Mulching

One of the best ways to help your garden to look healthy and green is giving it a good mulching compound.

Mulches are a layer of material that works to protect around the base of plants and shrubs. Mulches can be organic mulches or inorganic mulches. As the gardener you must choose which type of mulching will suit your garden and which also suits the conditions.

Organic mulches have a similar way of working to leaves that fall to the ground in forests. As organic mulches are of plant matter, they decompose over a period of time. As the leaves decompose, they keep the soil moist and the plant roots cool, while also providing and keeping nutrients locked in.

There are different types of organic mulching that you can use. Bark and Wood Chips are common as is the use of straw. Newspaper can be used but isn't suitable for all gardens due to weather conditions and it can be a bot messy. Each of these mulches has different characteristics so take care where you will lay them in the garden.

Bark, Wood Chips, Straw and Shredded Leaves can cause problems in the garden although make for great mulch. These organic based mulches can be washed away in the rain, rob the soil of nitrogen and they also make attractive homes for weeds which grow in between their organic matter. However Bark and Wood Chips can give an attractive look to the garden and are my preferred mulch.

Newspaper mulching is probably the best organic type to put in the garden. Newspaper mulching works best for your vegetable garden as they tend to suppress weeds. They decompose slowly, resist being washed away, and keep the nutrients in the soil. Just make sure you make sure it's securly held in place.

Inorganic mulches like crushed stone, gravel and volcanic rock have a tendency to work their way into the soil and this can cause a bit of trouble when trying to get them out for digging or changing use of the mulched area. This type of mulching is somewhat permanent.

Plastic mulches are becoming more and more popular and are mainly be used for vegetable gardens. Irrigation paths can be laid out on the ground beneath the plastic mulching to keep the soil moist and the plants well watered. Holes can be cut where you want the vegetables to grow and they also don't allow weeds to grow abundantly.

The other type of inorganic mulch is that of geotextiles. This is fabric mulch made out of polypropylene or polyester. While a closely woven geotextile mulching allows water and fertiliser to enter the soil, it stops the growth of weeds in much the same way as plastic mulching does. This is also becoming much more popular and is easy to remove from the garden when required.

For a healthy garden then, you should place some mulching compound amongst your plants, especially the vegetables.