Mulch is used to keep the soil moist, inhibit weeds, keep the soil cool, avoid frost heave in the winter, and improve the appearance of the garden bed. As they degrade, organic mulches improve the structure, drainage, and nutrient-holding capacity of the soil.
Mulch saves time in the garden, whether it’s for flower beds or vegetable gardens. While mulching is inconvenient, it has several advantages: Mulch saves time when it comes to watering, weeding, and insect control when done correctly. Overall, the fruits, vegetables, and flowers will be healthier as a result.
You’ll want to get the mulch for the job if you want a more fruitful garden. While most mulches will keep pests and weeds at bay, others designed to meet the demands of specific plants, trees, or crops.
Organic and inorganic mulches are the two most common types.
Chopped leaves, straw, grass clippings, compost, wood chips, shredded bark, sawdust, pine needles, and even paper are among the organic mulches available.
Black plastic and geotextiles are two inorganic mulches (landscape fabrics).
Weeds are discouraged by both forms of mulch, but organic mulches increase soil quality as they degrade. Although inorganic mulches do not decompose and enrich the soil, they are still a viable solution for your garden. For example, black plastic, a common type of inorganic mulch, warms the soil and radiates heat at night, keeping heat-loving vegetables like eggplant and cherry tomatoes warm and thriving.
Mulch might contain viable weed seeds or pesticides, so it’s important to know where it came from. The last thing you want to do is spread a mulch that will sprout and cause you more workâor infect your plants with poisons.
Bark
Bark mulches work well around trees, shrubs, and garden beds where there won’t be much digging, such as front pathways and foundation plantings. These woody mulches don’t blend well into the soil, and having to move them aside to create room for new plants can be inconvenient. They will, however, outlast finer organic mulches in terms of durability.
Clippings from Grass
Grass clippings come in sizes and are best used to reduce weeds in hard-to-reach sections of your garden. Grass clippings disintegrate quickly, like other green plant detritus with high water content, and can become sticky and odorous in the process, therefore handle with caution. Grass clippings, on the other hand, tend to mat and prevent water from passing through.
If you want to give fertility to the soil, you should use a mulching mower and leave the clippings on the lawn.
Newspaper
Newspaper is becoming increasingly used as a mulching material. Most newspapers, particularly in their black and white parts, have turned to organic dyes. For years, the shredded newspaper has used to keep plant roots moist while being transported. Layered sheets of the newspaper may retain a lot of moisture and can suppress weeds and regulate soil temperatures just like other organic mulches. They’re also for burying existing grass to help a new garden bed get off to a good start.
Spread a layer of four to eight sheets of newspaper around the plants to use as a mulch in the garden.
Leaves, shredded
Nature’s favorite mulch is shredded leaves. They can be utilized everywhere and are a cost-free mulch option. You’ll also attract more earthworms to the soil in your yard. Some gardeners dislike the appearance of leaves in their gardens, and they are probably unsuitable for a formal setting. If you apply a layer of leaf mulch in the spring before the plants emerge, it quickly blend into the landscape. Shredded leaves work well in woodland gardens, and a layer laid over your vegetable garden in the fall will start decaying over the winter.
In wet locations, unshredded leaves can mat together and repel water. You can always rake and fluff them up if it happens.
Hay and straw
Straw and salt hay are popular vegetable garden mulches. They inhibit soil and soil-borne diseases from splashing up on lower plant leaves and help to keep walkways from becoming muddy. Straw takes a long time to disintegrate and will endure for the full growing season. It also provides a home for spiders and other beneficial insects, which will migrate to the pest population. Finally, when it’s time to plant a new crop or put the vegetable garden to bed, it’s simple to either rake up or works into the soil.
Conclusion
Weeds are discouraged by a four-inch layer of mulch, while in shady areas, a two-inch covering is usually sufficient. To avoid a weed eruption, use a double-mulching procedure if you know a garden bed is full of weed seeds or perennial roots. Set the plants in place, give them plenty of water, and cover them with newspaper and mulch.
For Mulch Saskatoon Contact plcplus.com.