Mulch is the friend of all gardeners! Mulch refers to material spread around plants to control weeds and prevent moisture from evaporating, reducing how often you must water. It helps insulate tender roots of plants from the baking sun or cold wind. Mulch is a magnet for earthworms, helps prevent soil from eroding, and can improve soil structure.
Types of mulch include:
- Organic (preferred by organic gardeners) — decomposing shredded leaves or conifer needles (you can run over them with a mower in fall), grass clippings (but not from chemically treated lawns), hay or straw, yard trimmings, pulled weeds (not invasives or diseased material), cardboard, and newspaper (avoid coloured inks).
- Non-organic — for example, plastic weed barrier or landscape fabric (these can help warm soil faster in spring)
Tips for applying mulch:
- Don’t use organic mulch (which have a cooling effect on soil) around newly sown seeds as they generally need warm soil to germinate; plastic mulch can aid germination
- With organic mulches, shoot for 2-3 inches deep (a bit less with sawdust)
- Keep mulch away from plant/tree stems to prevent rotting
- Know the difference between winter and summer mulching — the former is to protect more tender plants (especially from dramatic temperature shifts) and the latter is aimed mostly at controlling weeds and reducing moisture loss
- Avoid mulching soggy areas, as doing so can favour slugs and disease
- Know that too much of a good thing can be bad — as mulch decays, it can use up too much nitrogen (yellowing plants can be a sign that this is happening in your garden; using well rotted material can help prevent this)
- Avoid spreading thick layers of mulch around root crops such as carrots, as doing so can attract rodents who use the mulch as hiding places from which to raid your tasty tubers
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