Yes, they will if the paper coat is not too thick.

Milin

Are 8 pages too thick?

Marianne

I think that may be a little too thick, but maybe not. I'd think that smaller bulbs (crocus, grape hyacinths, smaller varieties of daffs, etc) might have a hard time emerging.

Bigger things like tulips, and bigger daffs might be all right.

I usually use 4 sheets, and mulch enough to cover the paper well, without it (the paper) surfacing. I never use any of the 'slicks' as they don't break down as fast.

Sue

I'm a little confused as to where you are. What I think of as West Washington state has very wet winters and the bulbs should have no problem getting through the saturated newspaper.

But you list zone 5, which would be a more arid area to the east of the Cascades, somewhere like Grand Coulee or Spokane. Nice place to grow Crocus but not so great for getting newspaper to disintegrate in winter. Freeze maybe, but not disintegrate ;)

While searching for an effective way to plant my Daffodils and have a weed free garden in the spring; I came across this very old thread - with no recent activity. Just wondering if anyone has had any additional experiences covering bulbs with newspaper mulch and having them emerge in the spring? Happy sprouting!

Won't the voles and squirrels complain about the chemicals in the newspaper they'll have to chew and dig through to get at the bulbs? And what about the worms and others? Have a heart: look for newspaper that's entirely organic.

Eimer, for as many of my bulbs as the little varmints have eaten over the years; if I thought I could get rid of them that easily I would personally FEED them newspaper! As for the worms...I think as long as they say down in the soil they will be fine. As for using entirely organic newspaper (omg).

The worms do have to surface when the rain is heavy enough to saturate their soil. And then if the Robins come along and eat the worms contaminated by your newspaper mulch, well then there may be sick Robins. And then Batman will be very angry at you.

Slugs love paper mulch, it seems shoots of any bulbs they might gnaw growing under layers of paper are liable to have maximum damage. And voles might be encouraged to attack bulbs of kinds on the menu by a paper blanket during the winter. But the first thing that occurs to me is that if the paper decays enough to allow the bulbs to come through normally at that point it is no longer going to be suppressing weeds much.

The best way to avoid the work involved with maintaining flowers is to plant shrubs instead.

In most cases for bulbs: mulch is not necessary and may be a detriment. I have grassy areas full of hundreds of bulbs, and the only mulch they ever get is when I have to cut the tall grass and other growths in early June after the leaves of the bulb plants have all died. All those cut leaves decay quickly. Mulch of any sort would only attract voles.

Further in the trees, where grass does not grow, I have bulbs under the natural mulch of pine needles, other decaying leaves, and etc.; there, daffodils do well.

My approach is that the little critters, including invertebrates, also deserve their places. So, I keep some areas "messy" and undisturbed by my own often-misguided sense of neatness and order. Natural mulches of leaf litter and etc. are essential to healthy ecologies.

This post was edited by Eimer on Mon, Oct 6, 14 at 13:58

I put down several layers of newspaper and then shredded wood mulch on top without any issues for my bulbs being able to come through. I don't have issues with slugs, but do have issues with voles, but they are bad whether there is mulch or not.

As far as questions about toxics in newspaper, my local paper uses non-toxic soy-based ink, so it isn't an issue. I don't use the glossy paper from magazines or advertising brochures.

I wonder why our yard has not had that many slugs this year. It's not the moisture: last year had the most precipitation on record, this year is above normal. But there certainly seem to be fewer slugs. Perhaps the record cold winter? And I haven't noticed any ducks in the area eating slugs. What else eats slugs?

There are very few chemicals, if at all, in newsprint. The ink is soy based. The glossies have the chemicals in them.

Newspapers ARE organic! Paper and corrugated cardboard are both on the list of approved materials for organic mulch.

I have a friend who is in the business of making corrugated paper boxes. He adamantly corrects anyone by telling us that "The common box made up of two layers of paper glued with a corrugated paper middle. Cardboard on the other hand is that which your cereal box is made. There is no such thing as corrugated cardboard".

My reply was "I stand corrected and rebuked." (-:

He also includes: "Yes, corrugated paper, with its adhesives, and cardboard are both organic."

Eimer, toads love slugs and I love my toads.

I'm glad I don't have voles. I have enough problems with slugs and snails. I tried marigolds this year and the slugs decimated them. They don't seem to bother my daffodils or daylilies though.

I've heard newspaper will also add phosphorus to your soil which is suppose to be good for bulbs, but I can't verify that information. I do use newspaper in my flower beds and it works great for discouraging weeds. You just have to replace every season.

Well, this year I noticed more little toads around and fewer slugs. The marigolds, growing near where I usually find toads, were splendid. So I should thank the toads?

If the bulbs can grow up through inches of soil then newspaper is not going to stop them. (-: