Mulching your garden will save you

Of all the functions we perform in the garden, mulching the soil with organic matter is probably the most important. Mulched gardens seem to thrive no matter how harsh the climate or how poor the original soil. Organic mulches greatly improve soil texture as well as providing many other benefits.

Such as, reducing water evaporation, weed growth and insulate plant roots from rapid temperature changes. They slowly rot, releasing valuable plant foods. It keeps soil moist and protects it from drying out between watering. It improves soil texture by keeping it moist.

As it breaks down it turns the soil into rich humus, which in turn supports aerobic soil life and earthworms. The healthiest plants are those which do not suffer setbacks in their growth. So from the time they are planted it is good practice to have extra food always available.

The word mulch comes from an old English word melsc; meaning rotten hay. Today it means any material used to cover soil, which is a preventative to moisture loss and weed growth.

A dark mulch will warm the soil, a light coloured one will keep the soil cool. The only disadvantage to mulches is they are a haven for pests, such as slugs. However they are also a haven for predators such as centipedes which eat slug eggs.

Wherever possible mulches should not come into contact with the trunk of trees and shrubs. Moisture allowed to accumulate there, will tend to rot the stem.

Perennial plants such as trees and shrubs are perfect for mulching. Annual vegetables such as cabbages and tomatoes also do well with mulching. Peas, beans, corn and garlic can be pushed into mulched garden beds as they are vigorous enough to find their way back through as they germinate.

So virtually all garden plants will benefit from mulching and there are a wide variety of organic materials available.

Mulching should be done when young plants are established or immediately after planting. Care should be taken not to take the mulch layer too close to the base of seedlings.

A good deep mulch is best. You can have layers of mulch which serve different purposes; for example a layer of blood and bone, or compost at ground level to provide immediate nutrients. A layer of well rotted manure or worm castings to keep the soil moist and gradually breaking down to improve soil texture. A top layer of pine bark or mulch hay to prevent the manure from drying out.

MY BEST 10 MULCHES

1.Compost; home made compost is excellent. It is available to all home gardeners and all gardeners should be making it. It costs nothing to make except a little elbow grease.

2. Manure; horse and cow manures are great soil conditioners as well as being high in nutrients. Never use these fresh as the ammonia may burn and if animals have been drenched for worms the manure may have traces in it. By allowing it to break down for a while covered with plastic will hasten this process.

3. Hay is a feeding mulch, as it contains nutrients that the plant needs. It is readily available in most communities and is usually cheap and easy to work with. The only draw back is that it breaks down quickly and may contain weed seeds. I do like using Lucerne hay as it is extremely rich with nutrients but a little more expensive.

4. Grass clippings are a feeding mulch also, being high in nitrogen. Care must be taken to allow it to dry out before using as it does get hot when breaking down. Its best not to put it out too thick as it can get smelly and attract flies.

5. Leaves are nature’s mulch. They do take a long time to break down and can look very attractive. They are natures way of protecting the soil from erosion.

6. Chicken litter should be decomposed before using as it is extremely high in nitrogen which will burn plants.

7. Chip bark is a terrific top layer mulch. It is generally low in nutrients, but takes longer to break down being more suitable for trees and shrubs rather than vegetable gardens. Chip bark is usually purchased commercially and must be used with caution, because many trees produce substances which inhibit the growth of plants. So check with the supplier that the bark is suitable for your purpose.

8. Mushroom compost is potentially a very good mulch, although may be hard to find and can be expensive. Be sure to check that the mushrooms have been grown organically as some may have been grown using chemicals and this will be present in the compost.

9. Paper and cardboard are available in large quantities for nothing. These may be incorporated with any of the above mulches. They break down easily supplying nutrients to the soil and plant roots and are good at smother weeds.

10. Sawdust is good but must be well composted as it can rob soil of nutrients if fresh.

Most organic materials can make up a good mulch. My favourite combination is a layer of homemade compost combined with composted manure, followed by a layer of worm castings, then a layer of paper and cardboard, topped with a layer of hay mulch. This has proven to be the best for our climate and conditions.

Most shire’s landfill have roughly shredded garden waste. It is cheap, breaks down slowly and is generally composted down sufficiently for most applications. I use it around all my fruit trees to keep weeds under control and it cuts down on the amount of water needed.

We have recently built a home on 2 acres and were left with large areas of exposed dirt. As it is taking time for us to plant our and landscape I bought a truck load of landfill garden waste about 6 months ago and put a thin layer all over the exposed areas.

Six months on as we are slowly planting out all the garden area the condition of the soil and the worm life is rich and alive. It is so satisfying to see healthy soil full of nutrients formed from a simple action of mulching.

by Richard Wolski

********************************************

For more good information about soil improvement click here!

********************************************

To subscribe to our Home, Herb and Garden newsletter click here!

********************************************