As you begin to plan your spring landscaping, mulch can help your plants thrive so don’t forget to consider your options.
Benefits of mulch
- Completes the look of your yard or flower bed
- Acts as a natural weed control
- Maintains moisture levels in your soil, protecting from over and under watering
- Acts as a barrier to fluctuating temperatures that can damage your plants
- Plant-based mulch adds nutrients back into the soil as it decomposes
Types of mulch
- Leaves or grass clippings decompose quickly and enrich the soil
- Bark is decorative, decomposes slowly and adds nutrients to the soil
- Wood chips are decorative, decompose quickly and add nutrients to the soil
- Stones or pebbles are decorative but not beneficial to the soil like plant-based mulch, but won’t have to be replaced every year
Having success with mulch
- Protect the yard around your planting bed with edging
- For new plants, shrubs or trees, install them in the soil before you add mulch and allow plenty of room to grow. Adding mulch retains water.
- When adding new mulch to a perennial planting bed, remove the old layer so you don’t cause rot, starve from nutrients or kill them.
- Mulch should never be more than three inches thick in a planting bed
- For mature plants, shrubs or trees, clear mulch away from a four-inch area around each plant base to prevent too much water and rot.
Source: PRESS RELEASE
