Most of us have heard of mulching. Some of us may have used mulch in our gardens or on our lawns, but for those that don’t know, let’s answer the questions – what is mulching and what are the advantages of using mulch in your yard and on your gardens?
We’ll have a brief look at mulching, what it is, what it’s made of and what the advantages are of using it around your home.
What Is Mulch Made Of?
Mulch can be made from practically any shredded organic matter or non-organic material and certain types of mulch are better for different purposes.
Here are some examples of what mulch can be made from:
- On lawn mulch
- Dead leaves
- Ground-up plant matter
- Shredded bark
- Straw
- Kitchen scraps
- Wood chips
- Sawdust
- Mulched trees
- Shredded newspaper or cardboard
- Manure
- And more…
Even ground up shells have been used as mulch, adding essential nutrients and minerals to the soil, whether it be the lawn or a garden bed.
On Lawn Mulching
When it comes to lawnmowers, you can actually buy a mulching mower. This type of lawnmower has been specifically designed to mulch the grass as it’s cut and spread that mulch back over the freshly-mowed lawn. Rather than catching all the grass clippings in the grass catcher and dumping it into the bin, the grass is mulched and deposited back onto the lawn where it breaks down and adds nutrients to the grass.
Other advantages to on lawn mulching include better weed control, good water retention for a lush lawn and protection for the soil from hot and cold weather.
What Is the Best Mulch For Gardens?
There are actually many mulch varieties that can be very beneficial for gardens. The right type of mulch may vary depending on what you’re trying to grow and nurture, but things like grass clippings and straw have always proven effective as mulch. Pine needles and leaves are also beneficial and provide many mulching advantages for vegetable gardens.
For other types of gardens, mulch can be used more for aesthetic purposes rather than nutrients alone. A good example is bark chippings, or even bark that has died red or green. This bark mulch can really finish off the look of a garden bed, making it appear neat and tidy and clean, rather than having bare soil exposed. Over time the bark breaks down and adds nutrients to the garden, until a fresh layer of ground bark is added to beautify the garden.
The two main advantages of mulching are obviously feeding the earth with much-needed nutrients and to create a garden that’s pleasing to the eye.