If you ’ve study any Emily Price Post here on Gingham Gardens , you will bed that I ’m a big fan of mulching my efflorescence bed . In this article , we ’re go to cover everything you need to know about using mulch in your bloom garden . Let ’s get started !
The Benefits of Using Mulch in Your Flower Gardens
Mulch serves as an invaluable friend in maintaining a healthy and vibrant bloom garden . It offers a variety of benefit that enhance not just the soil lineament but also the overall horticulture esthetic .
Mulch Can Help to Control Weeds
The # 1 cause to use mulch in your garden is for sess control . Mulching aid conquer weed growth by blocking sunlight from reach the soil aerofoil , hindering weed seeds from germinating and growing . A thick layer of mulch dissemble as a roadblock , make it more difficult for pesky weeds to invade your prime beds .
Soil Temperature Regulation
In the heat of summer and throughout the produce season , mulch serves to shade plant ’ root in your flower bed . It can also help to insulate works roots from temperature fluctuation during the wintertime months .
Soil Moisture Retention
Mulch helps to preserve soil moisture by reducing evaporation . This lessens the need for frequent watering , ascertain flora detain hydrous for a longer flow of sentence . Maintaining soil moisture is of the essence for industrial plant wellness , especially in juiceless condition .
Mulch Can Improve Your Garden Soil
A serious organic mulch will transgress down over time and can facilitate to improve your garden soil bodily structure . In some instances , mulching can help forestall soil erosion .
Flower Garden Aesthetic
Mulch can dramatically enhance the optical appeal of your garden . Mulch is broadly speaking available in various colors and texture , it can be used to create a cohesive look that complements the prime and overall design of your garden space . And like I always say , “ mulch is like the icing on the patty . ” It adds the perfect finishing touch .
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Different Types of Mulch for Your Flower Beds
mulch are categorized into two independent type : organic and inorganic . Although most homeowner choose mulch base on their aesthetic preference , it ’s more significant to consider the best mulch for the health of our garden beds .
Organic Garden Mulches
Organic materials decompose over fourth dimension , thereby meliorate soil fertility and anatomical structure . Examples include :
Shredded hardwood mulch is my preference and an splendid choice for flower garden . You will see chopped Ellen Price Wood mulch sold as cypress mulch , cedar mulch , pine mulch , bark mulch , etc .
Pine acerate leaf or pine tree straw make a beautiful , natural mulch and are pop in the South .
Comparison of mulch vs. no mulch
hot chocolate bean hulls is another organic mulch that is very popular . It smell outstanding if you like chocolate . In some surface area , it can be expensive and it needs to be spread thick for it to do its job , so that makes it even more expensive .
Although I do n’t recommend them , wood splintering are a democratic choice by homeowners because they like the look of them . They decompose very easy and do n’t really offer many benefit either to your plant life or your garden soil .
Straw : Although I would not employ straw in my flower beds , I desire to mention it because in many places it ’s easily approachable and inexpensive . Straw can get really atrocious as it ages and break down , but if it ’s all that ’s available to you it will do the magic . Be deliberate not to habituate hay or straw that is full of cum .
Comparison of mulch vs. no mulch
Many experient nurseryman simply use compost to mulch their garden beds . Compost is rich in food and it supercharges the dirt as it breaks down . Although I apply compost in all my garden , I can not produce enough compost myself and have to purchase it , plus I do n’t mean it has as many benefits as a good shredded wood mulch .
Untreated eatage newspaper clipping and sliced leaves make fantastic mulch and the best part is they are gratis . I prefer using this natural organic affair in my veggie garden .
Be responsible and do your homework when selecting the adept eccentric of mulch to use for flower gardens in your area . Select a variety that is sustainable in your area .
South Carolina garden mulched with pine straw
Inorganic Mulches
Although I do n’t advocate their use of goods and services , I feel the need to at least mention inorganic mulches . Many homeowner are sting with rock and landscape painting textile from old homeowners or landscape designers . Inorganic mulches are non - living materials that do not decompose and they ’re mostly used for longevity and low maintenance . Options include :
Stone or landscape painting rocksare often used by landscape architect , along with landscape fabric or charge card sheeting . For anyone who wants to garden or switch their landscape , this can be a total incubus . I wo n’t go into all the reasonableness I admonish the use of landscape painting textile ( a / super acid / a dope fabric ) or plastic in a blossom bed , but if you are consider it , please readthis articlebefore you proceed .
Rock mulch can make a very unhealthy environment for your soil and flora . Stone or gravel can heat up considerably in the Lord’s Day and fry the antecedent of repeated plants or shrubs . If you find yourself in this situation and do n’t have the power to remove rock ‘n’ roll , at least pull the rock away from the base of your plants by at least a foot and fill that field in with wood mulch . Also turn off away any landscape fabric or charge card from the base of your plant .
This garden is mulched with premium cedar mulch
condom mulchis made from recycled tires . Although as gardener we jazz the word recycled , do n’t use rubber mulch in any garden bed . It is n’t good for your works or the filth . A great consumption for rubber mulch is playgrounds .
coloured Grant Wood mulchesare another very popular mulch and it ’s likely you may practice dyed wood mulch in your garden . I ’m include it in the inorganic part because of the dyestuff . The dyestuff will leach into the grime , mayhap damaging the good stuff in your ground and create an unhealthy environment for your plant life and peak . I will admit that when it ’s fresh and enforce thickheaded it is very attractive , but as responsible gardener we have to think beyond aesthetic appeal .
How to Apply Mulch to Flower Beds
When practice mulch in efflorescence garden , it ’s important to consider the serious fourth dimension in the season to apply and the amount necessary for effective reporting .
Timing and Frequency of Your Mulch Application
I prefer to apply mulch during recent spring or early summer , after the grease has warmed up , and before summertime to aid retain soil moisture . I like to have all of my planting done . Mulch is sort of the last thing I do to get my gardens ready for their summer show .
For many gardens , refreshing mulch annually is sufficient . Some year , I will apply a fresh layer of mulch to the entire bed . Or simply touch up areas that have thin out through the class .
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Prep the Area for Mulching
First of all , clean up the garden sphere . rip all weeds and rake or fluff up any be mulch . If exist mulch has formed a operose mat , be sure to fail it apart . Although this is ideal for blocking weed , it can also nix moisture from adequately reaching the soil .
If I ’m working in a young garden area , I will sprinkle a product like Preen to help keep mourning band from germinating . Please note that Preen is a pre - emergent and does not pop weeds , it keep seed from germinating . Do n’t use it if you are trying to grow flowers from seed .
Add any other soil amendment like plant food or compost before apply the mulch . If the land is wry , I suggest water the arena well before mulch is use .
Bulk trailer load of shredded bark mulch
How Much Mulch Do I Need
For flower garden , I recommend a bed of 2 - 3 in of mulch . In the face of mulch , more is never better . Yes , you may overdo it with mulch . Too much mulch can gazump your flora of much needed atomic number 8 .
This footmark requires a fiddling mathematics but do n’t worry it ’s loose .
For Bulk :
Since I have lots of gardens , we purchase mulch in volume . If you have memory access to a poke or a pickup hand truck this is unremarkably the punk way to go . Bulk mulch is measured in three-dimensional thousand .
By the base :
Here ’s an instance :
Let ’s say the peak bed we are act on is a kidney bean physique and it ’s approximately 15 infantry long by 6 feet wide . So this flower seam is approximately 90 square invertebrate foot . If you have an odd molded flower seam , just do your best with the measurements .
For bulk mulch : 90 x 3 ( depth in in ) = 270 ÷ 324 = .8333 cubic yards . Round up and you will call for 1 three-dimensional yard .
For bagged mulch , using the calculator connect above , if the bag moderate 3 three-dimensional feet , we will need 7.5 traveling bag . If the udder of mulch container 2 three-dimensional foot , we will ask 11.25 . When buy mulch , I always round up .
If you are refreshing mulch in a bed be sure to take into circumstance the depth of mulch that is already there .
Tips for Spreading Mulch in Your Flower Bed
This is decidedly not one of my pet gardening jobs , but I do it because of the benefits and because I love the style it makes a flush garden look . Mulch seems to make the plants pop !
To spread mulch , I alternate between using mygarden forkand my handwriting . Simply put on the mulch equally and distribute around your plants . Never heap mulch against the radical of your plants and pass on a little breathing room around the base of your plants . Do not jam mulch up around tree trunks . This is called volcano mulching and can cause many problems for Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree .
Now step back and take a look and look up to your hard work . It ’s endearing is n’t it ? Fresh mulch is just like the frost on a patty !
A Few Things to Remember When Mulching Your Gardens
I require to verify you go forth with these few reminders :
Happy Gardening and DIYing , Julie
Check out more Flower Gardening articles on Gingham Gardens :
Flower Gardening 101How to Plant Perennials ( the Right Way)Simple Flower Garden Design
More Great Things on Gingham Gardens
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