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Mulch is important to the health of your landscape plants. Mulch is any material that is placed on top of soil for the purpose of improving it or protecting it from harmful pests or plants. Mulch types can be broken down into two broad categories, organic and inorganic. Among the two general mulch types, organic is the easiest to gather since you can source materials for it right from your own backyard. There are many mulch types that you can form using “junk” in your yard. Examples of garden mulch types are grass clippings, leaves, leaf molds, pine needles, and straw. On the other hand, shredded hardwood and wood chips are good examples of wood mulch types. Wood mulch types can be further broken down into bark mulch types such as pine and cedar bark.
Grass clippings release nutrients in soil quickly and can be good in controlling weeds. Straw is best used as mulch in vegetable gardens or newly sown lawns as they are not that visually appealing. Leaves on the other hand used as mulch are nice to look at and can look good in virtually any type of garden. However, make sure to chop them up finely using a shredder as whole leaves tend to scatter when blown by wind. Leaves, just like grass clippings are mulch types that need to be frequently replenished since they decompose easily.
Between the two general landscape mulch types, inorganic holds up best against damage as they are hardy and resistant to pests. They can also be less laborious in the long run to maintain since they rarely need replenishing. Examples of materials that can used as inorganic mulches are gravel, crushed stone, pebbles, black plastic, ground rubber tires, and clear plastic. Pebbles, gravel and crushed stone are best used as mulch for foundation plants since they are permanent. However, it is not advisable to use them in acid loving plants since these materials are known to release alkaline substances to the soil. They can also absorb and reflect sun light which can in turn increase the temperature of your lawn, especially during the summer. Ground rubber tires on the other hand have only been used recently as mulch material and its effectiveness have not yet been firmly established. Black polyethylene is known to be very good in controlling weed growth and can hold water in the ground. It is best to bury them underground rather than expose them to direct sunlight.
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Author Bio Box: Patricia Wainwright
Get all the facts about mulch and gardening information at GreenThumbArticles.com!
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