What to know before spreading mulch

What are the benefits of mulch

While just about everyone knows that mulch is an important part of raising a healthy garden, not everyone knows why that is. The main purpose of mulching is to lock moisture into the soil, helping to keep your plants healthy! In addition, mulch also prevents weeds from germinating and protects sensitive flowers from extreme heat. On top of all that, any organic mulch will eventually decompose, increasing the fertility of your soil. With all these benefits, it’s easy to see why mulch is always in demand, but before you lay some down on your garden, there’s still some more to consider!

Picking your mulch

With the large variety of materials you can use as mulch ranging from compost to stone, it’s important to consider what you’re looking to get done in your garden before making a choice. The first question is do you need your soil fertilized? Inorganic materials like stone won’t benefit your garden in this way, but there is a benefit to this. By not decomposing, you don’t have to worry about frequently replacing your mulch, making your gardening less costly and time consuming in the long run. Generally, a bark mulch is a good compromise with a good, slow decomposition. Finally, it’s important to think about what makes your garden look nice! Mulch adds a beautiful, well groomed look to your garden and so picking a material and color that work with your yard should be considered.

Preparing your garden

The first thing you need to do when preparing to lay down mulch is pick all the weeds from your garden. While mulch helps prevent new weeds from germinating, it won’t do anything to existing weeds. Secondly, it’s important to fertilize your soil, especially if you’ll be using an inorganic substance like stone. With either slow or no decomposition, you could find your soil unable to get the nutrients it needs to immediately foster your plants. Finally, you absolutely must water the soil where you’ll be applying the mulch. While your mulch will do a great job helping soil retain water, it will prevent it from gaining that valuable moisture in the first place. Once you’ve done all this, you’re ready to lay down your mulch!

Tips for laying mulch

Tip 1: Generally, you should keep your mulch around 2 to 4 inches deep. Be sure to check for each material you use however as this can vary.

Tip 2: Do not let organic mulch build up around the base of trees and bushes, they will end up becoming a breeding ground for insects that love eating wood.