Ways that Mulch can make your Garden Better

While many gardeners and homeowners are always excited about changing the look of  their gardens and landscaping from season to season, some only focus on the foliage and floral aspects of their gardens. If they give any thought at all to the soil at the base of their plants, it may only be to consider fertilizers and amendments. Mulch does wonders for your garden.

Hardly anyone thinks of how mulch can help them in their gardens.

It doesn’t sound like an exciting topic, but the benefits of mulching do lend more enjoyment to many garden spaces. Let’s look at some of the ways in which mulch can help your garden be more productive and beautiful.

You’ll have less weeds.

Mulch covers the soil under and around your plants, and essentially prevents many invasive plants from being able to germinate or develop a hardy root system. By covering the soil, and keeping it covered, the day will come when no weeds at all will plague your garden, because generations of weeds have been unable to establish their colonies. But until then, mulching dramatically reduces the weed-load everywhere it is applied.

You’ll conserve water.

Conserving resources is something that is getting more attention. From reusing items, to recycling resources, to conserving fuel sources, being green is a worthy goal. Mulch acts as a water absorbent, trapping more water that the soil could not otherwise hold onto for future use. This can reduce your utility bill, because you are taking full advantage of your watering system each time you irrigate.

Your plants will be at less risk of sun damage.

Some plants have very tender root systems; if there is excessive sunlight penetration to the soil, there may be less water due to evaporation for the roots to take advantage of. There may also be a risk of the roots being unable to handle temperature extremes in the soil; the sun may heat the soil too quickly during the day, and then it cools drastically at night, before being baked again the next day. Mulch acts as an insulator, keeping the soil from heating too much and losing water.

Your plants will have better nutrient-uptake.

There are some plants that prefer a high level of acidity in the soil. If these plants are established next to plants that do not require the same acidic balance in the soil, you could end up with burnt-out acid-hating plants or under-developed acid-loving plants. Instead of allowing on or the other planting to suffer, applying a targeted mulching system can provide the required acid directly to the soil of the plants that need it, and prevent leech-over into the soil of the plants that do not like acid.

Also, when choosing an all-natural mulch, over time, the mulch pieces break down and decompose into compost. This provides fertilizing, ready-made, in place, without any extra labor on your part. For one afternoon of work every few months to a year, your gardens can look better and better, year after year.

Your garden will look more beautiful and well put-together.

Mulch comes in a plethora of varieties and colors. From oak to pine to cedar, there is a mulch for every garden need. Whether you want red, light brown, dark brown, green, or even black, you can find a mulch that will fit the overall look and theme of your landscaping choices, and bring the whole scene together. Be the envy of your neighborhood garden club this season; mulch your gardens today!