Kevin Castro
Xeriscapes Trinidad

Today we will ask if using cardboard is right for your landscaping project.

In today’s world we are looking to be more mindful towards the earth and leaving out plastic waste from our lives so that we don’t harm ourselves as a species in the long run.

There are many alternatives to plastic sheets for landscaping. There is fabric and as well as cardboard.

I am an advocate for using cardboard in landscaping but learning from my own experience, there are some key steps to do it right. It also takes a little extra work. It might not work for your particular situation. Let’s dig into it.

Reddit users are crazy about cardboard. Seems every post about DIY landscaping, multiple people are suggesting using cardboard.

One reason is that it is effective at blocking sunlight and suppressing weeds. Whether you are adding mulch or rocks on top, it will aid in keeping your yard free from those pesky weeds. It will also add organic matter into the soil and better retain moisture as it decomposes.

On that note, cardboard does decompose fairly quickly under materials like rock and mulch. So if you want your weed barrier to last longer, add more layers. I would recommend a minimum of three layers covering multiple times over flaps and holes that weeds can try and grow through. Bigger boxes are better. Try to avoid tape and colored printed boxes as they may leach harmful chemicals into your soil. Three layers should keep for up to 2 years and even then, you have amended your soil and any weeds that grow, you’ll be able to pull easier from the ground.

In any case, make sure you dig deep enough to make room for cardboard and the material you’ll add on top of it. Three inches below any barrier or concrete sidewalk should be enough. If you put enough rock or mulch on top of the cardboard, it will also help retain that moisture that might leave if the ground was bare.

As long as you put the right plants in your landscape, you’ll only have ornamental plants spreading around your garden instead of weeds.

Colorado might just have the perfect conditions for using cardboard since it is more dry than it is wet in the area. With the adequate rain we get, cardboard is the perfect solution to a more eco friendly weed barrier.

If you decide to use cardboard, you are reducing waste in landfills. Plastic barriers degrade and make a huge mess in the long run and poison the ground and weeds find their way on top of the barriers anyway.

If I’m not using cardboard, I’m using regular landscaping fabric made with fibers instead of plastic which works great and allows water to go through.

My name is Kevin Castro and I am the proud owner of Xeriscapes Trinidad LLC. Give me a call at 719-483-8854.