Most well-tended garden beds have a layer of mulch. Mulch is a great tool during any season to keep the soil moist, help deter weeds, and prevent soil erosion. Not only does mulch have benefits for your plants, but a mulched garden often looks cleaner by defining the planting spaces from your lawn and improving the aesthetic appeal of your flower beds. Although mulching can and should happen throughout the year, there are several added benefits to mulching as the weather gets cold. Winter is the ideal time to mulch, as your plants already have fewer leaves and growth to work around.
While mulching is a key component of landscape maintenance throughout the year, mulching in cold weather is important to maintain the health of your landscape. There are two primary reasons that mulching in cold weather is important. First, mulching maintains the health of the soil. This includes keeping the soil in place, even during extreme winter weather, such as in heavy rains, wind, or snow. Mulch is great at protecting the soil microbes, adding and keeping nutrients in the soil, and keeping garden worms well fed. Without mulch, the top layers of your soil can easily be washed away or dry out. This can destroy the microbes and prevent them from breaking down the organic matter in the soil and releasing much needed nutrients.
The second reason mulching in cold weather is so important is for insulation. Mulch acts as a blanket to even out the soil temperature. With a layer of mulch on top of the soil and around the plants, your soil temperature will remain balanced, the plant roots will be at a reduced risk of freezing, and the mulch will maintain the right level of moisture to keep the plants healthy over the winter. Extreme temperatures can cause root damage and may mean your plants are not able to add new growth in the spring.
All planting beds should be mulched before the cold weather sets in. Even plants in container gardens, trees, and shrubs should have a layer of mulch, typically around 3-4 inches thick, around them to ensure they are protected during the cold weather. There are many different options for materials to use as mulch. Many homeowners assume that the bags of bark chips available at garden centers or home improvement stores are the best options, but there are several other options to consider that may work better depending on your plants. This includes coarsely shredded fallen leaves, pine needles, pine bark, shredded hardwood, dried grass clippings, and wood chips. Grass clippings and leaf mulch have the added benefit of using what is often considered yard waste, which will help minimize waste. Instead of having leaves or clippings removed, you can mulch, dry, and store your yard waste to use as winter mulch. Since they are organic, they will nourish the soil as they decompose. For more traditional mulching options, wood chips are a good budget friendly option, while pine bark and shredded hardwood provide a denser and richer mulch that will help inhibit weed growth and provide a strong layer of insulation.
Timing can be difficult to predict, as the best time to mulch depends less on the calendar and more on the weather patterns. If you mulch too early, excessive heat can get trapped in the soil, which will actually worsen the freeze-thaw damage to your roots when the temperature drops. If you mulch too late, you negate the benefits of cold weather mulching, as the irreparable damage to your plant’s roots has already occurred. The ideal time to apply the thick layer of winter mulch is right after the first hard frost of the season. Local landscape professionals can help you determine the right time to mulch.
In addition to knowing when to mulch and the best materials to use for your plants, working with a local landscape professional will ensure that your plants make it through the winter healthy and will be ready to thrive in the spring. Although winter mulching seems like a relatively easy chore, having a landscape professional winterize your garden can help make sure that everything is done correctly.
Before laying down the mulch, Twin Oaks Landscape can clear out all the old mulch, debris, and dead matter from your planting beds, as decomposing plants can invite bacteria and fungal growth, as well as attracting pests. Our team will thoroughly weed the area, as many weeds are hardy plants that can survive and reproduce during the winter months, while taking the soil nutrients and moisture away from your perennials.
We will then edge the garden to create a distinct separation between grass and the beds, and then spread the mulch in an even layer around two to three inches thick, with thinner layers around tree trunks to prevent bark rot. If you have a landscape professional working in your outdoor spaces, they will know your plants and understand exactly how to mulch your spaces for the winter.
Mulching for the cold weather season to protect your plants and soil is important. If you want your plantings to come back from the dormant season healthy and thriving, consider laying down some good quality mulch. If you’re ready to hand over the lawn maintenance tasks to a local landscape team who understands your climate best, contact Twin Oaks Landscape to learn more about our all-inclusive maintenance plans. We keep things thriving so you can relax and enjoy the view.