When should you mulch the garden?
Any time of year but mulching is best done in Spring and autumn.
Autumn mulching helps protect the roots of perennial plants and suppress weeds.
Spring is an ideal time to mulch your garden as you will achieve the most benefits, many of which are listed below.
Why is mulching the garden important?
As plants burst into active growth they will be able to uptake and use the nutrients from your mulch. Gardens that use fast growing and large leaved hungry plants benefit especially from annual spring mulching with a nutrient rich compost or rotted horse manure. Many mulches are especially rich in nitrogen, this is what plants use to grow large healthy foliage.
Problematic weed seeds that lay dormant on the surface of the soil can be prevented from germinating with the application of a mulch in your garden. A 2-4 inch layer of mulch will starve unwanted weed seeds of light and stop them from growing. The time taken to mulch at the start of the year can save you hours of weeding for the rest of the year.
Mulching your garden will drastically help improve the structure of your soil over time. Many mulching materials naturally become incorporated into the soil by worms, fungi and plants. Problematic heavy clay soils can be improved by mulching with spent mushroom compost. It helps to break up the claggy clay soil. Spent mushroom compost is the material left over from the mushroom growing industry, it is nutrient rich and full of fungal life which is great for the soil.
Sandy soils can be improved by mulching with a material rich in organic matter. Over time the mulch will help improve the soils ability to hold nutrients and water. Homemade compost & rotted horse manure making fantastic organic mulches for sandy soil. The ability of mulch to enable soils to hold more water reduces the need for the gardener to water so frequently.
For gardeners that love to grow exotic perennial plants, mulching is a key step to improving the plants chances of surviving cold winters. A thick layer of mulch will act as an insulation blanket against penetrating frosts and cold. By protecting the roots, bulbs or rhizomes of the plants they will have a much better chance of survival. Borderline hardy plants like Hedychiums, Cannas and Dahlias will benefit greatly from an autumn mulch as it adds a thick protective layer for the rhizomes and tubers from penetrating cold. As many plants will not be actively growing during autumn and winter the mulch does not have to be something rich in nutrients for the plants. An ideal option for an Autumn mulching material would be wood chips. Wood chips introduce beneficial fungal life into your soil and actually release a small amount of heat if applied thickly. Be sure to apply your mulch before the ground is frozen as you can actually seal in that cold layer of earth which can damage your plants.
What should you mulch with?
Wood chips – Affordable, organic and a great autumn mulch. Full of beneficial fungal life.
Straw – Affordable, organic but can have a tendency to blow around the garden. H
Compost – Readily available or can make your own at home. Full of plant food.
Horse manure – Fantastic plant food, must only be used when well rotted.
Leaf mould – A great way to mulch with an organic nutrient rich material.
Problems with mulching your garden.
Introducing diseases such as Honey Fungus can have devastating effects for your garden. To avoid this problem make sure you use organic material from we’ll respected sellers.
Mulches can be very hot if they are not well rotted. Mulches applied when they are too hot can burn and damage your plants. Ensure the mulch is a suitable temperature before applying it to your garden.
Poor quality mulches can contain weed seeds that will germinate and become a problem in your garden. Avoid this issue by only using reputable suppliers.
