Mulch

Mulch is generically used to protect the soil and plants from the local climatic conditions. It can reduce the maintenance required for your garden, and can encourage plant growth.

The main use is to conserve moisture in the soil, and to moderate the soil temperature. During the day the sun can quickly evaporate any moisture left in the soil, and heat up the topsoil, which may in turn burn the plant roots. In the evening the soil will then cool down quickly and can allow a frost to attack the plant roots. This can also break down nutrients in the soil and reduce their life.

Mulch helps reduce the growth of weeds, and thus the amount of time required to work to keep the garden beds weed free. It also prevents heavy rains from washing the soil away.

Organic mulches can add nutrients to the soil as they break down, and biodegradable mulches can create air pockets in the soil for fungi and root growth.

Types of Mulch

Organic: This includes Compost, Lawn Mowers clippings, newspaper, leaves, food scraps, and any other degradable organic matter. This will decay over time and require replacing in order to retain the benefits. Issues with organic Mulches are the acidity of the plant and food matter, and that it may require treatment prior to placing on the garden.

Rubber: This is made from recycled tyres and rubber materials, to assist in reducing landfill.
Plastic: This uses thin sheets of plastic with tiny slits for the plants or crops to grow through. It is commonly used in large-scale vegetable growing, and the disposable of the plastic is noted as an environmental issue.

Rock and Gravel: these can be used to cover the ground and can be quite effective and also provide a very elegant look to a landscaped garden.

Applying Mulch

It is normally applied at the start of the spring season in which plants start to grow again. This helps to warm the soil and encourage new seedlings to grow quicker.

Organic mulch or Fertilzer, is often used around plants and vegetables to provide food and support as they grow. Most keen Gardeners will have a Compost Bin to collect their grass clipping or food scraps, and sometimes introduce a worm farm to aid in the degradation of the material.

In parts of the USA it is also referred to as Tanbark or Peat moss, this is generally a finer form.

When placing wood chippings around plants, be wary of termites that live in the bark or chippings as they may infest your home, and should generally be several feet away form a wooden structure.