weed as it becomes apparent. In either case, if I lay 4 of mulch over the whole parkway to suppress the goutweed, will it harm the trees? This year my project is building a retaining wall and filling in four feet high with fill dirt behind it. Ill guarantee thats what you were seeing under the plastic. It comes up through just about anything. What kinds of pathogens, and what harm might they do? However, its a little more complicated than the setup you describe.
So my anecdotal observations are supported through related research, even though the plant material is different. He would have to have a well designed experiment and collect the data correctly. Linda, your replies made the comments section even more informative that the article itself. (trying to tell me something?) There is no science behind using either newspaper or cardboard in gardens or in agriculture except as shredded material. Anything that is covered with compost is pretty much decompsed, the stuff that is only covered with mulch is still intact, for the most part. What got me into it was the perception that it would be a good way to smother bermudagrass turf. We trying to keep thoughtful, civilized discussion going on every topic. oh wait. Thank you for everything Ive learned today! As someone who gardens mostly with native plants, I am not interested in attracting earth worms due to the competition. Your thoughts on this course of action with the cardboard would be appreciated. Ive already started planting in one of the areas juxtaposed to where I want to chip. Linda, Nothing (control). Certainly useful and helpful and at this point naturalized and deserving of habitat . Currently affecting a bed of Potatoes. Yes, it caused anaerobic conditions, but the soil was already anaerobic. Sandy and silty soils are nutrient poor. As soon as the chips wear down below 4 inches just a bit, those plants come back. Your study is for sixteen days. This entire process is very attractive to nematodes (earthworms and other soil animals), bacteria and fungi, which as they crawl toward and through the cardboard actually open up pockets where gasses and moisture can transfer, both from the atmosphere and from subsoil. Is that the primary risk here? Is the necessary rate of gas exchange typically 100x higher than necessary and so even a 10x decrease doesnt limit life in some way? Im always pulling up bindweed from among the chips as it is.
A total success with reasonable effort on our part. You can cover with straw (not hay!) When and if you do an experiment and publish the results, then we can talk about it. When your experts provide some peer-reviewed, published research to discuss, I can certainly do that. Her latest effort is an update of Art Kruckebergs Gardening with Native Plants of the Pacific Northwest from UW Press (2019). Get updates on when we freshly brew our Actively Aerated Compost Tea (AACT) and its availability for purchase. Mowing. The plots are 5 feet wide and the paths are about 5 feet wide too. Spreading a thin layer of bark mulch ~ 2 So, if we are to take your statement at face value, do they not nurture soil life? Hi Linda! In the study is the cardboard 2D or shredded? But may other things. As a Biology major in college, I do see your points scientifically.. however I do have a question. Being able to present data like this, and have it then disseminated in garden magazines, books, etc., would go far towards changing this longstanding practice. 
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