There is hardly any really bare ground to be found in the great outdoors. In forests, for example, fallen leaves, grass, moss and other dying and dead plants or shrubs cover the ground. All this protects the soil, nourishes it and keeps it loose and permeable. Mulching is based on the same principle. In many parks, public areas and of course in the home garden, mulching is a common practice and has numerous advantages. Mulching involves covering the soil with rotted, various, mostly organic, materials.
Table of Contents
mulch the lawn
Lawns can be found in almost every garden. Depending on the type of use, this requires very special care. This includes mowing. In most cases, a conventional lawn mower with a collection bag is used for mowing. The clippings that collect in the collection basket are disposed of or partially composted.
However, there is also the option of mulch mowing. The trade offers appropriate mulching mowers for this purpose. These have the property of shredding the lawn clippings even more than with a conventional lawn mower, depending on the type of mower, and then distributing the clippings over the lawn. The rotting process then supplies the lawn with nutrients, which saves at least one additional fertilization. Soil life is significantly improved by mulching.
When mulching the lawn, the grass should definitely be dry, otherwise it would clump. You should mulch a little more often than with a normal lawn mower, about 1-2 times a week, depending on growth. But you shouldn’t cut the grass that short.
If you wait too long, this can promote fungal diseases and moss growth and the lawn can become matted. With a rake you can additionally support the distribution of the clippings. The best time for mulch mowing is spring. In this way, the lawn is well supplied with nutrients at the beginning of the growth phase. The lawn appears fresher and more vital than a lawn that has been mowed conventionally. In addition, he knows a rich green color and a denser turf.
Rosen mulchen
With roses too, soil care is a basic requirement for healthy and richly flowering plants. A layer of organic mulch keeps the soil around the rose loose and moist and mostly weed-free.
Freshly chopped bark clippings mixed with matured and partially decomposed bark compost are suitable for mulching roses, for example. You can also use your own garden compost or commercial bark mulch. However, unlike bark humus, with bark mulch you should not mulch up to the shoots of the rose bushes, but leave some space in between.
Before applying bark mulch, you should fertilize the soil with nitrogen. This is important because bark mulch removes nitrogen from the soil. A 3-5 cm thick layer of mulch can then be spread evenly around the roses.
If bare spots appear between the mulch over time, it should be re-mulched. If you want to mulch roses on heavy loamy and clayey soil, you should first let the soil dry out a little after the cold winter months.
If the roses are attacked by black spot or rose rust, make sure to collect and dispose of all the falling leaves. If you don’t do this, the same problems will arise next year as the pathogens hibernate in the mulch.
Beete mulchen
As with roses, mulching is recommended for almost all beds. Before mulching, however, all weeds should be thoroughly removed, especially perennial weeds. A mulch layer should never be higher than 5 cm. However, not every type of mulch is suitable for every bed.
Bark mulch and grass cuttings are very suitable for flower beds. Lawn clippings are also good for herb and vegetable beds. Strawberry beds can be covered with grass clippings after harvest. The grass clippings should be absolutely dry.
A mulch layer made of straw is also good for vegetable and herb beds as well as strawberry beds, and you can apply mulch made of wood chips under trees and shrubs. Paths and rock gardens can be mulched with gravel, among other things.
Benefits of Mulching
- Mulch layer keeps moisture in the soil and protects against drying out
- less watering, weeding and fertilizing necessary.
- Mulch protects and promotes microorganisms and other living things in the soil
- also promotes the formation of hummus
- Suppression of weed growth
- Scattered weeds can be removed very easily
- Soil remains loose, less hoeing necessary
- Mulch layer protects against all weather influences
- Heavy soils do not silt up so quickly
- protects them from leaching of nutrients and erosion
- Only mulch gardens with increased numbers of snails during prolonged dry periods
- Flowers bloom more lavishly and yields of fruit and vegetables improve
- A layer of mulch protects against severe frosts in winter and heat in summer
- Mulch is also useful for paving seating and sidewalks
- Among other things, it has a fall-absorbing effect on children’s playgrounds
- After rain, it dries relatively quickly
disadvantage
However, mulching also has some disadvantages. A disadvantage of a mulch layer, for example, is that it removes nitrogen from the soil, which then has to be compensated for by appropriate fertilizer additions.
A mulch layer that is too thick can attract snails and sometimes even voles, so keep the mulch layer as low as possible. In spring and autumn, it hinders soil warming, which is usually desirable only in summer. Some plants and their roots, on the other hand, are very sensitive to soil temperatures above 25 degrees, so you should not mulch here.
If it is dry for a long time, the mulch layer also draws the last of the moisture out of the soil. In regions where there are more harvest mites, you should avoid mulching completely, as these tormentors feel relatively comfortable in the moist mulch.
Bark mulch is unsuitable, for example, for freshly planted perennials, freshly planted ground cover such as the cotoneaster and for plants that prefer calcareous soil. In addition, some types of vegetables are not suitable for mulching. These include lamb, lettuce and chicory, carrots, radishes, endives, radishes, beetroot and onions.
When to mulch
There is no fixed time for mulching. Once planted, wait until the plants are more than 10 cm before mulching. You should not mulch newly sown beds at first, otherwise the seed might not sprout.
What to look out for when mulching
Mulching should be done all year round if possible. Before mulching, the soil should be loosened and moistened with a greenish digging fork. You should also be careful not to spread the mulch layer too thick, rather less and if necessary mulch more often.
Too thick a layer would be too dense and encourage rot. An exception is dried and crushed straw, which can also be used to mulch thicker.
The respective mulching material should not be worked into the soil and it should be free of any weed seeds. However, if you mulch regularly, it doesn’t matter that much.
If half-ripe compost is used, it should be covered with a thin layer of grass to protect it from drying out. Even half-ripe compost should not be incorporated into the soil, unlike fully-ripe compost.
types of mulch
In addition to lawn clippings, bark mulch and straw, there are also other mulch materials, such as leaf mulch made from comfrey and nettle, grass clippings, leaves, bark humus and wood fibers, but also various mulch films, mulch fleece or mulch paper.
leaf mulch
The leaves of comfrey and nettle release large amounts of nitrogen and potassium into the soil as they decompose. The nettle also releases silicon, which is good for tomatoes, for example. All this makes leaf mulch a full-fledged fertilizer. However, it has to be mulched more often because the leaves decompose relatively quickly.
Grasschnitt
Grass clippings are suitable for all plants, but should not be applied too thickly, otherwise they will rot. In addition, grass clippings should be withered before they can be used as mulch, otherwise they would attract snails. Grass clippings with seed pods should not be used as mulch.
Laub
Leaves accumulate in large quantities in autumn, which can be used to mulch strawberries, fruit trees or berry bushes or to cover flower bulbs. However, not every foliage is suitable. The leaves of chestnut, oak and walnut are unsuitable as a mulch layer.
wood fibers and wood chips
Wood fibers are made from spruce wood and sometimes contain preservatives from the food industry, which slows down rotting. The whole thing is mixed with compost and bark humus.
You can easily make wood chips yourself, provided you have a suitable chipper. However, they also remove nitrogen from the soil, which leads to slower plant growth. As a result, they are of limited use as mulch and should only be used under well-rooted trees or hedges.
Mulch foil
A special mulch film also serves its purpose here. However, it does not release any nutrients. You can use them for flowers, strawberries, tomatoes, peppers, zucchini or eggplant. The soil should be fertilized beforehand.
There are mulch films, some of which contain toxic substances, and films made from biodegradable materials. As a result, foils made from renewable, biodegradable materials such as corn starch should be preferred if possible, or alternatively, mulch paper or mulch fleece should be used and no plastic products used.
The corresponding foil is laid out on the prepared and fertilized vegetable bed and weighed down with earth at the edges. Then cross-shaped slits are cut in the film, into which the plants are then inserted. Then close the foil as much as possible.
gravel or grit
Gravel and grit can also be used as a mulch layer. They retain heat from the sun and mostly keep weeds out. In addition, they are particularly decorative. Similar to foil, however, they do not release any nutrients and are also quite a hindrance when it comes to tillage. Due to their heat-storing properties, they are very suitable for a herb garden.
Conclusion
Mulching has numerous advantages and is recommended in most cases. However, there are also few disadvantages, such as the fact that some types of mulch remove nitrogen from the soil, which then has to be compensated for with appropriate fertilizer. It is also important that you only use the right mulch material for the respective crop and only mulch plants that can tolerate it. So nothing stands in the way of healthy soil life, lush plants and a good harvest.
