How is your Central Florida Landscape doing in this heat? Have your plants seen better days? Organic mulch can make all the difference. It just takes a two to three inch layer of wood mulch to help your plants by ensuring the soil stays hydrated and available for plant roots, reduce erosion, and regulate soil temperature.
In this heat, exposed soil can get hot enough to literally cook delicate root systems. Mulch helps insulate the soil, protecting roots and promotes the overall plant health
Mulch Application techniques for extreme heat
To maximize all the benefits of wood mulch, you must correctly apply it to ensure your plants thrive.
Prepare The Area
Before adding mulch, make sure all the debris is cleared away and pull any weeds. This will allow the mulch to lay directly on the soil, where the most benefits can be provided.
Check The Moisture In The Soil
Instead of mulching over compact dirt or dry soil, always water the landscape or garden bed before applying mulch. This way moisture will already be in the soil and available for your plants
The Right Depth
For most landscape and garden situations, a 2 to 3 inch layer of mulch is ideal to harvest the benefits. A layer that is too thick can have negative effects, like preventing oxygen from reaching the roots. Too thin, and it won’t block the sunlight, leaving you with lots of weeds to pull.
Avoid The Volcano Mulch
This is when mulch is piled high against the trunk of the tree, resembling a volcano. It can lead to death for a tree. It can cause the base of the tree to accumulate too much moisture. Which can be devastating, causing diseases, splitting, cankers, decay, root rot, and insect infestation. Mulch around a tree should resemble a flat donut shape.
