Colorado Springs Real Estate Facts & Fun

Applying mulch is one of the best things you can do for your flower and plant beds, trees and vegetable garden. Mulch is a layer of organic or inorganic material that is spread out on top of the soil to protect against erosion and conserve moisture. Both organic and inorganic mulches have many benefits, although organic mulch actually enriches the soil. Mulch helps plants maintain a more even soil temperature and prevents weed growth to reduce garden maintenance. In addition, mulch gives your garden beds a neat, landscaped appearance. Before you buy mulch, consider the following questions:

Are you looking for a way to reduce weed growth? Does your garden need mulch that will improve the soil? When is it appropriate to use landscape fabric as mulch? How much wood mulch should you apply for best results? How long do you want your mulch to last?

Organic Mulch, Inorganic Mulch and Application

There are two basic types of mulch, organic and inorganic. Both act as ground cover and offer the benefits of insulating and retaining soil. Organic mulches break down after a season or two and need to be reapplied. In this way, they actually enhance the soil by adding organic material. Inorganic mulches are more permanent, but they do not improve the soil structure. Other types of mulch vary according to their appearance and longevity. Before you add mulch to your garden, you’ll want to take a few minutes to learn about how much you should apply, both for the benefit of your plants and to prevent yourself from buying too much or too little material.

Organic Mulch: Many organic mulch materials can be found in your own yard, such as grass clippings, leaves and pine needles. Newspaper is excellent mulch for vegetable gardens, as it keeps weed growth down and protects low-hanging vegetables. Composted manure is also excellent for vegetable gardens but will not work for front yard gardens for obvious reasons. Hay and straw work well, especially when you need mulch that is light and airy, such as a lawn cover after applying grass seed. There are also several attractive wood mulches that can be purchased.

Organic mulch fertilizes sandy soil and helps hold water and nutrients Bark mulch lasts for one to three years, then may require reapplication Smaller wood chips are easier to spread around smaller plants Be aware that hay and straw mulch may harbor weed seeds Pine needles increase soil acidity, making them ideal for use around acid-loving plants

Inorganic Mulch: Inorganic mulch includes stone, landscape fabric and plastic. Though these materials are not as beneficial to the soil as organic mulch, they last much longer. Black plastic does not work well in landscaping but may be useful in a vegetable garden. Landscape fabric is applied to the surface of soil before planting and is porous so it allows water in but keeps weeds out. Stone is used on paths, around walkways and around permanent plantings, such as shrubs and trees. Stone does not work well for vegetable or flower gardens.

When to Apply Mulch

Time of application depends on what you hope to achieve by mulching. Mulches, by providing an insulating barrier between the soil and the air, moderate the soil temperature. This means that a mulched soil in the summer will be cooler than an adjacent unmulched soil; while in the winter, the mulched soil may not freeze as deeply. However, since mulch acts as an insulating layer, mulched soils tend to warm up more slowly in the spring and cool down more slowly in the fall than unmulched soils.

If you are using mulches in your vegetable garden or flower garden, it is best to apply them after the soil has warmed up in the spring. Cool, wet soils tend to slow seed germination and increase the decay of seeds and seedlings.

If adding additional layers of mulch to existing perennial beds, wait until the soil has warmed completely.

Mulches used to help moderate winter temperatures can be applied late in the fall after the ground has frozen but before the coldest temperatures arrive. Applying mulches before the ground has frozen may attract rodents looking for a warm over-wintering site. Delayed applications of mulch should prevent this problem as, hopefully, the creatures would already have found some other place to nest!

Mulches used to protect plants over winter should be loose material such as straw, hay, or pine boughs that will help insulate the plants without compacting under the weight of snow and ice. One of the benefits from winter applications of mulch is the reduction in the freezing and thawing of the soil in the late winter and early spring. These repeated cycles of freezing at night and then thawing in the warmth of the sun cause many small or shallow rooted plants to be heaved out of the soil. This leaves their root systems exposed and results in injury or death. Mulching helps prevent the rapid fluctuations in soil temperature and reduces the chances of heaving.

Resources by NRCS.USDA.gov and the Home Depot

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