Mulching is a widely-practiced gardening technique that is beneficial for plants when done properly. It is the act of covering the soil with mulches, such as bark, wood chips, leaves, and other organic material, in order to preserve moisture and improve the condition of the soil.
The benefits that mulching provides can save you a lot of time in maintaining your landscape. It is also eco-friendly, and there is no better way to make use of garden waste than to recycle it into mulch.J. K. Cooper Tree Services provides high quality mulching services that will care for your plants and ensure that they are healthier.
What are the benefits of mulching?
Mulching is not an expensive process. In fact, it is quite efficient and practical when you consider its many benefits. When quality mulches cover the soil, they prevent the loss of soil moisture as by reducing evaporation. They increase water infiltration while also preventing soil compaction due to dryness.
Mulches also control the germination and growth of weeds and inhibit the spread of soil-borne diseases. These mulches can also serve as insulation to stabilise the soil temperature and protect the roots from extreme temperatures during summer or winter.
When you use organic mulches, these will eventually decompose and improve the fertility of the soil. Mulches on your landscape are beautiful to look at. It can add to the aesthetics while also making your garden look well taken care of.
What are the different types of mulch?
There are many different forms of mulches, but the two major types are organic and inorganic. It is important to consider your goals when choosing the right type of mulch to use for your garden or property.
Organic mulches are commonly used because they decompose and add nutrients to the soil in order to improve its fertility. These include wood chips, hardwood bark, softwood bark, and pine needles, as well as banana or coconut leaves, compost materials and other products derived from plants.
These different organic mulches decompose at varying rates depending on the material, climate, and microorganisms present in the soil. Since these organic materials decompose, and some decompose more rapidly, the mulches need to be replenished often.
Inorganic mulches are low maintenance because they do not need to be replenished. But these do not decompose and add nutrients so they lack the ability to improve the soil quality or fertilise the soil. Examples of inorganic mulches that are commonly used are different types of stones, lava rock, pulverised rubber, geotextile fabrics, and others.
Hire professional mulching services to avoid problems associated with improper mulching
The recommended mulching depth is generally between 2 and 4 inches only, but many landscapes become victims of ‘mulch volcanoes’ or over-mulching. It is difficult to gauge the decomposing rates of the different types of organic mulches. There is a need to replenish it often, but build up can possibly occur, resulting to a pile of mulches around the base of trees.
Too much mulch leads to excessive moisture and can cause the plant roots to rot. When mulch surrounds the trunks or stems of your plant, it can serve as habitat for rodents or grounds for the development of insects and some fungi. There are also mulches like those with fresh grass clippings which can affect the pH of the soil and result in toxicity or nutrient deficiency.
A thick layer of fine mulch may also be an inefficient insulation as it can already prevent the penetration of enough air or water.
Making sure your mulching is doing more good than bad is vital. With J.K. Cooper Mulching Services, you can prevent damage to your trees while making sure that they get the proper mulching they need in order to stay healthy.