Proper mulching around trees and landscape plants provide a good way to conserve moisture for your plants, keeping them healthy and when done properly can also help reduce weeds. Most plants lose moisture from evaporation through their leaves, mulching can help reduce the effect of drying out. Putting weed control granules down with mulch will also help cut down on weeds. Less weeds means less competition for vital nutrients and water resulting in stronger healthier plants. Mulch also helps keep the soil healthy, preventing possible fungi from causing soil-borne diseases.
Because landscape plants can sustain damage from lawn mowing and weed trimmers, adding a mulch ring around the base of your trees and making a landscape bed around your foundation plants can help reduce this damage. We suggest a 2- to 4-inch layer of mulch combined with weed control granules. This will help prevent most weeds from growing, but will not adversely effect existing landscape plants.
When applying the mulch of your choice, try and cover as much of the root zone as possible. The mulched area should cover 3 to 6 feet out from the base of the plant or out from the foundation. Try not putting the mulch right up against the base of the tree, leaving about an inch - this can help prevent bark decay.
As far as how much mulch depth to build around your plants, this will depend on the type of soil surrounding it. Most of the soil around here is thick heavy clay and should only require 2 to 3 inches. Any deeper than that and you risk holding to much moisture on the surface leading to shallow rooted plants. Sandy soils can dry out faster and might benefit from a slightly deeper mulch layer (3 to 4 inches). Most sites could use even a thin layer of mulch, even sites that stay a little moist.
We recommend applying mulch any time of the year, but the prime time is mid to late spring after the soil has warmed a little. If you put it down to early in spring you could delay soil warming and possibly plant growth. You do not have to remove the mulch when you fertilize new or existing plants, just apply the fertilizer over the mulch and the nutrients will naturally move with water to the root system below.
In regards to what is the best mulch for you, there are many materials out there - each with their advantages and disadvantages. Most mulches are made from organic materials and are weed-free. Some of organic materials include all pine bark nuggets, pine straw, hardwoods, cypresses, cedar and compost. Pine straw, cypress, and cedar all look good and will remain in place better than most other materials but larger Pine bark lasts longer and can be washed with a heavy rain. Hardwood is usually most cost effective but breaks down faster and needs replaced more frequently.
Non-shredded leaves and grass clippings should not be used as mulch in landscape beds or around trees. They can form a thick mat that makes water penetration to the roots nearly impossible. Wood chips from freshly cut trees should also not be used. Fresh woodchips are low in nitrogen and will rob nitrogen from the soil as it decomposes.
Some inorganic mulches include various types of stone, lava rock, pulverized rubber, geotextile fabrics, and other materials. The advantages to these are they do not decompose and usually do not need to be replenished very often. On the down side, they do not improve soil structure as they break down, adding organic materials, and providing nutrients.
Regardless of what kind of mulch you choose to put down applying a layer of weed control granules first will help keep the weeds down. Weed control granules keep weed seeds from germinating in freshly applied mulch without effecting existing plants. Weed control granules should be applied anytime the soil is disturbed out fresh mulch is applied. With our long hot summers in mind the effects of the granules can wear off by fall, so a second application is often recommended.
Mulching has many benefits to keeping your landscape plants healthy and strong. If you have questions about the types of mulch to apply, please visit Frank Otte Nursery Frank Otte Nursery on Bardstown road and we will help you with all your questions. Your Louisville Mulch Headquarters!
Frank Otte Nursery and Garden Center Bardstown Rd. Louisville, KY is dedicated to all of your gardening needs. http://www.LouisvilleGardenCenter.net
Article Source: Importance of Proper Mulching
Very helpful information for your plants at your backyard the right quality of soil helps plants to stay long years
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