Using newspaper as a mulch

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RoseyQ Pueblo West, CO(Zone 5b) Feb 04, 2008

Hello gardeners

I’ve have not used newspaper in the garden because of the toxic chemicals used in paper production including the inks used. Many gardening books and gardeners (including organic gardeners) praise its use as a cheap and readily available mulch and as a material for raising worms. It seems to me that as the newspaper breaks down into the soil, so will the chemicals in the newspaper contaminate the plants and soil. It also seems to me that newspaper may be as poor a choice in the vegetable garden as treated wood. Does anyone know whether this could be a possibility?

Thanks.

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ecrane3 Dublin, CA(Zone 9a) Feb 04, 2008

I don't think too many of the chemicals from paper production actually wind up in the paper itself. And there's been a lot of improvement in inks in recent years, some of them are soy based and they're generally way less toxic than they used to be. If there's a particular newspaper that you tend to have around, you can always call the paper and find out what kind of ink they use. But personally I wouldn't worry that much--newspaper is definitely better than treated wood in terms of what leaches into the garden.

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Lily_love Central, AL(Zone 7b) Feb 04, 2008

Also, regular daily papers, and not the shiny adds pages that contain lots of colorful ink, and thick glossy finish which maybe slower to break down, and contain potentially more toxic chemical?

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frans530 Rankin, IL(Zone 5a) Feb 04, 2008

Rosey,
I found this answer on About dot com:

Old newspapers are not safe for mulch or compost, because of the composition of their ink (which included toxic cadmium, lead and chromium).

But most newspaper inks of the 21st century are soy-based and regarded as safe. To make sure, call up the newspapers in question and find out if they use a soy-based ink. If they do, the newspapers are safe for mulch and compost. If you wish to be a real stickler about it, ask a separate question regarding their colored pages (if any), the inks for which may or may not contain harmful ingredients.

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Anaid San Antonio, TX Feb 06, 2008

I've used them to place under mulch in an area where I dont want grass or weeds to grow It hasnt affected the plant I put it around.

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