Mulching helps control weeds, conserves moisture, maintains an even soil temperature and prevents soil erosion through wind and rain. Plant based mulches such as straw, bark or leaf waste, also enrich your land. What you must do before and after mulching depends upon soil temperature, moisture levels and time annually.
Timing
The best time to lay mulch is when the soil is nice and moist, since it helps seal in the humidity and it is difficult for rain to penetrate whether the soil under the mulch is dry. When sowing seeds, then it is a fantastic idea to wait until late spring before mulching, to give the dirt time to warm up, as most seeds need warmth to germinate. The best time of year to mulch is early summer, when the soil is warm and moist.
Preparation
If you’re applying mulch for your house garden for the first time, then you can lay cardboard or paper, then apply the mulch on top. It’s difficult for weed seedlings and shoots to penetrate the paper. If you put in your paper beneath a drip irrigation system, you may still achieve it easily for maintenance. Leaving a space of approximately 2 inches around woody stems or tree trunks prevents the moist paper from encouraging rot.
After Mulching
To plant at a mulched bed, then it is ideal to push the mulch aside and cut an X in the paper. Then you’re able to pull the sides of the plant and cut at the space, shut the sides when you’ve finished and spread the mulch back to your plant. As the year progresses, plant-based mulches decompose and add nutrients to your soil, which means you’ll need to top it up, but stop as winter approaches, as plants need drainage through the winter months.
Distinct Mulches
You must employ coarse-textured mulches at approximately 4 inches deep and fine-textured ones 2 inches deep, since they pack down closely. Bark mulches have a while to rot down, which means you can not need to top these up for a year or more. Wheat and oat straw contain weed seeds, which you will need to kill before usage. One way to do this is to leave the bales exposed to winter rain for a month, however, remember to leave them in which you plan to utilize them because soaked bales are heavy to transfer.
