Everything You Need to Know About Mulching
When you begin putting plans in place to start landscaping, you will hear many people throw around the term ‘mulching’. If you don’t know much about gardening, at least not yet, then you may put it in the “too hard basket” and neglect to do it.
Mulching is an integral part of landscaping, as many experts will tell you, but not everyone knows enough about it. Do you want to be at the top of your game before you get your landscaping plans underway? Here’s everything you need to know about mulch.
What is Mulching?
Mulching is the process of using materials to cover your soil and the space around your plants. Its role is to keep your soil at an even temperature, stop it from blowing away in the wind, keep weeds at bay and to prevent nutrients from being washed away in rainfall.
What Type of Mulch Do I Need to Buy?
Now that you know what mulching is and how important it can be, you will then need to go out and buy some. However, did you know there are all different types on the market? Before you start landscaping, it’s helpful if you have the correct type lined up.
There are two options – organic and inorganic. Organic features grass clippings, bark, straw, and leaves, and almost anything that will break down and benefit your plants. Inorganic, on the other hand, are things like black plastic, landscaping fabric, gravel, rocks, and newspaper.
Where Can I Buy Mulch?
If you are letting landscaping experts take the helm, then don’t worry, they will supply everything they need to get the job done. However, if you are planning on doing everything yourself, you are spoilt for choice for where you can buy mulch. Almost any garden store will have it ready to go in bags for you to spread out in your gardens.
What if I Want to Make My Own?
If you fancy yourself to be a bit of a gardener, then you can try your hand at making mulch. Start by collecting materials such as pine needles, lawn clippings, leaves, newspaper, and bark. Let it break down over time, keeping it moist and rotating it with a pitchfork. You can also run over leaves with a lawnmower to break them down or put bark chips in a wood chipper.
Prepare your garden by weeding it and removing old mulch. Lay the fresh mulch on top and spread it out evenly with a rake. If you are not sure how to go about it, you can bring in the landscaping experts.
Mulch and mulching are two words you are going to hear a lot when you get involved in landscaping. And, if you want your plants to thrive, they are words you should learn more about, as well. When the time comes to kick off your backyard project, learn all there is to know about this magical material.
