2024 Author: Gavin MacAdam | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 13:38
Photo: Julija Sapic / Rusmediabank.ru; Dmitriy Shironosov / Rusmediabank.ru
The soil in my garden is clayey, requiring constant loosening. A short rain has passed, it seems we should be happy: we watered the beds. And I'm not happy, I have to go to loosen the earth. I suffered like this for a month, and then a neighbor, an experienced gardener, came to visit and, seeing my agony, advised me to mulch the plantings.
Mulching is an agricultural technique that is simple in execution, but effective in saving time and effort. It is necessary to timely cover the beds, near-stem circles of shrubs and trees with protective materials. They must allow water and air to enter the soil, but inhibit the growth of weeds and retain moisture.
Mulching materials
It turned out that in my unkempt garden, there are a lot of organic materials that are ready to help me save time.
* Rotted compost was waiting in the compost heap. Having neutral acidity, it will enrich the soil with substances useful for plants, will not allow weeds to germinate (only when forming compost, do not pile up seeded plants in a heap, otherwise, instead of fighting weeds, you will only add their amount).
* Armed with a sickle, I harvest fresh grass (again, without seeds on it), cutting it into smaller pieces and filling the ground between the rows of carrots and other vegetable fraternity. Such protection will also enrich the soil with nitrogen, which is very necessary for plants to grow.
* Under a tall, spreading spruce on my site, due to lack of demand, a layer of needles of a decent thickness has accumulated. With needles, I covered the near-stem circles of currant, which for three years now served more for decoration and brewing tea. A miracle happened: for the first time I collected a harvest of large and sweet berries, albeit a modest one.
Needles can be collected in the forest, if it is not far from your site (I have one), or by jumping into the woods on the way to the dacha.
* In our village there is a sawmill area with a huge mountain of sawdust. Judging by the fact that the mountain did not decrease, and from year to year it became more and more, I decided that with a couple of bags of sawdust I would not inflict material losses on the owner, whom I could not find on the spot to ask permission. These sawdust was enough for me for two summer seasons. Our forest is harvested mainly from coniferous trees, so the sawdust acidified my soil. Experts advise composting them for a year before using sawdust for mulching the soil.
* All winter I do not throw eggshells into the trash can, but thoroughly wash and dry them. If the soil needs to be alkalized, I grind the eggshells in an iron mortar left over from the previous owners in the house, and sprinkle the beds. This mulch protects plants from snails and slugs.
* For feeding plants with phosphorus and mulching, I use rotted manure with straw. Fortunately, there are still patriots in the village who keep cows, and one, the most economical man, breeds horses. So you don't have to go far to get manure.
* Veteran gardeners, for whom a large harvest is important, cover the beds with special covering materials that allow moisture and air to pass through, but drown out the growth of weeds. For amateurs, like me, who do not so much need tons of vegetables as are interested in the very process of farming, and are satisfied with small harvests, in my opinion this option is not suitable. Such beds look like prisoners of war, gray and dull, and do not give rise to the joy of communicating with nature.
Mulching time
It is better to mulch plants after warming up the soil by the sun, by the beginning of summer. After all, mulch delays the penetration of heat to the roots, and early mulching can delay their growth.
Before mulching, it is necessary to remove weeds that have had time to grow; water the garden well; loosen the soil, and only then lay out the material prepared for mulch. Plants will be grateful to you and will give you a good harvest in the fall.
You can mulch any plants and soils, just take into account the acidity of the soil and mulch so as not to worsen the living conditions of your pets.
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