Rain Bird
I-Tip: Mulching Tips To Keep Plants Green And Save Water
This week's tip explains how to use mulch to help keep your
yard beautiful while reducing water use and weed growth.
A great way to conserve water and help plants stay healthy
is to spread mulch in shrub beds, tree rings and flower gardens.
Mulch, also known as "top dressing," is a protective
covering that is placed around the base of plants, preventing
evaporation, frozen roots and weed growth.
Mulch can be organic or inorganic, fine or coarse
and, in some landscapes, it may even be rocks. Mulch
is readily available at most garden centers, home improvement
warehouses and landscape supply stores.
Applying mulch helps drainage, encourages root development,
improves soil by making nutrients more available to plants
and insulates soil and plants in winter months, while cooling
the soil and reducing water use during hot summer months.
How to Mulch
In the early spring, hand spread a layer of 1 to 3 inches
of mulch around the base of each plant. Use just
enough to block the sunlight and keep weeds from growing.
Do not to allow the mulch to make direct contact with
the plants. Make sure to keep a ring about 2 to 3
inches in diameter clear around the base of each plant.
Doing so will help plants avoid disease problems.
When finished, water down the mulch to give it moisture
and help it settle into place.
Rake the mulch when it fades in color. This will
expose new organic surfaces that have not faded in the
sunlight.
Replenish mulch when only a thin layer is left. The beauty
of mulch is that as it decomposes, it actually enriches
your soil, much like compost. By adding mulch, you improve
your soil while at the same time reducing the need to water
and pull weeds.
When done right, mulching will greatly reduce the amount
of trimming or weeding that is needed throughout the growing
season, as well as providing very attractive ground covering
for your yard.
We hope you've found this tip useful. For additional information,
take a look at the following pages of our website:
This week's tip explains how to use mulch to help keep your
yard beautiful while reducing water use and weed growth.