2024 Author: Gavin MacAdam | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 13:38
Nature is intelligent. Pay attention, in the forest, in the meadows, the soil is never bare, there is always a layer of last year's grass, fallen leaves on it. It is this that protects the soil from overheating, retains moisture in the soil, and also provides food for various microorganisms, which over time convert plant remains into nutrients for plants. They also loosen the soil (that is, keep it loose). All this helps the penetration of moisture and air into the soil
Nature is intelligent. Pay attention, in the forest, in the meadows, the soil is never bare, there is always a layer of last year's grass, fallen leaves on it. It is this that protects the soil from overheating, retains moisture in the soil, and also provides food for various microorganisms, which over time convert plant remains into nutrients for plants. They also loosen the soil (that is, keep it loose). All this helps the penetration of moisture and air into the soil.
What is mulching?
The word "mulching" comes from the English "mulch", which means "covered soil". That is, mulching is covering the soil with something. In the modern world, straw, sawdust, pine needles, as well as special artificially created materials are used for this operation. But it is still better to use natural, since the same straw or sawdust will then become an excellent fertilizer. By the way, weeds that you weed out are a good material for mulching the soil. It is enough just not to remove them from the garden (the only thing is, make sure that there are no seed pods on them, otherwise they will scatter seeds throughout the garden!).
By the way, despite the fact that this method has gained wide popularity only now, it has existed since the 17th century and has been successfully used in some areas.
What is mulching for?
First, it is a great way to regulate soil temperature. By the way, to adjust the temperature, mulching can be used not only in summer, but also in winter. In summer, mulch protects the soil from overheating, and in winter - from freezing. In addition, in the spring, the mulched soil warms up faster, and in the fall it cools down more slowly.
Retention of moisture in the soil
In summer, this is perhaps one of the most important qualities of mulch. After all, mulched soil stays moist longer, since a layer of sawdust, straw or other materials does not allow moisture to evaporate quickly. This helps to reduce watering and conserve water.
But if you live in a humid climate and it often rains, then do not rush to carry out this operation, since waterlogged soil is an excellent place for the spread and development of various fungal diseases, including rot. If you still really want to mulch the soil, for example, for decorative purposes, then before that, be sure to drain and treat the plants with fungicides.
Curbing weed growth
Cover the soil with a 5 cm layer of mulch to prevent weeds from filling up your area. It doesn't matter if it's organic or inorganic. Weeds will not have enough sunlight to grow, and it will be difficult for plants to break through from under such a layer.
But please note that mulching is not an absolute panacea for weeds, because some of them are extremely tenacious and are able to overcome the protective layer not only 5, but also 55 centimeters. For example, bindweed.
Improvement of soil structure and nutrient enrichment
Any organic mulch will help you improve the soil structure in your area, as well as saturate the soil with nutrients. This happens in this way: the layer of mulch gradually settles and it mixes with the upper layers of the earth, which leads to loosening of the soil. Gradually mixed with soil, mulch rotts and saturates the soil with microelements necessary for the growth of various crops. This means that you do not have to loosen the soil and use fertilizers.
Decorativeness
Very often they began to use mulching in order to decorate a flower bed or a plot with trees, to divide the territory into zones. For this type of mulching, sawdust or chips, both natural and painted, and multi-colored pebbles (crushed stone) of different sizes are suitable.
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