2024 Author: Gavin MacAdam | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 13:38
It is needed not only for beauty. Its protective properties for plants are important. It is more affordable and easier to prepare organic mulch from scrap materials. Why is it good, and how to use it correctly?
Mulching is a process that gardeners often use. Its popularity is due to the following factors:
* Mulching prevents weeds from growing by creating a barrier that prevents their seeds from germinating.
* With the help of mulch, you can control the temperature of the soil.
* Mulch retains moisture in the soil as it reduces evaporation.
* Mulching protects plant roots in winter from frost and excess moisture.
* Organic mulch enriches the soil with a large amount of nutrients and does not require large financial costs.
What to make organic mulch from?
To prepare organic mulch, you can use any of the following ingredients:
1. Wood chips. It retains moisture well, has a moderate temperature, fights weeds. Wood chips take a long time to decompose, therefore it is recommended to grind them when using.
2. Grass. Shredded grass makes an excellent mulch. Its layer should not be too thick (no more than 2 cm). It is useful for soil to mix chopped grass with peat. The grass can contain weed seeds, therefore, if you notice their shoots, weeds must be removed. Do not use lawn grass for mulch if it has been treated with chemicals.
3. Hay or straw. Perfectly fulfills the role of protecting soil and perennial plants from winter frosts. Unfortunately, small rodents like to hide in hay and straw, so the mulch layer should not be thick. Straw is good for summer mulch when growing strawberries.
4. Leaves. It is best to use shredded leaves, as whole leaf mulch may not allow water and oxygen to pass through, which is not good for the soil. But rotted leaves enrich the soil with humus, nitrogen and other nutrients.
5. Organic fertilizers. It is advisable to use only well-rotted organic matter. Nitrogen is found in large quantities in the layer of fresh and old manure, along with partially rotted alfalfa. It is necessary to wait until the mixture acquires a dark brown color (several months), only then can it be used.
6. Compost. Mature compost contains the nutrients that beneficial worms love to inhabit.
7. Garbage. Shredded leaves, twigs, and other garden debris are excellent mulch to help warm up the soil and prepare it for planting.
8. Newspapers. Wet shredded or whole newspapers, cover with organic material (needles, compost, manure). This will enrich the soil with organic matter.
9. Pine needles. If acidic soil is needed, you can use pine needles by sprinkling them for the winter around plants that prefer acidic soil (blueberries, hydrangeas, and others).
10. Sawdust. Sawdust, like pine needles, is used to acidify insufficiently acidic soil.
Mineral mulch preparation
As a mineral mulch, you can use decorative gravel and pebbles, which settle in the soil, are not blown out by the wind, are used in cold regions, since they keep the soil warm for a long time. Mineral mulch is used for a longer time than organic mulch.
The features of using mineral and organic mulch are as follows:
* It prevents weeds from appearing.
* Recommended for use in spring, when thawing and warming the soil. You can also apply mineral mulch in late autumn. You need to dig up the spring layer of mulch with soil and lay a new layer.
* A layer of mulch should be applied evenly, of different thickness: in spring (against weeds) - 2-4 cm, in autumn (warming the soil) - 4-6 cm.
* Plant stems should not touch the mulch so that they do not rot or create favorable conditions for the development of diseases.
* If necessary add sand or gravel as it sinks into the soil.
* If you want to accelerate the decomposition of organic matter, you need to grind it well, add compost or well-rotted manure.
The above is not a complete list of components for the preparation of organic mulch, but only the most popular and most often used formulations by gardeners are named.
Recommended:
Preparing A Summer Cottage For Winter: 5 Must-do Things
So that in the spring the summer cottage season does not start with problems, in the fall you need to devote a couple of days to prepare the summer cottage for winter. I will list the main things that many people forget about
So That There Is Enough Strength For Everything: Preparing For A Trip To The Country
Very often, summer residents, especially beginners, do not calculate their strength and try to have time to do all the work in the country over the weekend. On the one hand, it is understandable, because then weekdays and it is impossible to escape to the dacha, on the other hand, on Sunday evening you simply fall from fatigue and there is no trace of happiness from owning a dacha. So how do you manage to do everything and not get exhausted over the weekend? In this article, I want to give some tips. I myself use these principles, as to combine home, work, yes
Preparing The Greenhouse For The Next Season
Greenhouses can now be found in any summer cottage and garden area. They are essential for growing a variety of crops that cannot be grown outdoors. Often they are represented by a greenhouse that protects a certain area of the earth from external factors (sunlight, precipitation, first frost, and so on). They often grow seedlings or full-fledged plants
Preparing Greenhouses For Spring
With the arrival of spring, greenhouses begin to prepare for the upcoming plantings. And although the list of spring work in the greenhouse is considered by many to be small, it is still quite laborious. In order to get an excellent harvest at the end of the summer season, it is important to carry out all the necessary measures, without missing anything
We Are Preparing For The New Year
The last days of December are flying away rapidly and we are already on the eve of the New Year. Here are some helpful holiday design tips. A story about how to create a unique atmosphere and match the year of the Fire Rooster
