Mulch 101: The Key to a Healthy and Thriving Garden

While being equipped with essential tools is handy, the key to having a thriving garden is good soil for sure, and luckily achieving this isn’t that difficult; nor is it rocket science. All it takes is soil with good drainage and all the needed nutrients to get the wanted results. This is possible by investing in a good garden mulch.

What Is Mulch for a Garden?

Even though this garden essential is mainly considered more as an addition to the soil that will make it look more appealing, still, mulch is more than just a decorative piece. Generally speaking, the decorative and soil helpful garden mulch can be made from a selection of materials. 

The natural and biodegradable ones are a more preferred choice for several reasons. The most commonly used ones of them all are wood chips, pine bark, grass clippings, leaves and straw because they can decompose into the soil, providing it with a range of benefits.

Benefits

Improved Appearance

These loose coverings that are designed to be placed on the soil surface are certainly some of the best solutions you can invest in. The truth is that garden mulch can improve the garden without the need to make a drastic aesthetic change, and without the need to splurge more on some expensive things. 

According to experts, these garden accessories can certainly improve the look of your lawn while enhancing the beauty of your plants even more. They can also give a cleaner and better appearance, which can further add to the overall beauty of the garden.

Improved Moisture Retention

Another important reason why gardeners decide to buy mulch is its ability to act as an insulating barrier against water evaporation. Water evaporation is mainly possible during extreme heat and wind, and thanks to mulching the soil can retain moisture better. This, on the other hand, can significantly reduce the need to frequently water the plants. As a result, this will encourage the plants to be more tolerant of drought, which can also improve and encourage the success of new shrubs and trees.

Regulated Soil Temperature

Did you know that many of the plant’s feeder roots grow in the first few centimetres underneath the soil surface?! These roots can remain healthy only when they aren’t exposed to extreme heat or freezing temperatures. Mulching can keep them safe all the time by providing them with the needed protection against temperature change.

Reduced Chance of Runoff and Erosion

Did you know that if the soil crusts and becomes difficult to water, the water will flow over the surface, leaving its roots dry. In the long run, this can lead to the appearance of long-term problems, which is why you should protect it with mulching. This essential gardening product can protect the soil, leaving it in good condition.

Reduced Weed Growth

One of the most devastating things that can happen around plants is weeds. Whether we like it or not, they are quite common, and unless you spray a chemical to destroy them, they will always be present. But if you aren’t a fan of chemicals and you want to try something different, you can always use mulch to reduce their numbers. The secret behind this lies in the mulch blocking the light, and since weeds and seeds need light to grow, mulching can significantly reduce their growth.

Improved Nutrient and Organic Materials Content

For the soil to be healthy, it’s said that it should be made up of around 30% organic matter. But if the soil we’re talking about is mainly made from clay and sand, the lack of organic material will be huge. Consequently, such soils will need added nutrition, and aside from fertilisers, mulching seems to be the perfect option to achieve this. This mainly goes to natural mulch because it’s a material that can break down over time, which can also feed the plants and improve soil drainage.

Types

Biodergradeable

As already mentioned, the mulch that can easily break down is natural, made from natural materials. When degraded, it can release a great number of nutrients into the soil and improve its condition.

Non-Biodegradeable

An important thing to keep in mind about choosing a mulch made from natural material is that not all of them can decompose and degrade. A great example for this is the sand, stone and shells, which are natural products that can certainly retain moisture and act as decoration, however, they won’t degrade and won’t give the soil additional nutrients. And lastly, aside from the natural mulch, you can also invest in the ones made from non-natural materials like plastic and rubber, which should be at the bottom of your shopping list.

When to Apply It?

The ideal season for their application is mid-to late spring when there are no annual weeds and when some of the plants are dormant. Applying mulch in autumn is also possible to establish beds around existing plants or to increase soil nutrition, moisture and regulated soil temperature around new plants.

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