Benefit of Using Mulch Around Your Plants

September 5, 2017

Share Via Facebook Via Twitter/X Via Pinterest via linkedin

You’re a fan of smart gardening in the backyard so you’ve planted countless trees, bushes, and flowers across the property. Tilling and fertilizing the soil leaves the yard looking like a rich and fertile place, but you’re missing one key component. Mulch is an incredibly important resource in any gardening situation. This material ranges from shredded bark to decorative rocks. Spreading mulches around the plants offer countless benefits that will drive your garden to look like a professional nursery.

Organic Mulches Add Nutrients

Wood chips and other natural products give the garden a rustic appearance as they’re spread out under every plant. The main benefit to this material is recycling nutrients. Wood, bark and other items slowly break down under the sun’s rays. The organic materials return to the soil with these nutrients, including:

• Nitrogen
• Potassium
• Calcium

The nutrients differ as various materials are put down on the soil so keep up with a unique mixture. Leaves, grass clippings, and other compost-like materials break down well as mulches.

Buffers Extreme Temperature Swings

Your plants can’t huddle indoors when the temperature swings too high or low. They might wilt under the hot sun as the soil beneath them becomes dry. Adding mulches to the garden creates a barrier to temperature swings. Over the course of one day, the protected soil only feels a slight change in temperature. This situation benefits nearly every plant because they thrive on constant conditions for growth and reproduction.

Protects Soil From Rapid Evaporation

Mulching also offers water-retention properties. Because the soil is covered and protected from the sunlight, water cannot quickly evaporate from the ground. The roots have a chance to soak up the moisture before evaporation becomes an issue. This feature is particularly important during the warmer times of the year. You’ll lose fewer specimens to heat issues while saving money on water supplies.

Prevents Weed Infiltration

Weeds are constantly frustrating gardeners. They pop up in almost every crevice around the yard. Mulching provides another benefit by drowning out the weeds from the soil level. Weed seeds may be on the ground, but they aren’t receiving the necessary sunlight for growth. The mulches covering the ground stop the weeds from growing at all. If a seedling does break through, the mulches pose a barrier to their stalks, which leads to dieback.

Offers Aesthetic Effect

Defining the garden is often difficult as branches spread and grow across the land. Mulches allow you to divide out the garden into distinct sections. Spread mulches around a tree grouping so that the surrounding grass can be edged and trimmed at the proper location. The entire yard will have an aesthetically pleasing appearance throughout the seasons. Simply keep the mulches arranged within their borders while pruning back aggressive, plant growth.

New alternatives to standard mulches have been in the marketplace for several years, such as shredded rubber. Be aware of these varied products because they can add significant beauty and function to the garden. By trying mulches with varied colors and textures, the garden explodes with color, growth, and beauty.