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B&Q
Seasonal DIY products
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Why use mulch?
Once you've weeded your flower beds you may consider mulching them -
First of all what is mulch?
Mulch is something (Organic or inorganic) which is spread
on the soil surface
What does mulch do?
Mulch stops the soil drying out
moderates
soil
temperatures,
Stops torrential rain from the erosive forces of raindrops
discourages weeds
Looks nice.
What can be used as a mulch?
Lots of stuff - you can use organic or inorganic material.
Some people use wood chips, pine needles, hardwood and softwood bark,
cocoa shells, leaves, compost mixes, and a variety of other products
usually derived from plants , grass, straw, gravel,
plastic, stone, lava rock, rubber Chippings.
Sometimes the plants in the border
or bed dictate the type of mulch.
Descriptions and uses of types of mulch
Bark Mulch: Available commercial in
large quantities. Fairly low cost. Available in the following forms
-shredded, chipped, or chunked and in different grades - coarse,
medium and large
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Benefits of bark :
Bark contains substances which prevent it from decaying (waxes,
oils and lignin) - which means as a mulch it will last longer
than mulches
which don't contain
this sort of substance.
suitable to use around trees, shrubs, roses, and in perennial beds |
Problems with bark as a mulch -
You might get splinters from it (Wear gloves when handling and weeding
near it)
Possible horsetail
spore contamination
potential for soil nitrogen deficiencies
use of bark mulch on tomatoes can be harmful as this material will
sometimes release toxic volatiles. |
| Straw Mulch - straw from materials such as wheat, oat, alfalfa,
and soybeans. |
Benefits
Use straw mulches on root crops, strawberries, tomatoes,
basil, and blackberries.
Straw mulches are particularly beneficial to tomato plants, preventing diseases
such as anthracnose, leaf spot, blossom end rot, and early blight by providing
a physical barrier between fruit and soils.
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Negatives
Straw can have a high C:N ratio
winter habitat for mice
may contain contain unwanted crop and weed-seed |
| Fresh Grass clippings - yes the humble
lawn cuttings |
Benefits
source of readily available nitrogen
use on warm soil loving crops such as peppers, tomatoes, and eggplant |
Negatives
Avoid lawn cuttings with seeds, weeds, no herbicide,
May need frequent application
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| Cocoa shells - made from cocoa shells
- shells bind together to make a loosely knitted, porous
mat over the soil surface |
Benefits
ideal for flowerbed
pleasant to handle
strong smell of chocolate |
Negatives
5cm (2in) mulch layer needed |
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Manure - well-rotted manure can be
bought from garden centre or from farms direct... |
Benefits
Use fruit or vegetable garden
Puts nutrients into soil as it
decomposes |
Negatives
Unrotted manure should only be applied in autumn - well-rotted
manure in spring.
Always wear gloves when handling manure.
Can contain weed seeds!
might smell a bit. |
| Gravel &
Pebbles - |
Benefits
Use for alpine plants - small and slow-growing
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Prevents rotting as does not contain moisture next to plants
Can be used for paving with membrane |
Negatives
Heavy to get in situ
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| Newspaper and cardboard - |
Benefits
cardboard is best used in flattened layers
Cheap -
exceptional weed suppressors |
Negatives
Not very attractive
May blow away
Needs fixing down |
| Pine needles |
Benefits
light and airy
attractive
Decompose slowly
Good for acid soil plants
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Negatives
Hard to get hold of
Not good for plants which don't like acid soil |
| Woodchips (including saedust) |
Benefits
Can be free if you are lucky
Stay in place if heavy pieces |
Negatives
Avoid chemically or pressure treated woodchips -
Don't mix into soil |
| Leaves |
Benefits
excellent and free mulch
Contain 50 to 80 percent of the nutrients a plant extracts from the
soil and air during a season.
shred leaves or compost them slightly prior to use as a mulch
Insulative
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Negatives
May encourage slugs
Don't use on strawberry plants or herbaceous
perennial
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Cover crops - quick growing plants as a
soil mulch - crop is planted, allowed to grow, and approximately
two weeks prior to planting the real crop the "green manure" is
turned under.
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Benefits
reduce erosion
enrich the soil, and beautify the vegetable
garden or landscape
Buckwheat grows quickly, smothers weeds, attracts beneficial insects, and breaks
down quickly when turned under -
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Negatives
Don't allow to go to seed
Needs turning in |
Problems which may occur with mulching -
| Too much mulch - can keep excessive moisture in the soil which
will rot roots... |
| Too much mulch agains the stems and trunks of plants can cause
damage |
| Mulch may affect pH of soil |
| Long term use of one mulch type may result in toxicities or deficiencies
of nutrients. |
| May create habitat for rodents |
| Too much mulch may prevent water penetration if it becomes very
matted or is very thick |
| Some mulches may cause odours when they "sour" which may be bad
for plants |
| Follow the instructions on purchased mulches for best results - |
| Mulch wide not deep - |
| Consider where you are mulching - does it need to keep the plants
dryer, wetter, more acid? Match the mulch to avoid problems |
| For well-drained sites, apply a 2- to 4-inch layer. If there are
drainage problems, a thinner layer should be used |
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