Many Different Kinds of Garden Mulch

September 22, 2008

Using mulch for new or existing plantings is a good habit to get in to. Mulch will help protect new plants from harsh cold or heat, and this protects the roots from damage while the plants are still young and becoming established. Mulch also helps protect your garden plantings from drying out too quickly, plus it can help prevent weed growth too.

There are many different types of mulch that can be used in your gardens. Some types of mulch will naturally degrade and add vital nutrients back into the soil, while others are designed to continue protecting your plants for years without change.

Natural and Organic mulch is often a byproduct of your standard gardening activities.

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When you cut the grass of your lawn for instance, you can use those grass clippings around plants, flowers, bushes and trees. You can also just leave them where they fall on the lawn, and they’ll feed the grass as they degrade and decompose.

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Garden Tip...

The proper time for trimming hedges of all kinds is in mid-summer, after the shrubs have made a thrifty growth; we would advise an annual pruning in order to have the hedge looking finely.

It is a bad plan to allow a hedge of any kind, especially an evergreen one, to run a number of years without trimming. If a hedge is neglected so long, and then severely pruned, it will look stubby and shabby for a year or two after. With a pair of sharp hedge-shears, a person having a straight eye will make a good job of the trimming every time.
~ James Sheehan
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Other natural and organic mulch materials which are popular include leaves, wood chips, and tree bark. If you have trees in your yard and garden which drop leaves each year, simply rake them into piles around the base of your plants and bushes instead of throwing them away.

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You can buy wood chips and bark if need be, but if you live in an area which has natural woodlands or many trees, you may be able to collect it yourself instead. Keep your eyes peeled around your home too, for workers who may be cutting down dead trees, and when you find them ask if you can haul away some or all of the debris.

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You might also check with local firewood suppliers too, because they may allow you to take their wood chips and scrap bark as well.

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Garden Tip...

In planting tree roses received from the nursery or elsewhere, be sure and set them deep; the stem, for six or eight inches above the collar, should be under ground. If wet moss be tied about the stem and head of the tree after it has been planted, and the moss kept wet for a week or two after planting, or until the buds begin to start, it will, in nine cases out of ten, save the tree. The moss maybe removed after the growth begins. If planted in the fall, the body and top should be well wrapped up in straw.
~ James Sheehan
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Using organic mulch materials takes a little more time and effort for maintenance though, because these products naturally decompose over time. This is a wonderful way to feed your flowers, bushes and trees of course, but it also means that you must put new mulch in place regularly. When using natural mulch materials, it’s best to make sure you pile it several inches thick around the plants you want to protect, because the thicker it is the more it’s able to insulate against harsh weather, and the better it’s able to prevent weeds from cropping up.

Longer term mulch materials are popular for many people, because they require little to no maintenance. You put them in place and they stay looking great and protecting your plants for years to come.

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One type for instance, is made with recycled tires. This material comes in circular, or ring shapes primarily to use for under trees and bushes. It covers the ground around the trees and bushes completely, so no sunlight is able to promote weed growth in the area. It also does a wonderful job of locking in moisture so you’re able to water less often.

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If you want to use natural mulch materials but still get the long lasting benefits of non-organic mulch, try using rocks and pebbles instead. Placing small rocks and pebbles around the base of your trees, bushes, or flower beds will serve the same purpose of man made mulch materials: The rocks will help your garden soil retain moisture, and if the ground is covered well enough it will prevent excessive weed growth too. And since rocks take such a long time to be broken down by the weather, they’ll stay looking good for as long as you have them in place.