Spring in suburbia is evident from your large piles of mulch that others like you dump in their driveways. While installing mulch seems appearing a simple process, house owners use so much mulch on their landscape beds that they 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. Ideas will discuss the proper methods of installing mulch and the different types of mulch to use (and not to use).
The goal mulch is always to conserve moisture and inhibit weed boost in planting beds and plants. Mulch is also beneficial in regulating soil temperatures; soil will stay cooler inside the summer and warmer your past winter with a layer of mulch. Organic mulches additionally improve the soil quality when they start to break across. Mulch has also become a decorative factor in many areas. When installing mulch, follow these basic guidelines for that health of your plants:
– Never use more than 3-4″ full of mulch. When re-mulching, keep complete depth under 4″ and consider even 2-3″ as plenty. Want to old mulch if necessary, or really break inside old mulch if the rii become matted. Too much mulch is worse than no thick mulch. Excessive mulch may do dry out the upper root zone of plants and cause plant roots to grow upwards into the mulch.
– Never pile mulch directly to the stem of plants- rather pull the mulch back several inches to create a mulch-free small area around the root. 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 water and oxygen are two major questions. Also, weeds will eventually root in the mulch and into the weed barrier, causing big problems when the weeds are pulled.
– Use caution 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 also burning of the plants. These items are best used as the soil amendment in limited quantities. Many tests show these products to contain heavy metals- so keep it out of one’s vegetable garden.
There are many types of mulch available. Ground up hardwood, bark mulch, and dyed mulches are preferred. Pine bark, Cypress and pine straw tend to be more popular in the south. Stone may even be used, and it is more maintenance in the long term with cleaning debris from between the stones a critical nuisance.
Cheap Georgia Mulch
3000 Trotters Pkwy, Alpharetta, GA 30004
(770) 637-9147