Are you looking to improve the aesthetic appeal of your garden with lush green grasses and vibrant foliage?
Do you have a lawn in your house and want it to keep it free of weeds? Do you want to maintain a neat look of your yard?
Do you want to prevent loss of water from the soil by evaporation during hot days?
If your answer is yes, then mulching is the best option. It involves covering the soil surface with materials for promoting better moisture retention. Both organic and inorganic mulch can be beneficial in keeping the plants and grasses of your garden healthy, stopping the growth of unwanted weeds, enriching the fertility of the soil, and giving a complete facelift to your garden.
In addition, it will also require less watering of the grasses and foliage and avoid the risk of pests.
The procedure of applying mulch is rather easy for garden owners. Organic mulching in Florida involves using sliced leaves, straw, grass clippings, compost, wood chips, shredded bark, sawdust, pine needles, and even paper on top of the soil. On the other hand, inorganic mulching includes using gravels, stones, black plastic and geotextiles.
However, the best way to apply mulch is to spread it on the top of the grass to get more of the essential nutrients present in it for gardening and lawn purposes.
But, you should keep in mind that it can be a labor-intensive process. You have to follow certain procedures like considering the condition of the base soil, removing sod by using expensive tools.
Take the help of professional landscaping services to get the work done efficiently. With mulching on top of the grass, you will also be able to convert areas of your lawn into flower or vegetable beds.
To suppress the growth of grass under mulch, it is important to::
• Get rid of the perennial weeds or unwanted wild plants.
• Mow the specific area of your lawn or garden where you want to prevent the growth of grasses.
• Keep cardboard or thick newspaper sheets above the area. Make sure that the newspaper layers are 10 inches in thickness. Don’t forget to wet it with water.
Mulching has several advantages for garden owners. Right from preserving water to protecting the plant roots, from conserving soil temperature to keeping the soil healthy, there are an assortment of benefits that comes with mulching. Here are 14 steps that will help you to do it alone.
It is always a wise option to select organic mulch for your garden for better fertility and water retention capacity of the soil. You can consider wood chips, straw, grass clippings, chopped leaves, and compost and spread it over. Organic mulches also tend to be more nutritious and keep the weeds at bay.
If you want to get a sleek and modern garden and looking to decorate your outdoor space, then inorganic mulching is the best choice. They come in a variety of styles, and colors.
For organic mulching, you can consider sliced leaves, straw, grass clippings, compost, wood chips, shredded bark, sawdust, pine needles, and even paper on top of the soil, and on the other hand inorganic mulching includes using gravel, stone, river rock, tumbled glass, black plastic and geotextiles. If you have planted a new shrub or plant, use organic mulches such as compost and manure as they tend to be more fertile and nutritious.
To cover the planted area with sufficient mulch, you need to take into consideration the size of the space available in your garden, lawn or yard. Make sure you apply the mulch in adequate quantities because using excessive amount can kill the foliage.
For optimum results, it is vital to pick an appropriate time for mulching. The end of spring and beginning of summer are the golden times for mulching in Florida because the plants are usually out of inactivity. Choosing these times will also prevent the multiplication of weeds and improve the health of your lawn.
Very often, we think that mulching during winter can be detrimental due to the freezing of soil. But, this is certainly a misconception. Applying mulch during winter can slow down the freezing process and shield the plants from damage.
Pulling out weeds is extremely vital to get the most from mulching. A garden spade will help you to get rid of the perennial weeds and other unwanted plant materials in the area or you can also use a chemical weed killer. However, it might not be a safe and environment-friendly option.
For creating the mulch in a particular area you want to dig a smooth continuous line in the flower bed. You can also use a stone for creating an edge in the area.
If there is mulch already existing on the surface of your lawn, then remove it by using a shovel. You need to use a wheelbarrow for transferring the old mulch.
Transfer your mulch that you are using into a wheelbarrow. Make 3-4 small piles for easy transportation onto your flower bed.
While applying the mulch in the particular area of the garden, rake down the small piles to make an even layer.
A sufficient amount of water should be used to nurture the organic mulch that you have applied. A garden hose will help you to prevent wastage of water and moisturize it properly. However, make sure you don’t put too much water on the mulch.
You need to replace the mulch every year because it loses it nutrition value over time. Particularly if you are using organic mulch, get it changed or replaced with a new one every year.
It has been seen if you are using inorganic mulch, they tend to get dirty particularly if it is gravel. So, it is vital to get rid of the dirty mulches and replace them with newer ones.
Give your lawn and garden a complete makeover with mulching. It is surely going to give it a fresh lease of life in terms of decoration as well as neatness.
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