mulch placement - how close to plants is too close?

Hi,

In an attempt to get rid of the weeds, particularly the oxalis, in my flower beds, I decided to try putting down a layer of newspaper (2 to 4 layers thick), and topping it with an organic soil-amendment compost (great stuff!).

I cut newspaper sheets into little pieces (so they would fit nicely around my plants), weeded my garden beds, and spent hours putting the pieces of paper down, and then covering them with the compost. Hours! And then last night I came across some information on mulching that said the newspaper and whatever you place on top of it should be 3 inches away from every plant. Is that true? I placed mine right up next to each plant, to hopefully kill as many weeds as possible.

Do I now have to go back out there and remove the compost, rearrange all those hundreds of little pieces of paper, and then replace the compost? I almost hate to ask in case the answer is Yes, but I certainly don't want to harm my plants. The larger, more established plants will probably be okay, but what about the youngsters from six-packs that I just planted a few weeks ago?

I'd appreciate any advice, or to hear about your experience with mulch placement. Thank you!

You should have compost 3" away from the stems of the plants. If not, you invite voles and slugs to feast on your stems, as well as insects. You've seen those trees that look like volcanoes with the mulch clumped up against the trunks? They're about to die. It shouldn't be too hard to just go by and move the mulch a bit away from each plant. Sounds like you did a fabulous job with the mulching.

I've mulched right up to all my plants for years. And I might add that I have no lawn. My entire yard is garden--front, sides, and back. I own no mower. My plants are all beautiful and healthy with no sign of pests.

I also use newspaper and cardboard, particularly when doing a new bed. But I lay it down very thick, like a whole section of newspaper or two layers of cardboard in the longest strips I can, overlapping well. This prevents weeds (particularly that danged bermuda) from creeping thru. I never cut holes in the underlayment. That would only be an entrance hole for weeds. Instead I layer soil and mulch on top of the cardboard and plant right on top.

Eventually, the cardboard or newspaper kills out everything under it and then the paper begins to biodegrade, replenishing the soil. So eventually, the roots of my plants will dig down into good solid ground.

I've also used fresh mulch I get from a tree trimmer, about 3" thick. I've been warned many times that this fresh mulch will fry my plants. Well, I've been doing it for 3 or 4 years and haven't lost any yet.

I break all the rules and my gardens are beautiful despite it. Maybe it hasn't been long enough to know if my methods are causing problems. Or maybe it's too hot and dry here for certain insects to live. I don't know. What I do know is, if you ask 10 people this same question, you'll get 10 different answers. Just choose the one you like the best and you should be ok. LOL

NancyAnn