|
|
Mulch
Providing a natural covering for your garden soil
Mulch saves water and weedingA mulch is simply a covering for the soil. Gardeners have used almost any material as a mulch, including old newspaper, foot-deep straw, grass clippings, tree leaves, roofing paper, and plastic. These and many other materials will work if they satisfy these two basic conditions:1) The mulch should help to retain the water requirements of the soil on hot days
2) It should smother weeds and prevent their further development.
A third but less important condition is that it looks attractive. (Mulch can also insulate plants in cold weather.)
The dangers of uncovered soilIf you leave soil uncovered, hot sun and wind will quickly dry it out, forcing you to water more often. The additional water may also produce unwanted weeds. Another disadvantage of bare soil is that the top layer often gets too hot for good root growth. Even if you manage to keep the soil moist, your seeds and transplants won't grow as well as they should.The benefits of covering the soil with mulchEven though sun will heat the surface of a mulch, the soil below is insulated because the mulch holds air. And any moisture in the soil has a hard time evaporating through the differently textured mulch. Because the soil is kept cool, the roots stay near the surface, ready to take garden fertilizers. Most weeds are smothered, but those that grow are rooted in the loose mulch and come up easily.Note: You should not let mulches build up against the trunk or stem of a plant (commonly called the "crown") because the trunk may rot if it stays moist too long.
You can use any of the materials mentioned here as mulch, but also check the other materials listed in the soil amendment chart. (Some of these materials should be used along with a nitrogen fertilizer as indicated in the chart.)
When you choose a mulch, consider the following:
- It should be fairly easy to wet. For example, peat moss dries out quickly, and once dry it may become impermeable.
- It should be dense enough not to blow away.
|
Fir barkFir bark is a good choice for a mulch, since it meets all of the above requirements even when finely ground (for certain very windy areas, you may wish to use large chips).Three inches of mulch keeps the root zone of a plant cool and moist even in hot weather and when transplanting seedlings.
Benefits of natural/organic mulchingMulched plants may grow twice as big as those without a mulch, produce better flowers and fruit. Plant roots grow thicker, and water won't evaporate as rapidly.Weeds may grow on the mulch surface but they are easy to pull out.
|
|
