How to Mulch – A Guide For Using Mulch with your Landscape
Spring in suburbia is evident from your large piles of mulch that your friends dump in their driveways. While installing mulch seems like simple process, many homeowners use so much mulch on their landscape beds they will create an environment that is detrimental to the health of the plants which they attempt to nurture.
One can’t help but cringe when viewing a ‘volcano’ of mulch installed around a tree. Have a look at will discuss correct methods of installing mulch and the various types of mulch to use (and not to use).
The reasons for mulch is to conserve moisture and inhibit weed development in planting beds and trees. Mulch is also valuable in regulating soil temperatures; soil will stay cooler typically the summer and warmer in the winter along with a layer of mulch. Organic mulches additionally improve the soil quality when they start to break down. Mulch has also developed into a decorative factor in many landscaping. When installing mulch, follow these basic guidelines for that health of your plants:
– Organic more than 3-4″ completely of thick mulch. When re-mulching, keep complete depth under 4″ and consider even 2-3″ as plenty. Remove the old mulch if necessary, or really break inside the old mulch if enables become matted. Too much mulch is worse than no compost. Excessive mulch may dry up the upper root zone of plants and cause plant roots to grow upwards into the mulch.
– Never pile mulch directly with the stem of plants- rather pull the mulch back several inches to generate a mulch-free small area around the stalk. Mulch piled against the stem from the plant produces rotting, and invites disease and insect damage.
– Weed barrier under mulch often causes more problems than benefits. The inhibition of water and oxygen are two major concerns. Also, weeds will eventually root in the mulch and into the weed barrier, causing big problems as soon as the weeds are pulled.
– Be cautious when using processed sewage sludge (Earthlife, Earthmate). While these are often the darkest of mulches, they are also rich in nitrogen and can cause excessive growth and even burning of your plants. These items are best used being a soil amendment in limited quantities. Many tests show these products to contain heavy metals- so keep it out of the vegetable gardener.
There a variety of types of mulch reachable. Ground up hardwood, bark mulch, and dyed mulches are all popular. Pine bark, Cypress and pine straw are more popular in the south. Stone may be used, it also is more maintenance actually term with cleaning debris from in between the stones a major nuisance.
Cheap Georgia Mulch
3000 Trotters Pkwy, Alpharetta, GA 30004
(770) 637-9147
