What Mulch Materials Can Be Used? Custom Search
Lawn clippings are an excellent mulch. While they may not be particularly attractive for a flower bed, they work wonderfully in the vegetable garden. The fine texture allows them to be spread easily, even around small plants. Because of the increased popularity of mulching lawnmowers, which chop the grass very finely and deposit back onto the yard, grass clippings are becoming scarce. But at least your lawn will benefit. Newspaper and cardboard as mulch in gardens work especially well to control weeds. They're also great to use to kill off grass in an area that you want to turn into a garden. Lay newspaper and then cardboard down over the future bed, water well (and keep very moist). The lack of sunlight and the soil organisms will kill the grass and turn it into rich humus. Next year, pull off what remains of the newspaper/cardboard mulch and get to work on your new, excellent garden bed! Leaves are another readily available material to use as mulch. Leaf mold, or the decomposed remains of leaves, gives the forest floor its absorbent spongy structure. Use the leaves as is, or create a huge pile each year and let them start to decompose before using them. Compost makes a wonderful mulch. It not only improves the soil structure but provides an excellent source of plant nutrients. If you're mulching to keep weeds down, compost may not be the best idea, since all those nutrients will feed the weeds that spring up. Bark chips and composted bark mulch are another great mulch material. These make a neat finish to the garden bed and will eventually improve the condition of the soil. These may last for 1 to 3 years or longer, depending on the size of the chips or how well composted the bark mulch is. Smaller chips will be easier to spread, especially around small plants. Straw works well in the vegetable garden, although it may have some weed seeds. Hay is also used as a mulch, but it will have many more weed seeds, so you may be adding to one problem while fixing another. Seaweed mulch is a great source of nutrients for your plants. Some people in coastal areas have turned almost lifeless soil into lush gardens, just by adding a mulch of seaweed every year. Ground corn cobs can also be used as a mulch material if there's a supply in your area. If your family eats a lot of corn on the cob during the summer months, save all those cobs and grind them into mulch. You'll be keeping them out of the landfill and putting them to good use. Pine needles can also be used. Pine needles tend to increase the acidity of the soil so they work best around acid-loving plants such as rhododendrons and blueberries. One idea I believe in is to shred the branches of local shrubs and trees. They also stay out of the landfill and are put to good use. |
