Unleash The Power Of Your Landscaping Mulch

Landscape mulch is a necessary component of your flower bed and other key areas of your yard. Mulch is visually pleasing and beneficial to your plants if you utilize it the proper way. You can mulch smarter with a little bit of the right knowledge. Here's how to unleash the power of your landscape mulch.

Select the Right Kind of Mulch

You can choose from a variety of mulches to spread on your flower beds, pathways, and even your vegetable garden. Bark nuggets, shredded bark, pine needles, gravel, grass clippings, sawdust, straw, and even pine cones are just a few examples of mulch.  However, make sure you pick the right kind of mulch for your needs.

For general landscaping needs, choose organic mulch rather than inorganic options. Inorganic mulches like shredded rubber, gravel, and plastic cannot decompose and aid the very plants you seek to protect. Rock and gravel retain heat from the sun and can transfer it to the soil, burning nearby plants. Worse, some inorganic mulch is impermeable and won't allow air and water to enter the soil.

Organic mulch like bark naturally breaks down over time and helps add nutrients into the soil around the plants. Choose smaller chips over large nuggets, which decompose and add nutrients to the soil more quickly.

Apply Mulch Correctly

Mulch correctly applied to the ground around your plants is better able to reduce soil water loss, stop weed growth, and feed the soil. Spread mulch loosely among your plants, but do not allow mulch to suffocate stems. Wet mulch tends to encourage plant rot if it is too close to plants. Leave a bit of space between mulch and plants to allow for better air circulation.

Landscape bark mulch performs best at the right thickness. Try to maintain around 2-4 inches of mulch in landscape beds. Too little mulch is less able to stop weeds and retain water in the soil. Very deep mulch interferes with root growth.

Contain Mulch Well

Mulch is at risk of erosion if you do not have a containment plan in place. Mulch that cannot stay in place has little or no value to the plants it protects. Lighter mulches like landscape nuggets tend to float away during heavy irrigation or rains.

You can contain mulch within garden and landscape beds simply by using edging or other types of border materials. Not only will mulch stay contained, but landscaping appears tidier and more pleasing to the eye.

For more information, contact a local company, like Lincoln Sand & Rock.



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Growing and Growing: An Agriculture Blog No matter how the economy is performing or what is going on in the world, farmers need to wake up every morning and take care of their farms. They feed animals, milk cows, care for young stock, work fields, and so much more. The agriculture industry is vast, but it is filled with hardworking people who do the best they can to provide us with food and other products. Those within the industry deserve recognition and understanding. It is our hope that you'll read the articles on this website, and in the process, learn more about agriculture. The more you learn, the greater your appreciation will be.

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