I really appreciate your responding to my inquiry & am sooo glad I ran into this article before doing anymore sheet mulching! Bark does not. Any species of wood, as long as it is chipped, will work regardless of its invasive nature. In places that have the morning glories (bindweed) and Himalayan blackberry that Earthdave brought up, however, Id still consider whether to keep using cardboard. Bare soil has excellent gas permeability at the same time it loses moisture. I would say no less than 8. Weve knowingly and willingly introduced so many chemicals into our food and water supply, some at levels we thought were safe some we didnt even consider unsafe. Anytime you use the word smother you should remember its an entire ecosystem you are killing. Annoying arrogance dismissing many peoples useful observations. Interesting thoughts regarding cardboard and sheet mulching in general. I love your science-backed blog! My flower beds have other bushes and trees that I will need to preserve. Second, lay cardboard sheets in a chess board pattern with alternating areas of sheets and no sheets. Hi Ayumi You might still get some weeds but probably no more than with wood chips. Thanks! Randomly assign each box etc. I dont think cardboard does this. 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. Do you have a good article on those? I am considering using cardboard as much. Is the lower-oxygen environment created by tarp/cardboard sufficient to produce these pathogens? In both cases, I plant the plants crown even with, or a litle above, the top of the chips. The garden is the perfect laboratory for experiencing science in real time. The great interest in cardboard as a mulch should be supported by going behind the paywall. by that logic evidence of science didnt exist until peer-reviewed journals were created. Thats been done in the ecological literature. OMRI listed products undergo review to ensure that they comply with national organic standards. 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. Ive had experience with sheet mulching, and without it as well. How would you then suggest prepping the ground for a pollinator meadow. The data he reports indicates there is no difference in wet-weight yield between the cardboard and no-cardboard plots. You can easily put down 4 of wood chip mulch. For many people in Alberta dealing with heavy clay, sheet mulching or building up is the only way they are able to get anything growing. I would prefer stainless steel, but thats pricey and harder to find size appropriate. smilemercantile Weve now published our research on this topic: bottom line is cardboard is 10 times worse than wood chips in terms of gas diffusion. On this page you have said, among other things: The only research Ive seen that uses cardboard is for termite studies (its their preferred food)., This blog promotes science and there is no published science behind using cardboard as a mulch. https://pubs.extension.wsu.edu/using-arborist-wood-chips-as-a-landscape-mulch-home-garden-series. Ive been doing restoration work and community gardening for many years and I think theres too much willingness to jump right in and mulch the weeds before planting (be it sheet mulching or non-sheet mulching which also has an effect on the soil). With this in mind, and please correct me if you have evidence to the contrary: To that end, I found some 29 aluminum pizza pans, heavily discounted on Amazon, that are scheduled to arrive tomorrow. Yes, cardboard will suffocate these plants, thats the point, in creating an anaerobic condition, certain soil bacteria not usually present will help to break down what had been the surface plants, releasing nutrients into a bio-available compost. In science, anything reported that is not published in a peer-reviewed journal is anecdotal. Unfortunately fungi do not produce oxygen they are not photosynthetic. However, the disagreement appears solely to be between published science and anecdotal experience. If they are discussions about specific plants (i.e., temperate vs. tropical), then there could be regional differences. Does this include layers of newspaper? Wed like to be able to have these to back up this point of view in conversations with gardeners and when doing presentations. Ive only been working with worms for about six years, but the usefulness of cardboard is something I have experienced many times. Sow the seeds into the planting area. Alternatively hire someone to use a bobcat to level the soil & remove the top layer with weeds in it, then topsoil with compost & then sow seeds. Hi Chandanie all sheet mulches are going to restrict water and air movement. Our Spoil is 19 feet sifting sugar sand that Mom has been Organic Gardening on for 56 plus years. Take a soil sample from the middle of each plot and have some sort of biologist or entomologist at UNC help me count the soil organisms in each one. I have very persistent poison ivy and am trying to make areas to grow vegetables. (Sorry for the late response the pandemic has overwhelmed me with emails and information requests. You must keep it covered and light free until you are ready to plant. I am crushed to hear this, because I fear this solution may not be viable for me. Water breaks down these components to paper quickly. We dont recommend you use cardboard at all. Im not a fan of using corrugated cardboard as a mulch, which like other sheet mulches creates problems for the underlying soil. I did wonder about the suffocation and upset to insect habitat (thankyou cricket) it is a big area. 2) To keep grass and perennials from regrowing, you need much more. I have tried to remove the weeds by yanking them out, but of course theyve re-sprouted from their roots. These boxes are made to withstand rough handling and to protect the contents from the external environment. Plus I have no idea if the trees were sprayed or are diseased. And please. The issue is that there is still mostly white grass still trying to grow. Testing in the field has limitations (ie. Its there now. Mimic the nature. So we dont promote it regardless of peoples anecdotes. Thats what pre-emergent herbicdes will do. days. Wood chips DO reduce gas permeability (looking at the graph) but obviously all the other benefits that wood chips provide make it a good choice for garden. Finer mulch is better for edibles and raised beds applied in a thin layer 1 inch or less. Weve now published research that shows cardboard significantly reduces gas transfer compared to wood chips. Cardboard and weed-control fabric damage the soil and its ecosystem. 
It also disturbs soil life. Then theres the issue of what you are going to look at underground, and how. Ive consulted with the local extension, and the recommendation is to cover the yard with plastic for a season to kill off the weeds & then rototill in some compost, and then do the planting/seed sowing. And a single layer of cardboard slows gas transfer 10 times more than 4 of wood chips. For about 15 years, Ive been using cardboard plus 4 inches of chips when converting from lawn to landscape. Everything else is opinion. (Democritus of Abdera). If I had only looked at the first few links in my search, I would have thought it relatively benign to put cardboard out but I too have tenacity and deep curiousity so Im happy to have found your info. . The box you see delivered to your front door is more properly called corrugated board or containerboard. Ironically I have used this method because in fact I do want earthworms to help my garden. We appreciate your kind comments! Of course you dont want to overdo it, but it sounds like the cardboard decomposes long before the soil can become anaerobic. Thank you for your defense of science and attempting to educate people on non-science. Would the deep layer of wood chip thwart established weeds like morning glory and witch grass? Hi Linda really great and informative article thanks! Would you say cardboard has to be properly shredded to be a effective 3D mulch? Its much easier to add a deficient nutrient than to remove a toxic one. Hi I am late to the discussion. It is not exactly the same as a layer of autumn leaves, but somewhat approaching the principle. I came to this page seeking more confidence in applying cardboard sheet mulching and have come away almost as unclear as I arrived (which may be a good thing). Id have four sets of this in a grid, for a total of 12 boxes. Some sections of slope are too steep for mulch alone to do this, and it is also much easier to carry several mats down, stake it out, and then mulch over it. View all posts by Linda Chalker-Scott. What chemicals was that pallet wood treated with? And to figure out what to do about the area I have already sheet mulched, some of which I have already planted into. You might be interested in reading this peer-reviewed article, which will further address the problems with soil amendment, and offers science-based alternatives to improving soil. And to be clear, its not my logic about worms its whats in the scientific literature. Dr. Linda Chalker-Scott has a Ph.D. in Horticulture from Oregon State University and is an ISA certified arborist and an ASCA consulting arborist. But, leaves are less so arent they? I also recall a discussion about German research on anaerobic conditions being much better than generally considered However, the literature has not been translated This was mentioned by Allyson Jack who seems to be a monster when it comes to finding literature in the field. From reading the abstract, the only thing we can conclude from the article is that wood chips are better than cardboard. Glad you fouund our information! Your experiment seems specifically designed to circumvent the exact benefits of cardboard mulching. You were doing well (even if you have no science to back up your claims) until your last major paragraph. https://pubs.extension.wsu.edu/using-arborist-wood-chips-as-a-landscape-mulch-home-garden-series. It also kills plant roots, earthworms, and so on. When I dig through the chips I find they soil is very soft, I can easily push my finger down 2 inches. and am spreading them 12 thick to prepare a new garden space. Any scientific paper stating that diffusion rate limits soil health should share some insight into what diffusion rate is necessary. There is no published research on cardboard as a mulch, except for what we did in 2019. Since mycellium breathe CO2 & produce oxygen beneath the soil it seems likely that if you inoculated cardboard to be used as a sheet mulch the fungi would take care of the oxygen needs. Mow everything to the ground. Weve just published an article comparing diffusion rates of different mulches. And you need to have something else that you want to grow there to keep new weeds from becoming established. Long time no see. 
It seems like a lot of people would be interested in the results! For anyone considering sheet mulching in a hot, arid environment I would urge caution as the cardboard doesnt readily break down. Which brings me back to my earlier comment regarding your reasons for so vociferously dismissing cardboard: I think there is nothing wrong with you _feeling_ that cardboard is likely a bad choice, and that these debates have inspired you to undertake studies on this. There are a number of misconceptions in this plan and I hope I can dissuade you of them. The important point, as Ive made elsewhere, is to look at the diffusion coefficients. Otherwise, you are wasting your time. 
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