What is Mulch?
 (Read 100+ times)
By James J
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Mulch is the adding of any material over the garden soil to retain moisture levels, prevent weeds, prevent erosion during heavy rains, and help maintain temperatures throughout the day and night. A gardener has several different types of mulch they can use. They can choose from; organic matter, compost, rubber , plastic, living or gravel mulch. When selecting a mulch, keep these factors in mind; appearance, cost, availability, pH, rate decomposition, and where it came from. Usually commercially produced mulches will be sterile but if you create your own mulch, make sure not to use materials that contain seeds, pests, and organic material that was diseased. These items should be composted first. REMINDER, in order to sterilize garden wastes that may contain, disease, pests, or seeds , the compost pile needs to heat to 160+. If you are unsure about how hot your compost pile is, pick yourself up a compost thermometer.
Types of Mulch:
- Organic Matter Mulch - Anything that was once living material that can break down. Examples: pine bark, hardwood mulches, newspaper, cardboard, straw, pine needles, cotton burrs, leaves, shredding pine bark, peat moss, chicken, horse, and donkey manures.
- Compost - Compost should be composted completely before using. If not, the partially composted materials may be toxic and if there are seeds, weeds will show up in the flower beds. Compost mulch will decomposes quickly.
- Rubber Mulch - Ground up recycled tire rubber. Rubber mulch does not decompose.
- Plastic Mulch - Sheets of plastic layered out across the the bed with slits cut, so the plants can grow through them. This type of growing, is mostly used with vegetable growers. Plastic mulch can retain moisture, radiate heat and prevent weeds from growing. This method creates a large environmental waste issue and should be used correctly. Results show that this method works great for the backyard tomato container gardener. If this method is chosen for container gardens, the plastic mulch can be reused several time fore discarding.
- Gravel Mulch - Gravel is often used in cactus, xeriscaping, and succulent gardens.
Mulch is generally applied at the beginning of the growing season and more mulch is added through out the season as needed. After several years of gardening in my yard, I find that hardwood mulch applied heavily two times a year does wonders in the flower bed. I apply in the spring just, before the growing season and then in the late fall, just before first frost. Before I apply mulch, I start by weeding the bed and remove anything else in the bed that I do not want in there. Next I break up the soil with a shovel . Then I add soil amendments as needed. Once I have the soil the way I want it, I then add one or two inches of shredded leaf mulch. I then water in until it is about as damp as a rung out sponge. Next I lay my top layer of mulch. I will spread this out between four and six inches thick leaving a small circle around the base of each plant this only has about an inch of hardwood mulch. Once a month I will inspect the bed and fluff the beds and decompress the mulch. If I find that I need more mulch I will apply at this time.
Planters need mulch to:
As a container gardener, I understand how important it is to keep the planters from drying out. Even the best potting mixing that are designed for moisture control and advertise that the product will hold moisture longer, still need to be mulched. When mulching a container, I find that the two to three inches is good depth for adding mulch. I will start with a small layer of completed compost or donkey manure and then fill the container to about a quarter of an inch from the top.
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Author Bio Box: James J
 Please visit my blog for information about . www.elementsbackyardgarden.com
mulch with pictures and video
Element's Backyard Garden
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