Who doesn’t love mulching?! Many people don’t realize that mulch also offers many practical benefits in addition to the aesthetic improvements it makes in your yard. Unfortunately, making some of the common mistakes when you mulch can keep your soil and plants from reaping its benefits.
Benefits of Mulching
There are several ways mulch works in your landscaping to do more than just improve its appearance:
- Keeps weeds down and makes them easier to remove.
- Slows evaporation of water, retaining moisture for plants, saving on expensive water and time on watering.
- Insulates plants from extreme shifts in temperatures, and roots from getting too hot or too cold.
- Holds soil and fertilizers in place and helps drainage which improves plant health.
- Gives landscaping and garden beds a finished, polished look.
Protect your plants and avoid top mulching mistakes by following these do’s and don’ts:
DO Clean It Out Periodically
If you have garden beds that have years of old mulch, it’s probably time to clean some of those dry old layers out. Start with a nice clean layer of topsoil.
DO Adjust the Thickness
The rule of thumb is to apply around three inches of mulch, but there are times that you want to adjust that. For example, when you get to the edge of a walkway or a tree trunk, thin it out. You don’t want a pile that will fall into your walkway and look messy, and keeping thickness away from shrub and tree trunks will give them room to breathe.
DO Thoroughly Water Newly Installed Mulch
Watering will lock the mulch in place and help the finer pieces settle to the bottom for maximum weed control and a nice, finished look.
DON’T Place Mulch Directly Against Plant Crowns or Tree Trunks
When mulch is installed directly against stems or trunks of trees and shrubs it can cause excess moisture to be retained around the plant stem. This can foster a whole host of issues including diseases and pests. The most common issues we see is crown rot. Deep piles of mulch under a shrub or tree also invite insects and small rodents to move in. This in turn will attract bark and stem-eating rodents and predatory insects. Give the base of all the plants you are mulching around a little room.
DON’T Apply Too Much or Too Little Mulch
Mulch applied too thickly is probably the biggest cause of problems. Thick piles of mulch will start to rot faster which can create a moisture barrier, preventing water from reaching the soil and plants below. Mulch that is too thick can also cause the soil to remain too moist, and that brings on stem and root rot issues, diseases, and deprives plants of nutrients and oxygen.
Applying too little mulch doesn’t really threaten the health of plants, but it doesn’t allow them to reap all the benefits that mulching offers. Go for the three inches as much as possible.
DON’T Forget Your Trees
Even if they are hanging out in the middle of your yard, don’t forget to create a mulch ring around your trees to protect the trunk. Especially for younger trees, mulch can reduce a number of threats. It will also help keep the mowers away which are notorious for damaging the bark of trees, something that can kill a young tree.
DON’T Ignore Bare Soil
Research is finding that mulch has significant environmental benefits. Bare soil on your property causes erosion and sediment runoff. Mulching helps control erosion. Research found that bare soil lost about five times as much sediment as soils covered with mulch.
Don’t Use Bad Mulch
Don’t buy your mulch from an unknown source. Mulch can hold noxious mold or weed seeds because it was processed or stockpiled incorrectly. You could be paying for that decision for a long time. There are a lot of mulch producers right here in Maine – we use one! Look in your area first and support a local producer or contact a local garden center to purchase quality mulch.
AC Yard Services Offers the Best Quality Mulching
At AC Yard Services, we use only black mulch that is produced right here in Maine. This means our mulch is free from weed spores, odorless (except for that nice fresh-mulch smell) and stays in place. Our mulch is clean and consistent for the best application quality and appearance.
We place all our mulch by hand, never using spray mulching machinery. AC Yard Services projects look thorough and flawless every time! CONTACT US TODAY!
