Mulch can help you grow more beautiful plants and keep weeds at bay, making your garden look more attractive. It can also help keep the soil cool in the summer and prevent frost heaving in winter. Over time, organic mulch will break down and have to be replaced, but in the process, it also provides your garden with much-needed nutrients. Soft, compostable mulch breaks down more quickly and releases more nutrients, whereas bark mulch and other woodier mulches break down more slowly and insulate the soil in colder months. Mulch not only adds visual appeal and improves the earth but also saves you time. Mulch can become an organic sculpture that adds pizzazz to your garden. It can also save you time and cut down on work. And the fruits, flowers, and veggies? They’ll be healthier, too as well.
Some of the different types of mulches that you can use in your garden
First, let us discuss organic mulch. So what are organic mulches? Organic mulches are plant materials made out of shredded bark, sawdust, compost, grass wood chips, etc.
The use of organic mulches can facilitate soil improvement in your garden.
Here are some of the common types of organic mulches you will find in the market.
- Wood materials. You can buy wood chips or shredded bark bags to mulch your flower beds. For a cheaper alternative, contact your local tree-care or utility company to see if they have any surplus wood chips they’re looking to have removed. Various materials make attractive mulch, but wood chips and shredded in particular look good in flower beds, shrub borders, and garden pathways.
- Compost. When you have some extra compost lying around, spread it across the flower beds in your yard as a natural and straightforward form of mulch. Compost used as a mulch will make the soil more fertile and the plants happier. But make sure that mulch is moist so that the roots of your plants can grow. Another thing that you can do is spread the compost so that it creates a thin layer around your plants. You can top it up with some chopped leaves as an extra layer. Doing this will allow the compost to retain moisture which will be beneficial for the fruits and vegetables you are growing.
- Straws. You can keep your vegetable garden free of weeds by covering it with straw, salt hay, or weed-free hay. Mulch made of coarse organic material like straws makes your garden look neat but will also help sustain the health of your plants, suppress weeds, and even improve the soil. Hay can be sewn into a loose mat around the base of vegetable and fruit trees to deter slugs and rodents.
Mulch Saskatoon Gardening services have various mulches to choose from, all made from sustainable materials.
Inorganic mulches are made from synthetic materials such as plastics, bricks, etc. Synthetic mulches are excellent at trapping the heat and keeping the soil warm while dissipating some of the heat during the night.
Here are some of the different inorganic mulches you can use for your garden.
- Plastic. Plastic mulch warms the soil in spring and reduces water loss, providing convenience to farmers and gardeners. In short growing seasons, you can use black plastic mulch. However, when it rains, and the soil is moist, the plastic collects water and holds it from reaching the roots of your plants; This is one of the reasons you should avoid using plastic mulch during the rainy season.
- Stones, gravel, and bricks; You can cultivate an appealing mulched area under your shrubs and trees with crushed stone, rock, marble, or brick pieces. Weed seeds can still find their way into these mulches, so an underlayer of landscape fabric may be needed.
- Landscape fabric. If you want to avoid a weed outgrowth in your garden, landscape fabric can do the job. Landscape fabric does not allow the seeds of weeds through it while allowing water, air, and plant fertilizers into the soil. The fabric is made with materials that resist decomposition and help hold soil moisture within the mulch.
A Mulch Saskatoon product supplier offers a wide variety of mulches and additives to help you customize your landscape just the way you want it.
Here are some of the main benefits mulching can give to your garden.
● A mulch can protect your plants and the soil from freezing out during the winter season.
● Organic mulches decompose quickly and replenish The Lost nutrients in the soil.
● Improve the soil components such as water holding capacity if the soil is sandy.
● Mulches act as a soil warmer, facilitating the sprouting of different seeds.
Conclusion:
Mulching is an excellent way of creating unique outdoor greenery. It is also suitable for backyard self-sustainable farming of vegetables and fruits. However, you must ensure that you use quality mulching products for better results.