Secrets of perfect mulch
Poor
man's mulch... or natural solution? With warmer
weather weeds started spreading around the garden...
pulling, spraying, mulching them... that helps. Here are a
few tips about natural mulch based on our own experience.
1) Do not rake dry leaves and pine needles, use them as
natural mulch. A leaf is a part of a plant with the
highest nitrogen content which is a major plant nutrient.
After breaking down, leaves will work as a fertilizer. If
you prefer to have a fancy mulch, put it on top of those
leaves.
2) Do not dispose cut grass. Spread it around trees and
shrubs. Hay is one of the best mulching materials. It has
at least 2 exceptional benefits: a) after couple rains it
becomes dense, creating perfect protection from sprouting
weeds, and b) grass is actually also a leaf - so it had
built up lots of nitrogen too, and works as a fertilizer.
3) Be careful with "bulk mulch" that sometimes offered by
local tree service companies (usually for free). It often
contains bugs, plant parts that are infested with bad
insects, or simply fleas. Natural mulch from your own
garden is always the best choice, proven organic and safe
solution.
4) A few layers of newspaper (or even better - cardboard
from your endless Amazon deliveries) placed underneath the
mulch work as a great weed barrier and will make your
mulching work results last 4-5 times longer. Water drains
through them, and paper products are ecologically safe and
biodegradable.
