Spring in suburbia is evident by the large piles of mulch that your neighbors dump in their driveways. While installing mulch seems perhaps a simple process, house owners use so much mulch on their landscape beds they will create an environment that is detrimental to the health of the plants which they try to nurture.
One can’t help but cringe when viewing a ‘volcano’ of mulch installed around a tree. Ideas will discuss the methods of installing mulch and the different types of mulch to use (and not to use).
The purpose of mulch is to conserve moisture and inhibit weed development in planting beds and timber. Mulch is also attractive regulating soil temperatures; soil will stay cooler in the summer and warmer on the winter having a layer of mulch. Organic mulches furthermore improve the soil quality mainly because they break down. Mulch has also be a decorative consider many areas. When installing mulch, follow these basic guidelines for the health of the plants:
– Organic more than 3-4″ in depth of compost. When re-mulching, keep general depth under 4″ and consider even 2-3″ as plenty. Remove the old mulch if necessary, or leastwise break up the old mulch if more affordable become matted. Too much mulch is worse than no thick mulch. Excessive mulch may be deprived of water the upper root zone of plants and cause plant roots to grow upwards in the mulch.
– Never pile mulch directly against the stem of plants- rather pull the mulch back several inches to create a mulch-free space around the stem. Mulch piled against the stem of a typical plant can cause 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 criteria. Also, weeds will eventually root in the mulch and into the weed barrier, causing big problems as soon as the weeds are pulled.
– Use caution when using processed sewage sludge (Earthlife, Earthmate). While these typically the darkest of mulches, they likewise rich in nitrogen which will cause excessive growth and even burning of the plants. The products are best used as the soil amendment in limited quantities. Many tests show these products to contain heavy metals- so keep it out of your vegetable do some gardening.
There a variety of types of mulch to select from. 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 also be used, and it is more maintenance actually term with cleaning debris from between the stones an additional nuisance.
Cheap Georgia Mulch
3000 Trotters Pkwy, Alpharetta, GA 30004
(770) 637-9147