Post date: Jun 22, 2020 1:28:44 AM
Why mulch?
Summer is upon us. Temperatures will begin to move up and the soil will get warm and dry. Mulching is in order. Why mulch?
1. The leaves need the sun - both warmth and light. But the roots need it dark and cool. All good soil microbes work in the dark and die in the sunlight. Mulch protects them.
2. Sun and heat can warm the soil up. Too much heat can cook the roots and stop them from growing. Stunted plants result. Mulch keeps the roots cool and working.
3. The sun’s heat can dry up the soil. This increases the watering needs of the plants. As water evaporates, the plants have to be watered, else will dry and wither. Mulch reduces watering requirements dramatically. Mulch stops water from evaporating and keeps soils moist and cool.
4. The combination of heat and moisture of summer rains is an ideal environment for fungal infections. When soil is too hot and then gets moisture, many fungi grow happily. Mulching keeps soil temps cool and helps prevent such infestations.
5. Soil organisms need food. The worms and beetles of the Spring are gone and the summer insects are active. Mulch offers habitats for many beneficial insects that protect the garden. Earthworms and bugs will chomp the mulch and make it finer and enrich the soil.
6. My choice of mulch is crushed brown leaves. They contain trace minerals much needed for soil. They also build soil as they decompose over the summer. I collect and bin leaves from Fall and use them. I also recover leaves from the woods behind the house and crush them to use as mulch.
7. Use any mulch you like. Ensure it is soft and will decompose with time. Leaves can mat up and rot. Crushing ensures they decompose and remain well aired. Do not use wood chips. They will interfere with the growth of young plants.
8. Mulches prevent top soil erosion. They ensure that rain water is soaked in, retained in the soil, and recharge underground stores. Mulched soils absorb and keep rain water. A weekly rain is enough to water my yard all through summer.
8. Live mulches are a choice in tropical lands like India. The earth is covered in green at the first rain, and that green cover ensures that rain water is harvested. You can grow greens, ground covers, creepers to keep soil covered, cool and live.
9. Mulching also controls weeds. When weed seeds don’t get light, they don’t germinate. Without mulch, the ground will make its own green cover with weeds. If you like a weed free garden, you mulch instead and prevent weed germination.
Mulching is good practice in a garden. It offers great benefits, harvests rain water, builds soil, and saves water bills.