Should I mulch my garden
Hey guys wanting to see what you guys think about mulching your garden there is a place in town that is a tree dump site and they mulch it up then the mulch is free thought about getting some to put in my garden. but did not know if the mulch would hurt my garden or help it.
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mattie g
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Definitely mulch. It not only helps to keep weeds down, but it also reduces the amount of moisture that evaporates from the soil, which means less watering is needed.
I use hardwood mulch, chopped up leaves, and grass clippings for mulch in different parts of my garden. They all seems to work well for what I intend them for.
I use hardwood mulch, chopped up leaves, and grass clippings for mulch in different parts of my garden. They all seems to work well for what I intend them for.
I started using it this spring but it was from our own land trees and sitting out in open area for a year.
I did a little study on it for I was concerned on the diseased elements possible leaking out to the garden soil. (Those that you see for sale that is bagged.) I learned that it will not transmit due to the lack of pathogens, which is needed to cause disease. I had questions about nitrogen loss in the soil when using the mulch...at that I heard not to mix it into the soil but to use it as top layer mulch for this benifits soil organisms.
The only statement to make is to be sure you are not getting pine mulch for it does tend to change the Ph in the soil unless you are mulching acid loving plants. This you will need to compost before using for plants that require a neutral or slightly alkaline soil base.
I did a little study on it for I was concerned on the diseased elements possible leaking out to the garden soil. (Those that you see for sale that is bagged.) I learned that it will not transmit due to the lack of pathogens, which is needed to cause disease. I had questions about nitrogen loss in the soil when using the mulch...at that I heard not to mix it into the soil but to use it as top layer mulch for this benifits soil organisms.
The only statement to make is to be sure you are not getting pine mulch for it does tend to change the Ph in the soil unless you are mulching acid loving plants. This you will need to compost before using for plants that require a neutral or slightly alkaline soil base.
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rainbowgardener
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Absolutely, mulch your garden, helps conserve moisture and suppress weeds and then breaks down to help feed your soil. For veggies and annuals, I think a greener mulch is better than wood chips - grass clippings, pulled weeds, etc. You could compromise by putting down a layer of wood chips and then piling green stuff on top of them. For around trees and shrubs, the wood chips are great.
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rainbowgardener
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Absolutely. Makes good mulch. However, if you have a mulching mower or your grass clippings aren't too long, it is also good for your lawn to leave the grass clippings there to return to the soil.
Grass clippings are high in nitrogen. Around my place they are like green gold, always deciding between leaving them on the lawn, mulching with them, adding them to the compost pile, where they are also very helpful, getting it to heat up more, making a better green/brown balance. The lawn wins most of the time, because I feel sorry for it, that I don't do anything else for it.
Grass clippings are high in nitrogen. Around my place they are like green gold, always deciding between leaving them on the lawn, mulching with them, adding them to the compost pile, where they are also very helpful, getting it to heat up more, making a better green/brown balance. The lawn wins most of the time, because I feel sorry for it, that I don't do anything else for it.
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Gary350
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NO............not if the mulch has not completely composted yet. I tried that several times 35 years ago it always pulls all the nitrogen from the soil, plants turn yellow from lack of nitrogen and die. Compost is OK to mulch with.
If you take advantage of the laws of physics keeping the weeds out of the garden is easy. You don't need an axe to cut down a 2 day old tree. Don't use your hoe like it is an axe, use it like a scraper. This is not a hard job don't make it harder than it is.
Take your hoe to the garden 3 times a week. Spend 5 minutes cutting down weeds and grass. Hand pull weeds near the plants. Weeds are only a problem in the spring, not during the hot summer.
Run your garden tiller through your garden between the rows as fast as you can push it you only want to break the surface not dig deep. Hoe the soil near the plants. The loose soil on the surface will dry out and act like insulation. The loose soil is not directly connected to the soil below so it will not wick water to the surface and it forms a sun block to prevent moisture from evaporating.
During the summer you rarely need to hoe weeds it is too hot and dry for them to sprout and grow. You may find grass and weeds in shady places like under tomato plans etc. They are easy to remove before they grow bigger.
If you take advantage of the laws of physics keeping the weeds out of the garden is easy. You don't need an axe to cut down a 2 day old tree. Don't use your hoe like it is an axe, use it like a scraper. This is not a hard job don't make it harder than it is.
Take your hoe to the garden 3 times a week. Spend 5 minutes cutting down weeds and grass. Hand pull weeds near the plants. Weeds are only a problem in the spring, not during the hot summer.
Run your garden tiller through your garden between the rows as fast as you can push it you only want to break the surface not dig deep. Hoe the soil near the plants. The loose soil on the surface will dry out and act like insulation. The loose soil is not directly connected to the soil below so it will not wick water to the surface and it forms a sun block to prevent moisture from evaporating.
During the summer you rarely need to hoe weeds it is too hot and dry for them to sprout and grow. You may find grass and weeds in shady places like under tomato plans etc. They are easy to remove before they grow bigger.
Leaves and bark chips are fine as mulch and do not steal nitrogen from plants. Remember to leave about 4 inches around the stems of the plants open.
If fresh grass clippings are used, make sure no herbicides were used on the grass like Weed n' Feed. Grass will pack down as it decomposes and will make it harder for water to get to the plants unless you have a drip system under the mulch.
I had the problem Gary350 talked about when plants turned yellow and died. That was because I had turned in a large quantity of mulch into the soil without adding a nitrogen source. I also had that problem when I put in a large quantity of compost and was pretty much planting in compost that was not quite finished without adding extra nitrogen.
I have tilled in garden waste and greens in small quantities. I have to wait a couple of weeks before planting because as the green waste decays, the ground sinks, if I am using kitchen waste, the mongoose will dig it up going after the grubs. Since, I am also adding a nitrogen source, the plants do fine.
My first attempts using mulch was disastrous.
I did not know I had to leave a space around the plants. I put on a thick layer of redwood conditioner.
The redwood conditioner seemed to repel water when it was dry and all I did was water the mulch because the ground was still dry and the plants were stunted.
Next time I used used chipped tree trimmings. I tilled that into my clay soil and it sucked up all of the nitrogen, held too much water in my already water holding red clay soil and the plants yellowed and died or stunted without additional nitrogen being added.
I tried grass clippings. I really did not have enough grass clipping to make a thick enough layer of mulch. It packed down within a month, and the grass started growing in the garden bed.
I used tree trimmings as mulch instead of tilling it in. Worked better, but still packed down and I had to water a lot just to get past the mulch. I did not leave a space around the plants and I used overhead sprinklers. I also got some nasty weeds that were in the mulch.
I used dried leaves. It is light, it blows around. It can still pack and make it hard for water to get to the soil unless there is a drip system under the mulch. Someone was flaming weeds and set the mulch on fire.
Now, I use pine needles when I can find it. The soil in this plot has a pH of 7.8, so it can use the acidity. Pine needles take about 2 years to break down when applied to the surface so it does not steal much nitrogen. Pine needles are good for weed control and do not pack down and it lets air and water in.
I am also trying newspaper mulch at home pH 6.4 on this plot. So far it is decent weed control. Nut sedge still breaks through. Newspaper blocks the light but not the water. Slugs hide under it, but I would have that problem no matter what I use.
All mulches. Good home to unwanted critters roaches, slugs and snails.
If fresh grass clippings are used, make sure no herbicides were used on the grass like Weed n' Feed. Grass will pack down as it decomposes and will make it harder for water to get to the plants unless you have a drip system under the mulch.
I had the problem Gary350 talked about when plants turned yellow and died. That was because I had turned in a large quantity of mulch into the soil without adding a nitrogen source. I also had that problem when I put in a large quantity of compost and was pretty much planting in compost that was not quite finished without adding extra nitrogen.
I have tilled in garden waste and greens in small quantities. I have to wait a couple of weeks before planting because as the green waste decays, the ground sinks, if I am using kitchen waste, the mongoose will dig it up going after the grubs. Since, I am also adding a nitrogen source, the plants do fine.
My first attempts using mulch was disastrous.
I did not know I had to leave a space around the plants. I put on a thick layer of redwood conditioner.
The redwood conditioner seemed to repel water when it was dry and all I did was water the mulch because the ground was still dry and the plants were stunted.
Next time I used used chipped tree trimmings. I tilled that into my clay soil and it sucked up all of the nitrogen, held too much water in my already water holding red clay soil and the plants yellowed and died or stunted without additional nitrogen being added.
I tried grass clippings. I really did not have enough grass clipping to make a thick enough layer of mulch. It packed down within a month, and the grass started growing in the garden bed.
I used tree trimmings as mulch instead of tilling it in. Worked better, but still packed down and I had to water a lot just to get past the mulch. I did not leave a space around the plants and I used overhead sprinklers. I also got some nasty weeds that were in the mulch.
I used dried leaves. It is light, it blows around. It can still pack and make it hard for water to get to the soil unless there is a drip system under the mulch. Someone was flaming weeds and set the mulch on fire.
Now, I use pine needles when I can find it. The soil in this plot has a pH of 7.8, so it can use the acidity. Pine needles take about 2 years to break down when applied to the surface so it does not steal much nitrogen. Pine needles are good for weed control and do not pack down and it lets air and water in.
I am also trying newspaper mulch at home pH 6.4 on this plot. So far it is decent weed control. Nut sedge still breaks through. Newspaper blocks the light but not the water. Slugs hide under it, but I would have that problem no matter what I use.
All mulches. Good home to unwanted critters roaches, slugs and snails.
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GrowLightGuy
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rainbowgardener
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Grass clippings, pulled weeds, shredded paper, straw, hay (but watch out for weed seeds), wood chips or a mixture of whatever you have on hand that's organic. But yes, deeper is better. Right now I am using a layer of my homemade wood chips, with a layer of pulled weeds on top, for a green/brown mix.
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applestar
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This doesn't apply to the southern gardeners who are already in the thicke of things and trying to keep the weeds down, but if you are in a northern area and just starting your spring garden, waiting for the soil to warm up, don't mulch the garden too early because the mulch will block the sun and keep the soil from warming up.
It's better to do the initial spring weeding by hand -- pulling or hoeing (and leave those in the paths or a designated spot to be used for mulch later... or put them in the compost pile to help get the pile heating), then when the soil has warmed up and the sun is starting to get too warm/hot, wait for a good soaking rain, THEN apply a good covering of mulch over the moistened soil, starting with the cool wether eary spring crops.
It's better to do the initial spring weeding by hand -- pulling or hoeing (and leave those in the paths or a designated spot to be used for mulch later... or put them in the compost pile to help get the pile heating), then when the soil has warmed up and the sun is starting to get too warm/hot, wait for a good soaking rain, THEN apply a good covering of mulch over the moistened soil, starting with the cool wether eary spring crops.