Spring in suburbia is evident by the large piles of mulch that your friends dump in their driveways. While installing mulch seems appearing a simple process, many homeowners use so much mulch on their landscape beds they will 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 function of mulch is to conserve moisture and inhibit weed increase planting beds and timber. Mulch is also valuable in regulating soil temperatures; soil will stay cooler in the summer and warmer inside the winter having a layer of mulch. Organic mulches may improve the soil quality when they start to break down. Mulch has also dont decorative consider many countryside. When installing mulch, follow these basic guidelines for the health of your plants:
– Organic more than 3-4″ thorough of compost. When re-mulching, keep complete depth under 4″ and consider even 2-3″ as plenty. Remove the old mulch if necessary, or at least break up the old mulch if it has become matted. Too much mulch is worse than no thick mulch. Excessive mulch may dried the upper root zone of plants and cause plant roots to grow upwards in 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 stem. Mulch piled against the stem of a plant can cause rotting, and invites disease and insect damage.
– Weed barrier under mulch often causes more problems than benefits. The inhibition of water and oxygen are two major concerns. 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 likewise rich in nitrogen and tend to cause excessive growth and even burning of your plants. The products are best used as a soil amendment in limited quantities. Many tests show these products to contain heavy metals- so keep it out of one’s vegetable do some gardening.
There are many types of mulch to select from. Ground up hardwood, bark mulch, and dyed mulches are preferred. Pine bark, Cypress and pine straw are more popular a south. Stone may also be used, it also is more maintenance actually term with cleaning debris from in between the stones an additional nuisance.
Cheap Georgia Mulch
3000 Trotters Pkwy, Alpharetta, GA 30004
(770) 637-9147