Spring in suburbia is evident from your large piles of mulch that your friends dump in their driveways. While installing mulch seems perhaps a simple process, house owners use so much mulch on their landscape beds that they create an environment that is detrimental to the health of the plants which they are trying to nurture.
One can’t help but cringe when viewing a ‘volcano’ of mulch installed around a tree. Here we will discuss the proper methods of installing mulch and the different types of mulch to use (and not to use).
The goal mulch would be to conserve moisture and inhibit weed development in planting beds and timber. Mulch is also attractive regulating soil temperatures; soil will stay cooler in the summer and warmer inside the winter with a layer of mulch. Organic mulches will also improve dirt quality when they start to break across. Mulch has also developed into a decorative consider many landscapes. When installing mulch, follow these basic guidelines for that health of the plants:
– Never use more than 3-4″ thorough of mulch. When re-mulching, keep general depth under 4″ and consider even 2-3″ as plenty. Remove the old mulch if necessary, or at least break within the old mulch if more affordable become matted. Too much mulch is worse than no mulch. Excessive mulch may be deprived of water the upper root zone of plants and cause plant roots to grow upwards in the mulch.
– Never pile mulch directly against the stem of plants- rather pull the mulch back several inches to make a mulch-free area around the leaves. Mulch piled against the stem from the plant might 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 causes. Also, weeds will eventually root into the mulch and into the weed barrier, causing big problems when the weeds are pulled.
– Be cautious when using processed sewage sludge (Earthlife, Earthmate). While these are often the darkest of mulches, they likewise rich in nitrogen which will cause excessive growth as well burning of the plants. These items are best used as a soil amendment in limited quantities. Many tests show these products to contain heavy metals- so keeping it out of the vegetable gardener.
There are many types of mulch on offer. Ground up hardwood, bark mulch, and dyed mulches are all popular. Pine bark, Cypress and pine straw most likely popular in the south. Stone may be used, it also is more maintenance actually term with cleaning debris from in between the stones a major nuisance.
Cheap Georgia Mulch
3000 Trotters Pkwy, Alpharetta, GA 30004
(770) 637-9147