Mulch can be long-lasting for a span of 10 years. The color of the mulch fades as it is exposed to sunlight for a longer time. The colored or the dyed mulches retain its color for over a span of one year whereas the non-dyed mulch turns out grey in just one or two months. When this happens; it is better to cover up the mulch with a two-inch colored layer of mulch. When doing this you have to keep in mind of the age of the mulch, if it is more than 10 years or if the mulch is rotten, it has to be replaced by a new one.

Mulch can give your landscape an attractive, appealing, polished & colorful look.

Benefits of mulch are listed as follows:

  1. Mulch helps the trees to grow strong and keep them healthy.
  2. It provides insulation to the plants by keeping the roots warm in the winter and cool in the summertime.
  3. It helps the soil bedding to hold the moisture. 
  4. Improves nutrition of the soil.
  5. Protects the soil from being compacted or eroded.
  6. Prevents weed growth.
  7. Protects trees and plants from the damage caused by a lawnmower.
  8. Very little attention is required for the mulch.

Mulch has the ability to prevent weed growth; even though weeds emerge naturally. So a very useful solution for this would be to use herbicides which will prevent weed growth & for the existing weeds post-herbicide sprays are used. Be careful when a herbicide is used do not spray it on plants as it would ruin them. A thumb rule for the removal of weed is to remove it by your hand when you see a single plant. 

Weed can germinate seeds very fast and increase very soon

Mixing and turning of mulch is essential to make sure that it has not compacted. To do this you have to use the rake, mix and turn the mulch to break up the clustered pieces. Make it sure that the mulch is placed away from the plants to prevent damage to the plants. Mulching is proven effective when it is done in fall or spring. Mulching around a plant right after you plant it provides best results. Check out the Mulching Tips Santa Barbara to get started.

Washing away of mulch – a rainy season Concern

mulching your landscape

Washing away of mulch is a problem in the rainy season; to prevent this use the heavier ones like pine which cannot be easily carried away. Edging them in your garden will prevent the mulch to be washed or blown away. There are a few factors which should be taken into consideration before going to mulch around trees. The texture depends on how compact or porous the mulch is. Organic mulch provides nutrients to the soil as it decomposes. You can also choose the natural forms which are available for example straw, shredded bark, compost, stones/pebbles or wood chips. There are inorganic forms of mulch like black plastic and geo-textiles available in the stores which do not decompose. 

Mulching Vegetable Garden

mulch in the garden

When a vegetable garden is mulched with sheets of black plastic, it can produce wonders. When this plastic film is spread tightly over the soil of the vegetable garden, the sunlight is absorbed by the black film. Further, this film will increase the temperature of the soil bedding by 3 degrees which cannot be done by an un-mulched soil. This helps in good vegetation and prevents rotting of fruits. When water and sunlight can’t penetrate the film, an alternative of drip irrigation should be a solution for this. Landscape fabrics or geotextiles allow air and water through them to the soil. Sometimes Shrub and weeds grow on the textile fabrics and you might have to rip the fabric in order to remove the weed.

Taking care of the Soil

Having a few trees or grown roses in your garden is always a good idea. Never ignore the bare soil on your garden; if it doesn’t have shrubs keep it covered with mounding mulch to provide soil erosion. Using too little may result in washing away or blowing away of mulch. Also, using too much might cause the problems of making the soil compact.  

One of the top Mulching Tips Santa Barbara says, “It’s always better to keep the mulch organic as the non-organic would have a long-lasting impact on the soil. When organic mulches are used, it can be easily adapted to the soil and the quality of soil will improve.

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