Kill Grass With Newspaper

Question

After putting down newspaper and mulch, can you put in plants right away by digging through the mulch and cutting through the newspaper? Will the plants continue to thrive? If so, how big of a space do I need to open (in inches) around the plant?

Answer 1

Yes, you can plant right away. You only need a hole big enough to get the rootball through. The mulch and newspaper are porous, so will allow rain to seep through to the soil below, which means you only need to make a hole big enough to plant the plants.