Re: Paper mulch?

Any paper will eventually rot down.  I've used magazines to mulch paths -
under woodchips and it takes a few years before they're gone.

I've put shredded paper in my compost heap (think I've put just about every
rottable thing in there at one time or another).  It's like dry leaves -
needs a lot of high nitrogen material and water to start rotting, but it
does.

Plain paper is better for your garden and if you grow veggies, that's the
only kind I'd use in any compost that was destined for eatables.  Coated
stocks and 4-color glossy paper takes longer to rot and may still contain
undesirable (in the soil) chemicals that could, possibly,  be absorbed by
veggies.  

I really don't recommend it as mulch for ornamentals; it will blow all over
kingdom come - unless you like the look of shreds of paper clinging to
everything ;-)  If you try to cover it up with shredded bark, be sure the
birds will uncover it and fling it about for the fun of it.

If you're certain the paper is all uncoated stock and no glossy pix, and
you have a veggie garden you keep under heavy mulch of straw or the like,
you could bury it as the first layer....it would get mixed with the straw
by birds scratching around, but won't tend to fly all over as much, plus,
usually, veggie gardens aren't expected to look as "beautiful" as
ornamental gardens.

If in doubt about the paper type, you could make a special pile of it and
grass clippings mixed and watered well; let it rot and then use it on
ornamentals.  From what you say, doesn't seem there is a lot of 4-color
glossy stuff in there.  A few bits of colored ink here and there shouldn't
hurt by the time it's rotted down.  Composting it would be better than
landfilling it, I should think, all things considered.

Marge Talt, zone 7 Maryland
mtalt@clark.net
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----------
> From: Barb Pernacciaro <bpern@idcnet.com>
> Date: Friday, March 05, 1999 12:03 AM
> 
> I told my husband I'd ask the experts. 
> 
> After my repeated nagging, he's finally cleaning out desk drawers and to
make it
> more fun is using a paper shredder to destroy old canceled checks, etc.
Can I
> use this shredded paper for mulch? Compost? A bit of the shreds may be
colored,
> but most just looks like regular paper. Does anyone have any experience
or
> information on this?
> -- 
> Barb P.
> SE Wisconsin, Zone 4

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