I JUST REALIZED that in the past 12 days, I’ve been spreading mulch around client’s yards. And why?
One of the most misused, unused, not understood gardening products I come across is mulch. Why? Well, let’s define it.
Mulch is a layer of material placed on the ground and around plants to conserve moisture, hold down weeds and ultimately increase fertility.
Mulching also has a protective weather element, too, which is completely different in structure. I’ll write about that in late October when it is relevant.
Mulching is a basic gardening job. Not only is it a building block of organic gardening, but it is most effective in increasing yields of flowers, vegetables and fruit.
Avoid weeding
Countless hours of weeding are eliminated with correct mulching of landscape. These folks also benefit from the water savings mulching provides.
Mulching is vital in lessening the effects of harsh weather. Cold, wind, heat and dryness or drought — all these factors are greatly mitigated by proper amounts of mulch. Plus, well mulched soil stays loose and well cultivated, which are optimum characteristics in growing media.
So, what is mulch and where do you get it?
Practically any organic material could be used as mulch.
Keep in mind that different materials have different traits.
Common mulches, especially for vegetable gardens, would be grass clippings, straw, leaves, hay, sawdust or various hulls and husks — even ground corncobs.
For this time of year, let’s focus on landscaping mulching and leave gardens until later.
To the homeowner, landscaping is your mulching experience.
Beauty bark, wood chips, shredded bark and other bark wood products are the staples to the mulch realm. To me, these names are meaningless; they are all mulches. Take your pick.
It matters only in your preference of products and the aesthetics you want.
Be careful with fabric
What really matters is the amount and procedure.
To begin, prep the area. Now, this does not mean go out and get fabric and cover the area.
I have never used fabrics outside of lining drain fields. They are useless, bubble up for years but most importantly block the interfaces of multi benefits to the native soil (roots, bugs and microbes).
Fabrics are used because few people apply the right amount around landscape and thus do not achieve the weed-free results expected. But if you must cover some grass or horsetail, only use woven nylon, which last 30 years and allows water through and atmospheric exchange.
So, back to prep. Do a basic cleanup. Weed and rake the area, and cultivate lightly if possible. Next and hear this, fertilize the area at the recommended levels. Make sure the soil below the surface is moist. Between nutrition fixation and not getting enough moisture through a half-foot of mulch or more, these two factors can severely damage the plant (not a problem now).
Understand, time of year is prime for mulching because both your soil and mulch are wet.
Next, lay down four to six inches of wood mulch. Spread it thick. Set a stick 4 inches high, paint the bottom inches and there is your marker. Hold it on the soil so as to see the mark and keep the mulch uniformly thick as you move across the area.
Around bushes and plants, leave a slight cone for water collection at their base.
It is best to sprinkle a lawn fertilizer on the surface of the mulch to feed the decomposing microbes. They thrive on nitrogen, throw them a party and use ammonium nitrate (21-0-0).
Next, sprinkle out a germination inhibitor and water it in thoroughly.
All that is left to do is one more step. This step unfortunately stops 90 percent of the people from enjoying a fairly weed-free, eye pleasing landscape that is lush and mulched.
With top dress, newly mulched 4 to 6 inches deep, the first two years are a breeze.
Wonderfully rich humus
You pull or cultivate an occasional weed and germination inhibit every four or five months, then at the fifth month, put down organic fertilizer specific to grow plants.
Good wood mulch after 2 years will decompose an inch or two each year. This wonderfully rich humus will feed roots and worms alike.
The looseness of the soil will make the few weeds easy to pull.
Plant roots will explode into this zone.
To close, although done at any time, March and April are the months to do this.
You are getting close to many yard chores to come.
The weather is perfect and so is the mulch, so do not make the mistake of using too little — that’s one of my gardening secrets.
In the weeks to come, I will tell you how to grow a spectacular vegetable garden; but for now stay well all.
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Andrew May is a freelance writer and ornamental horticulturist who dreams of having Clallam and Jefferson counties nationally recognized as “Flower Peninsula USA.” Send him questions c/o Peninsula Daily News, P.O. Box 1330, Port Angeles, WA 98362, or email news@peninsuladailynews.com (subject line: Andrew May).
