Mulch What is Mulch Mulch is any loose material placed over the soil to control weeds and conserve soil moisture. Mulch is usually a coarse organic matter, such as leaves, clippings or bark. Mulch can also be composed of plastic sheeting and other commercial products. Types of Mulch Organic Mulch are mulches that used to be living material, such as bark, straw, leaves, grass clippings and pine needles. Organic mulches improve the soil by adding nutrients as they decompose and encouraging earthworm activity. Organic mulches attract insects, slugs, cutworms and the birds that eat them. They decompose over time and need to be replaced after several years. In very moist climates, organic mulches may hold too much moisture and encourage the proliferation of rodents. The excessive moisture will also encourage slugs and snails. If the stems of your plants come into contact with moist organic mulch, the stems of your plants may rot. Inorganic mulch is made from man-made materials that do not decompose or decomposes very slowly. It works well and rarely needs replacing. Inorganic mulch is made from recycled rubber, plastic, brick, stone, landscape fabric, Inorganic mulch does not release nutrients to the the soil. Where to use Mulch Mulch can be used almost anywhere. However, mulch is more useful around tree trunks and around the soil of new plants. Mulching is a very important step in growing a healthy plant. Mulch helps to conserve moisture in the root ball of the new plant until the roots have grown out into the surrounding soil. Mulch also helps to prevent tree trunk injury by mowers and trimmers. Newly planted trees require a circle of mulch 3 to 4 feet in diameter. Maintain this for five years. Mulch entire beds of shrubs, trees, annuals, herbaceous perennials and ground covers. Light-weight mulch such as dried grass clippings and pine straw can be used as a temporarily cover for low-growing during the winter season. Benefits of Mulch
|
| ||||||
 |
Health Topic: Tummy Tuck Surgery: What No One Tells You Medicare Part D: Everything you need to know How to choose the best weight loss program | ||||||
|
Information obtained from MamasHealth.com™ should not be used as a substitute for professional medical care or attention by a qualified practitioner, nor should it be inferred as such. Always check with your doctor if you have any questions or concerns about a specific condition.
Use of this web site constitutes acceptance of the Terms
of Use. If you want a review of your product featured on MamasHealth.com, let us know. ©2000 - 2008 MamasHealth.com™. All rights reserved | ||||||
|
 | ||||||
