Looking for a biodegradable mulch mat

Hi folks,

I'm new to the boards, and am happy to meet you all!

I live in SoCal, and am looking for recommendations on a mulch-type mat.
I'd like it to be made from natural materials that can biodegrade after 2-3
seasons (a seasonal mat would be great, too), looks nice, is lightweight, and
easy to work with.

Any help would be appreciated!

Cheers,
Chris

What is the primary function of the mat. Weed control, erosion control, moisture retention ect ect.

Newspaper

Here are links to a few suggestions. I hope you find them useful.

http://www.nagreen.com/erosion-control-products/guardian-mulch-mat.php

http://www.world-wire.com/news/1220040002.html

http://www.alibaba.com/showroom/biodegradable-mulch-mats.html

flying_tigger, perhaps jute will work for your project. You can buy it by the yard inexpensively. It's 100% natural and I've read that it takes several years to biodegrade completely. I encourage you to shop around but I buy jute at the OnlineFabricStore because they have reasonable prices and good quality:

http://www.onlinefabricstore.net/search.htm?Ntk=primary&Ntt=jute&Nty=1&D=jute&Ntx=mode+matchallpartial&Dx=mode+matchallpartial

DoGooder

Old cardboard boxes are the best I know, they will eventually be composted and act as a weed suppressant while this happens.
There is nothing worse than knowing WHAT you want but DON'T know where to get it so Good Luck. WeeNel.

I like newspaper. I have used it in my vegetable garden and flower garden. For the flower garden, I use several layers like 4 pieces each. It is my 4th year. Last year, I still found paper blocking the weeds and is was easy to cut through when moving plants. As for my garden, I used 2 layer last year and then put grass and straw over the top. It really helpped to keep the ground moist or dry less on the hot days. Last year was a good year for rain, I think I only watered by vegetable garden once.

Kate

Thanks for all the suggestions, folks.

Cyclops, the primary purpose is for weed control, secondary is fertilizer, third is aesthetics.

I thought there might be something that's aesthetically pleasing out there. I, too, have found newspaper and cardboard useful in the past, but if the beds are in a visible area, they don't look nice, and I end up having to cover it with something. Bark mulch looks nice, but seasonally it's a real pain to clean fallen leaves from, and as I get older, those bags seem to get heavier and heavier(!).

I'll look into the jute idea; I hadn't thought of that.

If anyone has any other suggestions, I'm all ears! Thanks again.

Did you check out the links above...the mats listed in there are for looks, weed control and are completely bio-degradable.

Great stuff, folks! The links were very helpful.

Time to do research on the plusses and minuses of cocoa fiber...

Tigger

Tigger, coco sheets would be a great weed control if they are thick enough. We have a wire basket with a 1/2 inch coco liner and no roots or weeds go through the liner but water easily passes through and of course air. I recommend getting coco sheets without glue because the glue might be toxic to the plants and soil. I bought a roll of Austram coco liner because it's plain coco without glue added, but it cost about $1.25 per square foot whereas I can buy jute for less than 25 cents per square foot.

I use coco sheets for lining clear plastic plant dishes because they tend to resist mold, provide aeration yet hold moisture, and they last a long time. And I use coco sheets to separate plants in a container to prevent the roots from becoming tangled to make it easier to remove a plant without damaging the others in the pot. This year plan to staple coco liner on the top layer of soil of outdoor pots to protect them from critters.

DoGooder