Below the trees of every forest, you see is a layer of cushioned layer of leaves. While the top is dry, you can kick away the layers to reveal a moist, decomposing layer near the soil that is feeding the roots and holding in the moisture.
If you haven’t already, we can and should be mimicking this in our own landscapes and gardens and reap the same benefits. Mulches conserve soil moisture, allowing you to water less often; keep down weeds; reduce erosion; keep plant roots cool; provide winter protection; and make your yard more attractive.
Writing this in mid to late July, we know that we are staring right at the hottest and dryest part of our year in the coming weeks. Mulches are crucial to helping conserve ground moisture helping plants survive the expected hot, dry weather.
For trees and shrubs, spread mulch evenly to a depth of at least 2 to 3 inches. For trees and shrubs in beds, mulch the entire bed. For those in a lawn, mulch a wide ring (extending from 3 to 6 feet out from the trunk) around each plant. Never pile mulch against tree trunks.
For flower beds, mulch can be applied up to 3 inches deep (after settling), but should be kept pulled back slightly from plant stems. Mulches should thoroughly cover an area to a uniform depth to be most effective as we know that bare spots are prone to weed problems.
Mulches made from plant material are organic mulches. Over time, organic mulches will decompose and become part of the soil. This is a great advantage, because this decomposition adds organic matter to your soil, helping the soil to better retain water and nutrients, thus giving you healthier plants. This means, however, that organic mulches will have to be replenished from time to time.
Bark mulches available for purchase in many garden centers around our area are usually made from the by-products of pine, cypress, or hardwood logs. Bark mulches resist compaction, will not blow away, are very attractive, and are readily available.
Wood chips are made from many different kinds of trees. Wood chips make an excellent mulch that resists compaction, stays put, and weathers to an attractive silvery-gray color.
There is a new-to-me company that links up homeowners to arborists and other tree-trimming companies that typically have an abundance of wood chips that they need to get rid of so that they can continue trimming limbs from power lines. Far better than chasing down the tree trimming crews in your neighborhood, go to www.getchipdrop.com. This is online company that also has an app. Be sure to study this service that is free to the homeowner. Most instructive is their humorous video about what a homeowner may expect once they have signed up.
Sawdust is an organic material that I often get asked about. Sawdust is readily available and may be helpful in acidifying the soil around acid- loving plants. However, sawdust is a poor choice for a couple of reasons. One, it tends to cake, making it harder for water to soak into the ground. Also, sawdust is low in nitrogen, so it robs nitrogen from the soil as it decomposes.
Pine needles (also called pine straw) are attractive, decompose slowly, resist compaction, and are easy to work with. They are often available commercially or are free if you have pine trees on your property. I’m a big fan of pine straw and use it in my own landscape as it is readily available. There is some misinformation on the internet about the needles acidifying your soil. Don’t fall for that. Fallen, aged needles are great for mulch.
Leaves that have been shredded with a composting mower are sometimes used as a summer mulch, although they decompose very quickly. Whole leaves can be used instead, but they tend to mat together and block water movement into the soil.
Three layers of newspaper can effectively keep down weeds, especially in the vegetable garden. To keep the paper from blowing away, weight it down using another mulch or other means.
Inorganic options exist as well and are a viable option for many. Crushed stone, gravel, volcanic rock mulches are available in a wide variety of textures, colors, and materials that are used in rock gardens, driveways, and walkways. Think carefully and make sure you really want this type of mulch before putting it in place, because these mulches are more or less permanent.
Plastic works well for keeping weeds down and retaining soil moisture. Although it prevents water from leaving the soil, it also prevents it from entering the soil-making it unsuitable for landscape plantings that depend on rainfall for their water. Plastic is best reserved for commercial vegetable gardens where irrigation systems can be placed under the plastic and soil moisture is closely regulated.
Geotextiles are fabric mulches of polypropylene or polyester. They work much as plastic does, but allow water and fertilizer to enter the soil.
Whichever you decide upon, make sure that you have them in place and maintain them so that your landscape can endure our expected seasonal weather conditions.
