Not everyone knows, but this word is well known to summer residents, because Mulching is a highly effective agricultural practice. . Although many are dismissive of this technique, believing that there are many worries with mulch, but little benefit. If you understand the functions of mulch, it becomes clear that it is very effective way in maintaining the health of garden and horticultural crops, and in addition, it greatly facilitates the care of the plant in the process of its maturation.
So what is mulch?
Mulch - this is certain material, a layer of which covers the surface of the earth around the stem of a garden crop. The mulching technique has been used in our country since ancient times, when straw was mainly used as mulch, but the main distribution in modern time this method was received in the West.
In order to evaluate Benefits With this method, you need to choose the material that is most accessible to you, because the number of plants in the garden is considerable, and although it is not difficult to mulch everything, you still need to carefully approach the choice of mulching material.
What does soil mulching do?
In addition to ease of use, mulching - it is also very effective method, which allows you to achieve the following results:
1. Mulch, laid in a fairly wide layer, reduces weed growth
several times.
2. Using this method reduces watering
, as moisture and microflora are retained under the mulch.
3. Using mulch allows you to loosen the ground less often, because topsoil remains loose
.
4. Mulch protects the soil
, both from sunlight in summer and from snow and frost in winter, as a result of which the earth remains protected from sudden temperature changes, and the plant from death, which is especially important for perennials in harsh winter.
5. Mulching protects the plant from many infections
. This is due to the fact that pathogens most often live in the soil, and mulch is a barrier that protects the plant from bacteria.
6. Mulch beneficial effect on soil quality
, it protects the earth from erosion, washing out, freezing and crusting.
There are two main types of mulch: organic and inorganic.
organic mulch represented by materials such as straw, hay, shavings, leaves, needles, paper, bark , chips and sawdust . Such a mulch will look neat both in vegetable beds and in flower beds.
Organic mulch has other benefits as it rots over time, adding nutrients to the soil, improving soil structure and acidity. Organic mulch needs to be reapplied periodically, the frequency mainly depends on the material, from six months to several years. Unlike organic mulch, inorganic no need to sleep. Such mulch includes stone, gravel, sand, rubber, plastic, peat, film . Inorganic mulch is mostly decorative. Materials of different textures, colors and fractions provide a huge choice for decorating individual elements of flower beds and for giving a general aesthetic appearance to the garden. Inorganic mulch does not attract insects, protects the berries in the beds from dirt and decay.
When should you use mulch?
Mulching is best done in the spring, when the snow has thawed and the ground is saturated with spring rains and warmed up by the friendly rays of the sun. Spring mulching protects the root system from overheating, and the soil from drying out and weathering. But autumn mulching is no less important. In autumn, when the earth is sufficiently well moistened by autumn rains, mulch is laid on the beds to protect the soil from freezing and weathering. Before sprinkled with mulch in autumn weeds must be removed, and “winter” fertilizer (for example, ash) can also be applied.
How to mulch correctly?
The mulching process is simple and does not require specific skills. It is necessary to carefully spread the selected material around the plant with a layer of 6 - 10 centimeters. A smaller layer should not be done, it will not give the desired effect, and it can also be dispelled by the wind. In various flower beds, rose gardens and decorative flower beds Mulch is spread over the entire surface of the soil around the plants. Mulch under trees and bushes poured in a circle at a short distance from the trunk, leaving the trunk itself and the graft open. Vegetable beds in the garden, it is best to cover with covering material or film, or you can immediately prepare beds with pre-prepared holes for holes.
Mulch is such a versatile and versatile material that it can be used in open field(flower beds, front gardens and beds), and in greenhouses and greenhouses.
The use of mulch is becoming more and more popular in large farms, which is not surprising, because its use makes it much easier to care for plants. Thus, mulching is very useful technique for any farmer or summer resident, and all the worries associated with finding material and covering the soil with it are generously compensated positive results from mulching .
Experienced gardeners often they use one simple but very effective agricultural technique that helps to preserve soil moisture, improves plant nutrition, protects against soil crust, suppresses the development of weeds, protects tree roots from freezing during snowless frosty periods of winter, restrains soil washout in gardens on slopes, and much more .
And this agricultural method is called - mulching.
Mulching is used for all fruit and berry plants, and especially in a young garden. After watering, the holes near the plants are sprinkled with dry earth and then mulch is applied with a layer of 4-5 cm. In gardens, near-trunk circles of trees or near-trunk strips are most often mulched.
The most used as mulch different materials: peat, straw, sawdust, manure, manure composts, humus, plant remains, needles, reeds, fallen leaves. If the garden is turfed, then the mowed grass plays the role of mulch, which is left in place or moved to the near-trunk strips.
Combined mulch is also used consisting of two or three materials. Some gardeners cover the soil of tree trunks fruit trees and bushes with old linoleum, stones, broken bricks.
Supporters organic farming they try to never leave the soil bare - it should always be covered, they believe, if not with plants, then with mulch. After all, the open top layer of soil, the most necessary for plants, is constantly exposed to the adverse effects of rain, wind and temperature.
But themselves mulch materials have a certain effect on the soil- so, straw and sawdust, containing a lot of carbohydrates, increase the absorption of nitrogen from the soil by microorganisms, actually taking it away from plants. In this case, you have to make a double dose nitrogen fertilizers, for example urea (20 g per 1 m2), or pre-compost straw and sawdust.
Mulch all soils, except for excessively moistened, but this technique is especially effective on light sandy and sandy loamy soils, as well as in areas of insufficient moisture.
Mulch can be used during one season for several years. In the first case, peat, manure or humus is placed on the near-stem circle with a layer of 3-5 cm in the spring, immediately after planting, to preserve moisture in the soil and improve plant survival.
In summer, when loosening and weeding mulch is mixed with the ground, and during autumn digging it is embedded in the soil. At the same time, the water and nutrient regimes of the soil are improved, the crust is eliminated, but the protective role of mulch materials in the winter is almost not used.
With many years of use, mulch, which is most often used on light soils and high places, it also serves to protect the roots from frost in winter. To do this, most often they take peat chips, sawdust, needles and other materials, which are laid in a layer of 10-12 cm within a radius of 1 m.
During summer weeding, they try to save the mulch and the soil under the trees is not dug up. After 2-3 years, when the coating layer is reduced to 4-5 cm, it is again increased to its original height.
Good results are obtained from use as mulch organic fertilizers- rotted manure and manure composts with peat crumbs, sawdust, leaves, grass.
Under such mulch, the soil becomes especially fertile., loose, moist, it multiplies a large number of earthworms, which process organic matter into humus and thereby improve plant nutrition. This mulch is placed in the fall before the onset of frost and kept on the trunk circle for a year or two, and then embedded in the soil.
Also used for mulching black PVC or polyethylene film. It is lined with near-trunk circles within a radius of 1 m near the trunk of a tree, and the edges are laid in grooves 10-12 cm deep and covered with soil.
There is no need to make any holes, the moisture under the film gets replenished from the adjacent soil layer and is well preserved there. The disadvantage of such a shelter is that the film does not protect the roots of plants in snowless frosty winters and early spring.
Recently, there are new non-woven black materials made of synthetic fiber (lutrasil 60 Uf, agril-P-5 S-60, spunbond), which have many advantages compared to film - they pass water and air well.
There are also special trunk circles on sale. The package contains 12 circles cut from black lutrasil, ready for laying on the near-stem (or bite) circles (manufactured in Germany).
Of interest use in gardens of a combined perennial mulch from a layer organic material(sawdust, straw, reeds, etc.) and light plastic film.
I really need mulch on a strawberry bed. After planting and watering, the rows are mulched there with manure, compost or peat with a layer of 4-5 cm. Dark film, as well as non-woven materials on this crop, are most often used in this way.
With a one-line landing cut strips 30 cm wide are spread before planting along the line of rows, laying the edges of the film in small grooves 10-12 cm deep and lightly sprinkling with soil so that a strip of 15-18 cm remains unfilled. Sometimes the film is fixed with wire hooks. Before planting, cruciform cuts 10X10 cm are made on the film, plants are planted in them.
On the fruitful garden strawberries to protect berries from contamination and damage by gray rot or powdery mildew the soil under the bushes immediately after flowering is covered with a dark film, cardboard, thick paper or dry straw, grass, sawdust, scraps of plywood, boards or combined mulch (first spread the film, and on it - a layer of straw 7-10 cm thick).
Closer to winter, the soil under the bushes and between the rows is mulched peat, humus or semi-rotted manure with a layer of about 5 cm to facilitate the overwintering of plants.
L. Yurina, Candidate of Agricultural Sciences
Mulch, laid in a fairly thick layer, is an excellent weed control. They simply do not have the opportunity to sow and take root, and those who still succeed are easily removed by weeding - much easier than usual. As for perennial rhizomatous weeds, being in the dark, they do not receive enough sunlight and gradually disappear.
Mulching plants creates comfortable conditions for soil inhabitants, a crust does not form on the soil surface, moisture is retained, and oxygen saturation is higher. Mulching the soil, keeping moisture in the soil, prevents it from cracking in hot weather. This significantly reduces the need for watering. In addition, organic mulch, decomposing right on the spot, serves as an additional source of nutrition for soil microorganisms and plants. Mulch protects the ground from overheating in summer and freezing in winter.
The use of mulch protects garden and horticultural crops and from pests. So, by mulching the trunks of currants and gooseberries in the fall, we disrupt the life cycle of the pests of these crops, which in the spring will not be able to break through a thick layer of mulch. And the use of straw or nonwoven fabric when caring for strawberries, it allows you to save the crop from rotting.
Finally, the benefit of mulching lies in the fact that the garden, flower garden or near-stem circle look neat and attractive, improving appearance garden.
Leaves and other material for mulching weeds
What can be used as mulch? Primarily, best material for mulching is garden compost, which has a neutral reaction and serves as an additional source of nutrients.
Another material can also be used as mulch - rotted manure with straw, but in our conditions it is rather an inaccessible luxury. Straw itself is an excellent mulching material, retains heat, but takes on a lot of nitrogen when it rots. And there is nowhere to take it in large quantities.
An excellent tool for mulching is lowland black peat, however, it should be borne in mind that it has an acidic reaction, to neutralize which it must be mixed with wood ash.
You can also mulch with needles. If at least one pine tree grows on your site, there will be no problems with this material - it sheds needles in large quantities.
We also sell crushed bark, but worth its weight in gold. Therefore, it is better to spend money and buy once garden shredder, the so-called shredder, in order to subsequently prepare such a mulch yourself.
In gardening, there will always be waste from pruning trees and raspberries, as well as cones, which make excellent mulching material.
With the help of a shredder, you can easily turn any wood waste into the most valuable mulch.
But what if you have hardwood trees growing on your site - lindens, oaks or maples? Many gardeners stubbornly burn their leaves in the fall. This should absolutely not be done!
Nature herself came up with the idea of covering the earth with fallen leaves, which over time overripe, giving the roots the necessary nutrition. This is how the cycle of substances in nature is maintained. If you don't make foliar mulch, leave leaves for mulching under trees, even carry fallen leaves from a nearby forest to flower beds. It's all natural mulch.
Mulching weeds in a rose garden is generally an indispensable technique. A thick layer of mulch shows all its positive qualities here - it nourishes, maintains a certain temperature of the soil and its moisture, and prevents weeds. This must be done in the spring.
Sawdust, contrary to popular belief, should not be used. Mulch from any small sawdust “sinters”, does not allow the roots of plants to breathe, coniferous sawdust also acidifies the soil.
Therefore, coniferous sawdust is sent to the fire, and hardwood sawdust must be “passed” through the compost heap.
You can also mulch with inorganic materials. First of all, non-woven, which allow water and air to pass through. Polyethylene is not suitable for these purposes, it forms under it white coating pathogenic fungi and mold.
Lutrasil or spunbond is a great invention for mulching strawberry plantings or garden beds. On a canvas stretched to the size of the beds, markings are made with chalk. Then, a cruciform incision is made at each point, seedlings or strawberry “whiskers” are planted in the resulting hole.
Content personal plot, where berries or vegetables are grown, must necessarily include measures for the protection and nutrition of plants. Moreover, if the garden is small or the dacha economy is kept away from the city, then it is advisable to use for this purpose with my own hands the resulting mulch. It will not be difficult to figure out what mulch is and where to get it, since it is prepared literally from improvised materials. The only point that should be taken into account even before the preparation of this top dressing is the type of plant and the effect that mulching should provide.
What is mulch?
Weeds, leaves, old sawdust, straw, husks, compost and other materials, waste, as well as processed products can be used in the creation of mulch. The main condition is to get a set from this raw material nutrients. In addition, to understand what mulch is and where to get it at home, you can also turn to ordinary manure. If in the fall it is put in a specially prepared place, then by spring it will acquire the optimal condition for use in mulching. Next, it must be scattered on the soil surface and wait until the worms "pull" it into the bowels of the earth. This is how the distribution of humus occurs at the level of the soil where it is located. The same is done with other types of mulch - the scheme is simple: spread the top dressing over the beds, if possible, protect this place with borders and wait until the organic matter gives a result in the form of a rich harvest.
The positive impact of mulch
The mulching cover provides the soil layer with the necessary supply of beneficial microorganisms. In the process of decomposition of this layer, the mineralization of nutrients is accelerated and the efficiency of their assimilation by plants increases. That is, the definition of what mulch is in the garden can have two interpretations. On the one hand, this is a technical operation to protect and nourish the soil layer, and on the other hand, necessary feeding for growth and development The decomposition of mulched organics is carried out directly in the soil layer, as a result of which all valuable trace elements reach their goal and do not die in vain. In some cases, the presence of a cover with mulch eliminates the need to loosen the soil, since root system plants receive an optimal supply of oxygen due to the absence of a dense crust on the surface.
Dark or light?
As you know, the intensity of absorption of heat and light is largely determined by the color of the object. Since the interaction of the soil layer with the sun is one of the most important parameters that determine its fertility, it is worth considering the color of the mulch that will cover the bed. In particular, this will allow to regulate the thermal regime of the soil. And again the question becomes what is mulch and where to get it to get suitable color? For light material, you can use sawdust and straw, and for dark material, humus and foliage. But something else is important. You must first correctly determine what the soil needs in this moment, since thermoregulation by mulching can play both a positive and a negative role. For example, a dark cover will ensure that it retains heat, and a light one will minimize the flow of sunlight, which will reduce the likelihood of overheating of the soil.
Fresh cut grass mulch
Freshly cut grass is the most available material, which can be easily found by both the summer resident and the gardener. The problem with the question of what is mulch and where to get it will disappear by itself, since it can be prepared from lupine, alfalfa, mustard, nettle and pea stalks. That is, a set of quite common herbs that grow in almost all regions of Russia. The composition will be more effective if everything is included in it without exception - the soil will be enriched with micronutrients of different groups, which will improve the structure of the fertile layer and vegetables. In addition, the mulch from the above herbs helps to eliminate pests. For example, young stalks of nettles scattered along the aisle will protect strawberries from snails. Chrysanthemum will help in the fight against the bear, and marigolds with marigolds will scare away nematodes.
Mulching with compost
The compost acts on its own a good remedy for structuring the soil and supplying vegetation with useful substances. It contains live microorganisms that destroy the soil layer. This is another example for those who want to understand what mulch is. The photo below illustrates mulching with compost.
Such a cover becomes a barrier not only for pests, but also prevents plant diseases. Compost mulch may be only 2-3 cm thick, but this layer is enough to provide protection to plants that no chemical fungicide can match. For some varieties, there are direct indications from specialists in the use of mulching with compost - these include, for example, roses and tomatoes that are prone to diseases.
wood chip mulch
This material is suitable as a means intended for perennial flowers. If you have problems finding a place to get this type of mulch, and you don’t have your own wood chips, then you can replace it with bark. Anyway, finished material will have a beneficial effect on the protective qualities of the soil, suppress the development of weeds and retain water. By the way, this is the most durable cover among all analogues. Chip mulch is able to retain its original properties throughout the year.
But there are also limitations on the use of this mulching tool. Wood chips should not be used if they emit an acetic or acidic smell. Under such conditions, the plant may die after a couple of hours. The presence of such a pungent odor is due to the fact that acetic acid contained in wood chips is abundantly released during decay without access to oxygen. When deciding where to get mulch in the spring, you should carefully look at other wood materials. As a last resort, you can use branches coniferous trees, which are no less effective and, depending on the plant, can double the yield.
Mulch based cover material
Mulching is often performed using household film or woven materials. By covering the bed with such a flooring, you can achieve moisture retention, weed suppression and loosening of the soil. Now the question should be answered: what is mulch and where can I get it to form such a coating? The cover may consist of cardboard, roofing material and tar - the main thing is that the material does not let light through.
The advantages of this method of mulching include practicality and durability. Depending on the characteristics, this layer can last for several years. But there is also a serious disadvantage. Unlike humus, wood chips and compost, such a shelter will not provide nutrition. As much as possible, optimal regulation of moisture and temperature on the soil surface, as well as physical protection of the plant, can be achieved.
Material prepared by: Nadezhda Zimina, gardener with 24 years of experience, process engineer
By applying various methods of agricultural technology, you can achieve better results when cultivating your personal plot, while applying less effort. For example, once using the mulching technique for tilling the soil surface, you can forget about watering, loosening and weeding for a long time. Plants will feel comfortable without additional care. And decorative mulch, which is available in a huge assortment, will decorate the garden, set accents and fill the empty spaces of the beds.
Mulching technology
Before covering the ground with a protective layer of covering material, it must be prepared.
You need to do the following:
- Remove weeds from the entire area of the treated surface;
- Water the bed so that moisture remains in it, which we will save;
- Loosen the earth to a depth of at least 5 cm;
- Ventilate, slightly drying the top layer of soil so that when mulching it does not sink and compact.
When to mulch?
Covering measures that contribute to the long-term retention of moisture around flowers constantly growing in one place must be carried out in the spring, after the soil thaws and warms up well. If done earlier, when the soil is cold, the layer of mulch will prevent thawing by keeping the cold close to the roots. This can lead to the death of plants.
In the fall, soil cover is also produced. After all, under a protective layer is much longer than in environment the vital processes of soil organisms will continue, which will lead to additional production of organic matter from the covering substrate. In autumn, it is possible to plant under the mulch of various cultivated plants, for example, . He winters well under the shelter of pine sawdust, which, among other things, also protect him from diseases and pests.
Many garden creepers also need autumn shelter, otherwise they do not survive the winter, freezing to the root. For successful protection from the cold over, climbing roses, actinidia, clematis build a dry shelter with their own hands. You can’t just fill them with sawdust - during thaws, water will wet the covering substrate, and with a significant drop in temperature, it will turn into an ice shell, under which plants can die.
For the construction of a reliable shelter used wooden frames or boxes under which lashes and creepers are placed, they will be in a dry air environment. Then the protective structures are covered with a "blanket" of sawdust. But this is not enough, since wood shavings do not protect plants from excess moisture. On top, you need to make another layer that prevents it from getting in. To do this, use a film for mulching.
winter shelters for grapes
The quality of covering measures largely depends on the material used. Each has its own advantages and disadvantages, which can help or harm specific plants. For right choice it is necessary to have information about the properties of protective materials.
Mulching with green plant residues
siderates
For spring soil mulching, there is an original, and very economical way that allows you to grow healthy seedlings right in the ground. Of course, we are not talking about tomatoes and peppers (although in southern regions You can also try). First of all, in this way you can plant zucchini, eggplant, and pumpkins.
In the spring, as soon as the earth thaws, they dig it up and sow green manure, rye is best suited. When the soil warms up well and permanent positive temperatures, you can start planting seeds of cultivated plants. Rye will serve as a natural protection, shading young shoots at the initial stage, creating comfortable conditions for them to develop. When the cucumbers and zucchini grow up, the cereals around are removed, and the earth is covered with the resulting straw. She serves good stuff for mulching, at the same time feeding the soil with nitrogenous compounds.
It must be remembered that immediately after removal from the soil, green manure cannot be used. They must be dried within a day, otherwise the straw will smell bad and rot, as a result of which pathogenic microflora and fungi may appear on it.
cut grass
After weeding the garden or mowing the lawn, a lot of grass remains. Throwing it away is irrational, therefore, in this species vegetable waste two ways of implementation. The first is to compost them. The second is to organize grass mulching of beds, flower beds and near-stem circles of fruit trees.
You can also throw weeded potatoes with mowed grass, instead of hilling. The tubers will develop perfectly in a loose layer of half-rotted substrate, and in the fall, potatoes can be easily removed by pulling the bushes by the tops.
But gourds, cucumbers and cabbage cannot be mulched with grass, as they can become infected with rot or fungus. For the winter, fresh grass mulch should not be left, as pests can start in it. It is best to use plant residues a second time by sending them to the compost. As a covering material for winter, well-dried hay is used, which is used to cover near-stem circles of trees just before frost.
Video: an example of mulching tomatoes with plant residues
Mulching with sawdust
The main function of mulching is the ability to create comfortable conditions for plants. Using organic materials, you can significantly increase soil fertility, reduce the amount of watering and loosening, and get rid of weeds.
Mulching is one of the most common methods of such shelter. Especially often they are used for. Under warm blanket from large chips, strawberries and garden strawberries winter well and do not get sick with various types of rot. Pathogenic flora is the very negative factor that significantly affects the yield. But when using sawdust, which act as a sorbent, a significant part of the berries sing quietly on the bushes, and do not rot, since they do not come into contact with moist soil.
Strawberry mulching technology is simple and effective:
Before making sawdust, the bed is weeded, loosened and watered. After the formation of a light crust on the top layer of the earth, proceed to the main work. To do this, take cardboard (it is better not to use a newspaper, since the ink for printing contains lead), and cover the space between the rows with them. Sawdust is poured on top of the cardboard. Everything, the work is finished. By the way, this method protects not only from the appearance of weeds, but also from the excessive growth of the strawberries themselves.
Mulching with hay and straw
These natural materials, which are easy to find in any village, summer residents began to use for planting new technology, for the use of which you need to stock up on cardboard (you can ask for boxes at the nearest store), planting material and dry grass.
The process itself can be divided into several stages:
- Covering the ground with cardboard. It can be laid directly on overwintered grass as soon as the snow melts. The point of this action is to prevent light from reaching the weeds, which will die along with the roots within a few weeks.
- Germination and disinfection of potatoes. You can disinfect using a solution of any ready-made biostimulant, and germinate in the sun, planting a tuber. These preparatory procedures have a healing effect, so that subsequently the potatoes under the mulch do not get sick with late blight.
- The next stage is the planting of planting material. To do this, holes are made in cardboard sheets, whose radius should be twice as large as the radius of the tubers. After that, the seed potatoes are placed directly on the ground, sprouts up, so that they rush to the sunlight.
- The final stage of planting is the straw mulching of the entire row. To do this, the dry remains of cereal crops are poured directly on top of the cardboard, with a layer of at least 15-20 cm. Some use hay for shelter, but it has a significant drawback - it is a carrier and accumulator of weed seeds.
This method, revolutionary for the minds of many gardeners, has many advantages. First, it is minimal in terms of labor costs. Imagine, you do not have to plow, weed and hill up plantings. Potatoes under mulch grow well without too much intervention. The exception is drought, when you have to water your plantings a couple of times. And still, the amount of physical labor used is incommensurable with traditional way landing.
Harvesting potatoes that have grown under thatch cover is also a cakewalk compared to traditional digging. This is a fairly clean job, as getting to the tubers is very easy - you just need to push the straw, and harvest.
After harvesting, the beds are left without digging. They are already natural compost, which will quietly rot in the time remaining before the onset of winter cold, and next year these beds can be used for planting without additional processing. Using the straw mulching method, it is possible to achieve a significant improvement in soil fertility on the site in 2-3 years.
Video: comparison of potato yield when mulching different types
Mulching with textiles and film
This type of protective procedures is applied in two cases:
- The first - during the construction of "dry blankets" for the winter for various ornamental plants and vines, as already mentioned above.
- The second type of use is to protect the beds from weeds and moisture evaporation.
A prerequisite for the use of rolled covering materials is compliance with all preparatory procedures (weeding, moistening, loosening), before covering the beds with polyethylene. Applying this method in the summer, use only a transparent film and agrotextile. But the black film is used before the start of planting. It has too strong a depressing effect on any plant flora, therefore, even with the use of partial perforation, it is not suitable for summer use.
mulching with agrotextile (left) and film (right)
The film is spread on the beds at the end of March, when it is already warm enough and weeds begin to grow. Within 3-4 weeks, they all die under a black film, and their roots, which die off naturally, are easy to remove with a rake.
Agrotextiles are very often used for mulching strawberries. Usually they take non-woven tightly, which allows moisture to pass through. It is spread over all surfaces of the beds, cutting out circles for berry bushes at an equal distance. When using this method, strawberries produce excellent fruit throughout the season, and require little or no additional care.
Mulching with peat
This fertilizer from the swamp is very often used as a mulch layer for the soil, when planting various plants. serves as an excellent protection against weathering and washing out of fertile components from the soil, and does not allow the growth and development of pathogenic flora. After the end of the season, this substrate is left on the beds, and it gradually passes into the soil, improving its composition.
decorative use of peat
The homogeneous structure of peat allows it to be used as decorative backfill. Peat is also used in the garden, for mulching. different cultures requiring increased care, for example, tomatoes. Under nightshade, this substrate is applied when they are well rooted, a couple of weeks after planting the seedlings in the ground.
Peat is ideal for mulching. He creates optimal conditions for the growth and development of this moisture-loving shrub. The soil will constantly retain moisture, and becomes loose, which allows the raspberry root system to develop well.
Mulching with bark and wood chips
This way of caring for the garden gains more and more fans every year. Bark mulch is commonly used for walkways and large outdoor areas. In our climatic zone, pine bark is the most widespread. This material for landscape design has a number of useful properties.
decorative mulch made from bark and wood chips
Decorative bark mulch stays in one place for a long time unchanged, perfectly protects the soil from weeds, and saves from the sun on hot days. Also, it does not compact for a long time due to its porous structure and embossed surface.
Pine bark
This type of covering material is very popular throughout the country. The advantages of pine bark are its lightness, thickness and high content of fungicides, which suppress unfriendly microflora and prevent the appearance of pests.
Features of mulching with bark / chips of near-stem circles of trees
The bark has been used for mulching for centuries. This type of protection has become especially popular for those who constantly need comfortable conditions. The bark retains moisture for the root system, and perfectly decorates the near-stem circle, which saves time when caring for these capricious flowers. It also serves as a winter shelter from freezing.
Wood chips
When buying this material, you should pay attention to the number that is indicated on the package. It corresponds to the size of the chips, and indicates the dimensional indicators of the product. Chips are small (5-8 cm), medium (8-15 cm), and large (more than 15 cm). It is advisable to purchase this covering material from manufacturers that guarantee a minimum inclusion of chip dust in the composition. This property helps protect the beds from oxidation.
Chips for mulching perform the same functions as other materials. It keeps the soil moist and loose, stimulates the development of beneficial microflora, naturally forms humus. In addition to all the above advantages, this material is perfect for decorating the site.
decorative mulch options - based on wood chips and bark
Decorative mulch can be any color and size. It is used in young flower beds, or in discounts made in a minimalist style. She is resistant to external influences, so it can fall asleep flower beds and garden paths.
Precautionary measures
The choice of wood chips must be approached more carefully than the purchase of other materials. When buying it, it is desirable ... to smell it! If the substrate emits a sour vinegar smell, then it is better to postpone the purchase. Most likely, wet chips were stored without access to oxygen, and decay products that were very harmful to plants began to be produced in it.
But, if the acquisition has already been made, the situation can be corrected. The wood chips must be well dried. Once the sour smell is gone, you can use it to mulch the soil.
Unusual types of mulch
Leaves
They are used everywhere, this is the most affordable covering material that serves to protect plantings with perennial flowers and wintering bulbs.
pine needles
Pine needles are used to mulch plants that are prone to massive pest attacks, such as garlic.
Eggshell
This species is used as an obstacle to slugs, scattering the shell in a thin layer around rose bushes.
Using various improvised materials for mulching beds, you can greatly simplify your life. The protected roots of plants fully use all the moisture introduced into the ground, which provides them with excellent nutrition. The need for constant watering disappears, as well as constant loosening. Mulching the soil will help bring the garden and garden in order, and free up time to finally straighten up and admire the beauty and order created by your own hands.
Video comparison of different mulching materials