How to Mulch?
Many people think there is not much to know about mulching, but there are many essential factors to mulching your garden correctly…… and by mulching your garden it will help suppress weed growth (mulch is the enemy of weeds), help to retain soil moisture by reducing evaporation, regulate soil temperature fluctuations to optimise plant growth, increase soil organic matter over time and enhance overall soil health.
Types of mulches
There is a variety of mulches to choose from. We can categorise them as
- Organic or compost mulches
- Inorganic or mineral mulches
Daisy’s garden supplies have a number excellent organic and inorganic mulches to choose from. The major difference between organic and inorganic mulches is inorganic mulches do not break down over time and do not add nutrients to the soil. However, they can be a more long-term solution and are low maintenance.
Organic mulches are made with natural materials. Popular examples are pine bark, moisture mulch, tree mulch, water-saver mulch, eucamulch, redwood, and blackwood mulch.
Inorganic mulches includes material like pebbles, and decorative aggregates like Tuscan screenings.
Mulch Guide
When to apply mulch
There is no specific time to apply mulch, but it is a good time to mulch:
- before rain as the mulch locks in moisture,
- after planting to finish your garden and
- before summer to help protect your soil from the summer heat.
4 step guides for how to mulch
- Prepare the area to be mulched. Before mulching, remove the weeds either manually or by using herbicide. To help prevent more weeds from re-emerging, put down a barrier like weedmat, but the barrier can be something as simple as newspaper or cardboard.
- Select the mulch – it can be organic or inorganic
- Apply the right amount of mulch. We recommend you apply mulch to a depth of 50-100mm depth to get the best weed suppression. But don’t pile mulch up against the stems of the plants.
- Lastly, water it down
