What is mulching?

Mulching is the practice of covering the soil's surface with a layer of material, usually organic, to improve the soil and plants.

What can be used as mulch?

- Chipped/shredded wood (This decomposes slowly)

- Well-rotted manure (Horse manure is full of nutrients, but it needs to be at least 2 years old to avoid damaging plants)

- Pine needles (This suppresses weeds and keeps moisture in the soil, but they can lower the pH of the soil)

Why do we do Mulching?

- Conserves water (Helps soil retain water in the summer and allows rain to penetrate in the winter)

- Prevents weeds (Mulch smothers weeds and prevents them from competing with plants for water and nutrients)

- Protects soil (Mulch protects soil from erosion and compaction caused by wind and rain)

- Improves soil structure (Allows the soil to hold more nutrients and moisture)

- Moderates temperature (Mulch helps keep soil cool enough for soil organisms to thrive)

- Marking garden beds (Mulch can be used as a visible marker to protect garden beds from damage caused by lawn equipment)

- Appearance (Mulch can give a garden a neat and tidy appearance)

- Reducing maintenance (Mulching can reduce the amount of time spent on watering and weeding)