I plan to try them in the next planting season because they are cheap to produce and suitable for rural and underdeveloped areas. Any previous experience will be helpful.
Using any type of mulch is better than none, the greatest competition is underground using a mulch material can prevent/reduce above ground growth thus can reduce below ground competition within that radius, this is especially useful on afforestation sites with a lot of grass. Mulch rings they may help in addition to other weed control methods (such as mowing or cultivation between the rows) within the establishment year (and beyond). I wonder about the longevity of recycled cardboard rings, we've used mulch rings made from a low density fibre board in the past, but these would be more expensive in comparison and possibly with less environmental credentials.
Jonathan, thank you for your answer. The lifetime of cardboard is my biggest concern (as well as chemical composition). We already used some mulch rings (as I remember from PlantaGuard) but I was thinking to try these because they are cheap and simple to produce. In rural and low development regions it might make some additional income for locals.
Mulching prevents the competition of weeds but also provides the shelter for the rodents... I don't know if the mices are problem in your conditions, but in our country they occationally damage the seedlings after planting ... especially in afforested abandoned agricultural fields.
We did not notice problems with rodents, but this is a valuable information to consider. Thanks.
We used durable mulch rings on our trial sites (Pinus nigra, Fagus sylvatica) in Bavaria (Germany). It is neccessary that rodents are under control, because they prefer the protected area under the mulch rings for their nests. We had also problems because the mulch rings carve the stem when the diameter of the stem increases. So you have to remove the mulch rings after 3 to 4 years. Mulch rings made of recycled cardboard should be prefered if you need them for a short time. But if there is a strong pressure by shrubs or high growing grass tending is also neccessary. If you have a vegetation period with much precipitation (or with longer snow cover in winter) mulch rings made of recycled cardboard are less durable.
Thank you. I am setting a series of field trials with much of different materials. Every additional experience is beneficial.
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