Mulching - A Gardener's Tip For A Fantastic Garden
Dave Truman
When you see a well tended garden, you feel refreshed and at peace. The reason for this contented feeling is the green grass and bright colored flowers. However to achieve that green garden look, some work is required. One of the best ways to help your garden to look healthy and green is giving it a good mulching compound.
Mulches are a layer of protective material that is placed around your plants and shrubs. They can be organic mulches or inorganic mulches. As the gardener you must choose which type of mulching will suit your garden.
Organic mulches are made of plant matter. They're similar to the pine needles and leaves that fall to the ground and protect in forests. They decompose over time; the decomposed mulch serves to keep soil moist and plant roots cool, and keep nutrients in.
Examples of organic mulching include: straw, pine straw, shredded leaves, bark, wood chips, sawdust and newspaper. Each of these types have different characteristics which you should consider when including them in your garden.
Leaves, bark, sawdust, straw and wood chips can be washed away by heavy rain, can take nitrogen of the soil, and can let weeds grow in them. Bark chips and wood, although they can cause these problems, can give an attractive look to the garden.
If you opt for an organic type, opt for pine straw and newspaper mulching. Newspaper mulching tends to work best- they suppress weeds. Pine straw mulching works like the natural fallen pine needles in that they decompose slowly. They also are resistant to washing away, and are more likely to keep nutrients in the soil.
Inorganic mulches like crushed stone, gravel and volcanic rock have a tendency to work their way into the soil. When this happens, you will have a bit of trouble getting them out when you need to do some digging. This type of mulching is somewhat permanent.
Vegetable plots may also use plastic mulching. Typically irrigation paths are laid on the ground, under the plastic mulching. This design will keep the soil moist and plants well hydrated. If you want water to go into your vegetable plot, you can cut holes in the plastic mulching to allow it to go through.
The other type of inorganic mulch is that of geotextiles. This is fabric mulch made out of polypropylene or polyester. While a closely woven geotextile mulching allows water and fertilizer to enter the soil, it inhibits the growth of weeds. This is probably the best type of inorganic mulching that you can put in your garden.
For a healthy garden then, you should place some mulching compound amongst your plants. You will still need to keep an eye on those pesky weeds though and pull them out, but in the long run, this too should be easier for you.
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