Spring is my favorite time of year, not just because of the amazing weather, but because it’s time to get the garden going again. Whether your planting flowers, vegetables, fruits, herbs, or just want a beautiful landscape, the magic is in the mulch!
The Magic of Mulch
Mulch has the power to create healthy and happy soil and plants, reduce the amount of water, time, and fertilizer you need, while enhancing the beauty of your garden.
How does mulch work its magic? The University of Florida Gardening Solutions explains.
A layer of mulch around edible plantings keeps weeds down and provides many other benefits to the garden:
Vegetable Gardening in Florida
Moderates soil temperature. Mulch keeps soils and plant roots warmer in winter and cooler in summer.
Helps maintain soil moisture. Mulch slows evaporation and reduces the water needs of plants.
Adds beauty. Mulch gives planting beds a neat and uniform appearance, and its color and texture can complement plantings.
Can protect plants. Mulch can help prevent certain plant diseases, and when placed around shrubs and trees (at least 12 inches from the trunk), it reduces the likelihood of damage from trimmers and mowers.
Guidelines for Using Mulch
Follow these tips when using mulch in your garden:
Choose organic mulch for the most benefits. As they decompose, organic materials like wood chips, pine needles, leaves, and grass clippings make soil more fertile and improve soil aeration, structure, and drainage.
Maintain a 2- to 3-inch layer. Coarse materials, such as pine nuggets, may be applied to a depth of 4 inches, but don’t allow mulch to accumulate to a greater depth. Adding more mulch can harm plants because mulch intercepts rain and irrigation meant for plants’ root systems.
Rake old mulch. Some mulches can become matted, preventing water and air from seeping through. Rake it to benefit plantings and refresh the mulch’s appearance.
Not all mulch has magic
It is very important to use quality mulch. Purchasing mulch from an unreliable source can cause all your hard work to go to waste. For instance, if the bag of mulch you purchased at the big box store had noxious seeds, you could be spending the rest of the season pulling weeds and trying to repair the damages instead of admiring your beautiful garden.
Mulch is also easy on the budget if you take advantage of Reliable Peat’s mulch sale, save 10% on bulk order over 6 Yards by mentioning this blog before check-out. Contact Reliable Peat for more information.
