You won’t need harsh chemicals or to pull out weeds with this simple removal trick (Image: lucentius via Getty Images)
Weeds run rampant during summer, when warm temperatures and rainfall create the perfect conditions for growth and seed germination. Common varieties, including dandelions, daisies, bindweed and ground elder, are straightforward to identify thanks to their distinctive leaves and flowers — but this also means they are difficult to disregard.
For those who steer clear of chemical weed killers, white vinegar, baking soda, salt and boiling water are frequently recommended remedies for the task, although they do little to tackle some of the more challenging aspects of weed removal, such as pulling and spraying. One gardening expert has put forward a hands-free solution to weeds known as “sheet mulching.” While professional landscapers have embraced this technique for many years, it remains a “revelation” for the typical home gardener looking to keep beds and borders in check.
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Wet cardboard suppresses weed growth beneath the soil (Image: Getty)
Elizabeth Florio of Garden & Gun said: “It turns out the cardboard that passes through households in abundance is a low-fuss, good-for-the-soil, sustainable-many-times-over weed barrier.”
The approach is straightforward: place a flattened cardboard box over clusters of weeds and cover with garden mulch. According to the gardening expert, this functions by “smothering the undergrowth” while simultaneously enriching the soil with carbon.
It’s a worthwhile option for gardeners who favour a no-dig approach to unwanted growth, and one that many have already put to great effect.
A gardening enthusiast posted on the Charles Dowding forum that they discovered cardboard to be an “amazing” remedy for suppressing all kinds of garden weeds.
The forum member said: “Under hedges I put cardboard with wood chip on top, nothing through at all.
“We also had a weed-ridden border which I put cardboard first, then planted heather into holes cut in it, then put peat compost all over as mulch and it is doing well, heather alive and had to pull about two weeds in two months.”
Some people use the lasagne method to line vegetable patches (Image: Getty)How to kill weeds with cardboard
There’s no requirement to remove existing weeds before laying cardboard on top. In fact, numerous Charles Dowding forum members argue that doing so simply encourages further weed growth.
Instead, they advise cutting them back and, should you wish, allowing the top layers to flatten them down.
Certain varieties of cardboard are most suitable for garden use, and gardeners ought to choose the plain brown variety.
Select sheets with minimal ink and steer clear of glossy materials, which may contain plastic film or wax. The same applies to offcuts with tape on them, which is why pizza boxes are widely considered the safest option.
Elizabeth recommends layering flattened boxes for maximum effectiveness against weeds. Hosing them down with water is also advised to ensure the cardboard moulds to the ground and remains firmly in place.
Should you wish to plant directly over the cardboard layer, you will require a layer of compost and planting soil. Simply spread your chosen mulch — whether that be wood chips, pine straw, or other organic materials — straight onto the cardboard.
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