As flip turn says and also remember that if you use cardboard that the water can not penetrate so make sure it is not around the root zone of your plants, it also takes a long time to decompose.
Your best bet is to pull all the weeds, then to put down a 4-6 inch layer of mulch around your plant, this helps smother out weeds and any that pop up will be easier to pull.
If newspapers or cardboard is flat and weighted down on top of the weeds, it will smother the weed plants, thus preventing them from getting light, and eventually they will die. Neither newspapers or cardboard though will kill the weed roots underground. The weeds must be completely pulled out with their roots to truly impede them from growing any further.
If the newspapers or cardboard is just left out in the yard without being further covered with Mulch, it will quickly become very unsightly, and will be an invitation for problems with vermin. The important step that is often forgotten in this scheme is to cover the entire yard surface with mulch wherever the paper has been put down.
Mulch will not last forever. It will have to be topped up periodically to compensate for erosion and blowing away in the wind.
I have found that spritzing with some white vinegar and immediately laying down plastic bags (shopping bags or garbage bags) to work best and fastest! It kills everything under the plastic within days so no mess to deal with and it's easily picked up as it doesn't fall to pieces.
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I'm planning on doing this this weekend but with cardboard. Here's an article about it.
https://www.agardenforthehouse.com/2013/05/how-to-smother-weeds-with-newspaper/
If newspapers or cardboard is flat and weighted down on top of the weeds, it will smother the weed plants, thus preventing them from getting light, and eventually they will die. Neither newspapers or cardboard though will kill the weed roots underground. The weeds must be completely pulled out with their roots to truly impede them from growing any further.
If the newspapers or cardboard is just left out in the yard without being further covered with Mulch, it will quickly become very unsightly, and will be an invitation for problems with vermin. The important step that is often forgotten in this scheme is to cover the entire yard surface with mulch wherever the paper has been put down.
Mulch will not last forever. It will have to be topped up periodically to compensate for erosion and blowing away in the wind.
I have found that spritzing with some white vinegar and immediately laying down plastic bags (shopping bags or garbage bags) to work best and fastest! It kills everything under the plastic within days so no mess to deal with and it's easily picked up as it doesn't fall to pieces.