When to Mulch Your Garden

Mulching as you know is so beneficial for promoting the growth & development of saplings in the garden. It not only beautifies the garden but also helps in insulating the soil in harsh temperatures of winters & summers. Knowing the benefits of applying mulch in garden, we start using it without even bothering to know when and how much organic soil in Vancouver should be ideally applied in order to get the maximum benefit out of it.

The time of applying mulch depends on what you are looking for. As mentioned above, mulch acts as an insulating barrier between the soil and air to moderate the soil temperature. Mulched soil will always be cooler in summer season and in winters it will insulate the soil and help prevent it from freezing and thawing.

Spring Season

During spring, it is best to apply mulch in your vegetable or flower garden after the soil has warmed up. Wet soils tend to slow the seed germination & increase the decay of seeds & seedlings. Before adding more layers of mulch, wait till the soil is completely warmed.

Fall Season

Mulch is used to help in moderating winter temperatures and can be applied late in the fall season when the ground starts becoming frozen before the winters. If you apply mulch before the fall season, then you may attract rodents to the soil as they look for a warmer place to nest.

Winter Season

Mulch can also be used to secure plants over the winter. It ought to be free material, for example, straw, roughage, or pine branches that will help protect the plants without contracting under the weight of snow and ice. One of the advantages from winter utilizations of mulch is reduction in the freezing and defrosting of the soil in the late winter and early spring. These rehashed cycles of freezing around the evening and then thawing in the sun's warmth cause numerous tiny or underlying plants to eventually get uprooted or die out. This leaves their root systems uncovered and results in damage or death of plant. Mulching helps in preventing the rapid changes in soil temperature and decreases the possibilities of the above.

Significance of Using Bark Mulch

Are you a person who loves gardening and spends most of the time in the garden looking after & taking care of your plants? Well then this is surely for you. There are those of you who indulge in gardening who must have heard or even use bark mulch to beautify your garden. Mulching is perhaps one of the best things you can do for your garden and what that means placing a protective barrier (mulch) around your plants and over bare soil. This protective barrier can be made up of a variety of decomposing organic materials, including bark or wood chips (from various tree species), pine needles, straw, and cocoa bean shells, or non decomposing, non-organic materials such as black plastic, landscaping fabric, recycled tires, pebbles, and river rock.

Amongst so many garden landscape supplies, bark mulch is most widely used by gardeners.

Now, let's discuss in detail, the benefits of using bark mulch:

1. Controls Growth of Weeds: By using mulch you can limit the growth & amount of weeds that spring up in open spaces of garden. The mulch acts as a barrier and controls weeds growth.

2. Helps Retaining Moisture: Both organic & non-organic mulches cover the soil to limit evaporation which in turn, helps retaining moisture in the soil bed especially during hot & dry seasons.

3. Maintains Nutrients In Soil: Mulching helps in keeping the soil nutrient rich and if you are using an organic material then it helps in releasing nutrients into the soil.

4. Prevents Soil Erosion: By mulching, you can not only keep moisture intact in the soil bed but also prevent rain water from washing away the topsoil. As it acts a protective layer over the top of the soil; it becomes a barrier during rains as well.

5. Beautifies The Garden: By mulching, your garden can achieve a finished look as it acts as a filler and fills the empty spaces in the garden to make it look better. Also it is easy to maintain as opposed to other garden fillers like grass & ground covers and does not require much care.

Besides this, mulching also provides a thriving environment for earthworms which is good as earthworms help in improving soil structure and nutrient cycling.

Moreover, by using certain types of mulch, such as cedar bark, you can also control entry of pests in your garden as cedar bark has natural oils that act as insect repellents. So, use mulch if you really want to see your garden prosper. Happy gardening!