Using Newspaper to Kill Weeds: The Scoop

Who would have thought that something as simple as a newspaper could be used as mulch to control weeds in the garden [1]?

Some gardeners will do just about anything to avoid pulling weeds and using toxic herbicides.

That’s where newspapers come in. They are both easy to use and provide other benefits for the garden.

Chemical herbicides are toxic and can kill the plants you want to keep. They’re also unhealthy for you and the environment.

As a result, more gardeners are looking for eco-friendly ways to control weeds.

Classified as sheet mulching [2], here is everything you need to know about how to use newspaper to block weeds.

Table of Contents

How Long Does It Take for Newspapers to Decompose in the Garden?

Newspapers can begin breaking down within a few weeks.

Complete decomposition, however, may take anywhere from several weeks to several months. This timing depends on the environmental conditions.

You can shorten this rate by doing two things:

Daily watering helps the paper break down faster, as it begins turning to pulp as soon as it gets wet and continues to degrade with repeated moisture.

Add organic kitchen scraps or compost material on top. Worms and microbes help break down the newspaper more quickly.

You can use both methods together.

Are They Safe to Use in the Garden?

Oh yes, newspapers are safe to use in the vegetable garden as long as you don’t use the glossy inserts for ads and coupons. Those have too many dyes and chemicals that not only slow down decomposition but may also be harmful to the soil.

Most modern colored newspaper pages are also considered safe because they use the same low-toxicity inks as black-and-white pages. However, heavily glossy inserts should still be avoided.

How Many Layers of Newspaper Kill Weeds?

This varies depending on whom you talk to. The consensus is for at least three layers.

The layers need to be single sheets, laid out in their entirety, not folded over. Doing so prevents gaps where weed seeds can hide and germinate.

You can also use newspapers to kill grass; however, this time you’ll use six layers and overlap the sheets. Alternatively, covering the area with just one layer of cardboard will smother the grass and weeds.

Advantages

They’re porous, which means water can soak through to the soil beneath them [3].
The newspaper weed barrier completely blocks sunlight when properly layered. It kills existing weeds and prevents their seeds from germinating.
They’re biodegradable, so they add organic matter to the soil as they decompose, helping improve soil structure and moisture retention.
Safer to use than toxic chemical weed killers.
Easier to maintain than hand-pulling and more effective at weed suppression.
In many cases, it can be obtained for free from recycling bins, neighbors, or libraries disposing of old newspapers.
Eco-friendly. Using newspapers helps keep them out of landfills while adding organic matter to the garden.
Efficient. It takes less time to put the newspaper in place in your garden than it does to hand-pull the weeds.
In many cases, you can place newspaper directly over existing weeds, although large perennial weeds may require cutting back first.

Disadvantages

Longevity. Under the right conditions, it breaks down quickly.

Ugly. If left uncovered, it detracts from the overall beauty of your garden.

How to Use Newspapers in the Garden

Using newspapers to prevent weeds in the vegetable garden is quite simple. Moreover, it makes excellent mulch for your tomatoes.

Choose where you want to use it. It doesn’t matter whether the beds are annual or perennial, since you won’t have to move the paper when you rotate crops or plant ornamentals.
Border the area with large stones or bricks. Doing so will make it harder for the newspaper to blow away on a windy day.
Unfold the pages so they lie flat. Folding them over makes overlapping more difficult.
Arrange the sheets in layers, placing them down one at a time and overlapping the edges.
Keep them around 2 to 3 inches away from the plants. You don’t want to kill the plants by blocking the sunlight they need to grow.
Hold them down with stones, bricks, or water while you’re working. This will keep it all from blowing away.
Wet thoroughly once all the newspapers are down where you want them.
Cover them with stones, bricks, or other types of mulch. Not only does this make the bed look attractive, but it also helps get the newspaper to start decomposing. The weight of the stuff on top will also keep it in place.
Check on it every two weeks and replace it as needed. Daily watering and insect activity can accelerate decomposition. Moreover, replacing it is as easy as removing the mulch and putting down more paper.

Landscape Fabric vs. Newspaper

You can also use newspapers instead of landscape fabric to kill weeds in your garden. Landscape fabric is a woven material mostly made from polypropylene or polyester.

So, how does this fabric compare to newspapers?

Purpose

Newspapers are for short-term weed suppression—usually only one growing season.

Landscape fabric, on the other hand, is for long-term weed suppression. It usually lasts up to five years.

Composition

Newspapers are mainly made of wood pulp, while landscape fabric is made from plastic or other petroleum-based materials.

Placement

Newspapers are best used in annual vegetable and flower beds because they break down easily. Landscape fabric, on the other hand, is best used in perennial beds because it is more durable and lasts longer before degrading.

Environmental Impact

Laying down newspapers adds organic matter to the soil as they break down, helping improve soil structure and moisture retention.

However, landscape fabric takes a very long time to break down. Plus, over time it can break down into plastic fragments that remain in the soil [4].

If you still like the idea of using landscape fabric, there are biodegradable, organic options such as WeedGuard Plus.

Price

Newspapers are cheap. Getting enough to cover any size vegetable garden or flower bed costs very little.

Landscape fabric comes in rolls and can be pretty expensive, even for a small garden.

Therefore, using newspapers (or even cardboard) to suppress or kill weeds in the garden is a much more economical method.

Takeaway

Newspaper is a much more economical alternative to toxic herbicides. It’s also less work. It takes less effort to lay it down and keep it there than to pull weeds by hand.

Even mature weeds will weaken and die if you smother them with enough layers of newspaper. However, aggressive perennial weeds may require additional control measures.