Mulch comes in different types and textures. You may want to
use it for the three main reasons: soil moisture retention, weed suppression
and aesthetics. It can also help keep the soil temperature steady. Choosing the
right type for your location will help keep it in place with the look you like.
In high wind areas bark chips and cocoa shells usually blow away – there goes
your work- so shredded bark or pebbles is a better bet. In fire danger areas
it’s being recommended by fire folks to not use wood mulch near your home. Rock
mulch, usually pea gravel, can be used and actually some xeric plants like this
better plus it can help reduce soil erosion on slopes.
Wood mulch is good for plants
that need moderate water and for winter protection. Clean shredded cedar or
pine looks so tidy when newly spread around your perennials and bushes. About 3
– 4 inches deep is needed. Be careful not to mulch up to the base of plants but
leave some breathing space instead. A friend and I compared mulch and no mulch
when we happened to plant the same pre-planned perennial garden last summer. My
plants grew larger and faster and filled in but she was not out there weeding
and may have used less water. Now that mine are mature size I may mulch this
summer to save on weeding. I did plant ground covers to serve as a living mulch
for weed suppression and this helped quite a bit. Another option is no mulch,
which almost all of a vegetable or edible plants garden will be. Using clean
straw or dried untreated grass cuttings under strawberries or veggies which
grow on the ground like squashes can help the fruit grow on a dirt free
surface. Easier to pick and eat. Gardeners turn in the straw or clippings when
they put the bed to rest in fall. Black sheet weed mat can give you soil warming,
moisture retention and weed suppression benefits before you plant tomatoes or
other plants. Weeds and grass can continue to sprout and grow under it so be
sure to remove their roots from the soil when you clear out and prepare your
planting area. Plastic sheeting is not recommended since water can’t get
through. Wood mulches can take nitrogen from the soil as it breaks down so
adding a light amount of nitrogen to the top layer of soil prior to spreading
the mulch is often done. As the organic mulch breaks down it adds to the soil
structure and the living organism microclimate. Whatever mulch you use will
need annual refreshing. It’ll give you something to do in spring or fall.
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