Mulch: A Basic Idea for The Beginners

In my past blogs I kept mentioning about Mulches. I know many of the gardeners are  totally aware of this term, but I can feel the confusion a beginner will face while others keep mentioning about mulching. So I have decided to demystify the whole term and make the word much more easy to understand and most importantly easy to apply.

Technically mulch refers to a layer of organic or inorganic material which is applied to the surface of any soil. The word mulch is very catchy and we can see a variety of things like straw, grass crippling, leaves are being used. Sometimes recycled rubbers or plastic sheets are also been used as mulch. Though there are variety of materials used in mulching the basic purpose more or less remains the same. 

1. Applying mulch can help the soil to retain its moisture. This are particularly helpful in dry climate like a summer season.
2. A considerable amount of mulch make a thick layer on the soil and make the air almost impossible to reach the soil layer. This principle is used in controlling weeds. Weeds die with the lack of oxygen.
3. In case you are using organic matters for mulching this in later stages decomposes and mixes with the soil thus helps in increasing the nutrient content of the soil. If applied properly it can increase the soil productivity many folds.
4. It also keeps the soil temperature fixed and not fluctuate according to the climate temperature. Thus leaving lesser stress on the plant to adopt to the outer climate.

There are two ways you can apply mulch. You can add the mulch directly to the soil or you can apply mulch around the existing plant. As per the content mulch can be of two types: Organic Mulch and Inorganic Mulch.

Organic Mulch:

When you use material such as leaves, straw, grass crippling, wood chips etc the mulch is called organic mulch. The best part of using organic mulch is that it decomposes slowly and release nutrient into the soil. It encourages earthworm activities and keep the weed seeds from germinating. Just remember two basic formula. Lay down the mulch where there are weeds already. And secondly make sure the layer is thick enough to prevent new weeds from coming up. A general recommendation is to apply a layer of 4-6 inches of mulch in the most weeded areas and 2-3 inches in case the area is shady and not much of weed is present. One word of caution is that organic mulch is generally acidic in nature. So add little bit of lime with the mulch to neutralize its acidic impact, in case the plant is more comfortable in neutral of slightly alkaline soil.

Inorganic Mulch:

Inorganic mulching product can include plastic sheets, rubber chips etc. I personally do not recommend any inorganic substance to use in mulch due to its negative impact on the environment. But in some cases you can use it if you are not that much comfortable using organic mulches. Applying a plastic sheet as a mulch can prevent the water for entering to soil from outside also. So in case you are having drip watering system which is embedded before applying the plastic sheets it can be used.

The best way to use the mulch is to keep the base of the plant mulch-free. It will help the plant to breath freely. If you are using cedar chips and other aesthetically superior products just stay away from coloring. Normal colors contains chemicals which can dampen the whole purpose of doing organic gardening.

Just keep one thing in mind whatever is your material and whatever is your reason, try to apply mulch. It is easy and it will make your garden look very beautiful and professional.

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Sheet Composting

Sheet composting is a very good way to practice organic gardening. If you are following our articles you must be aware of what compost is. If you have no idea about compost and composting I suggest check out this article. Now for making compost you need to store composting ingredients in a pile. For a urban gardeners this is not a good news. Generally in urban areas space is a major constrain. Sheet composting solves this problem. This article will give you an idea about how to use it to your benefit.

In this method you don’t heap the ingredients into a pile; rather you mix it directly with the soil. You can use a spade or a tiller for this purpose. What ever ingredients you have planned to put into the compost heap will do. Grass clippings, manure, leaves, egg shells, tea leaves all will work. Try to use a balanced mix of Carbon (C) and Nitrogen (N) when adding to the soil. More on C/N ration in this article.

You need to add this ingredients couple of months prior to planting. As these ingredients are not decomposed while mixing in the soil, it requires couple of months to degenerate and to release the nutrients. You can also add a layer of leaves or black plastic to increase the process of decomposing.

You don’t need to confuse sheet composting with mulching. The basic difference between the two is that mulching is used basically (even if you use organic materials) for weed protection and to retain water. Though it also boosts up soil quality it is not the primary focus of mulching; whereas sheet composting is done to boost the soil quality.

Sheet composting is a very good process if your garden soil is of poor quality. It also saves the soil from erosion. It is a lot less time and effort consuming than traditional composting.

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Difference between Compost and Mulch

In the past we have discussed about Compost and Mulch separately. But sometimes people get confused over the two. So in this article we are trying to give you some comparison so that the concepts never get mixed.

Compost:

Compost is called gardeners gold. For preparing you need to mix different ingredientstogether in proper ratio. Which are then left for decomposition.

Many plants have particular requirement of nutrients. You should keep this in mind while preparing your compost. They are mixed in particular ratio to get the ultimate nutrient mixture for the plant.

The main function of compost is to fertilize the soil. You can use the compost by mixing with the garden soil or with the potting mix (in case of container gardening).

For a good compost it is essential that the ingredients are decomposed properly and should not be smelly like manure. Some people add water with the compost to make 'compost tea' which is then added to the soil for enrichment.

Mulch:

Mulch on the other hand is used to create a barrier between the soil and the environment. It works as a protective cover for the soil. It increases the soil temperature during those cold winter seasons and helps to prevent excess heat to reach the soil during hot summers.

Mulch helps in keeping the moisture level of the soil intact. You would have less wastage of water and certainly less frequent watering schedule.

It works as some kind of a blanket and thus used to keep weeds away.

It differs from compost over the fact that it doesn't require any particular ratio and combinations of ingredients to work. It doesn't need to get those ingredients composted before using.

Though it is better to use organic matters as mulch it is not compulsory and sometimes other materials like plastic etc are also used.

Mulch can increase the nutrients of the soil in the longer run if prepared from organic materials but that is not its fundamental feature. It is more concerned with preserving water and working as an insulator.

All compost can be used as mulch but not the other way around. Both serve particular functions in gardening and they both can be used as soil conditioner. Though it would be foolish to use a nutrient-dense material like compost as a protective coating and not enriching the soil.

Compost and mulch are two age-old concept of gardening that improves the soil quality tremendously. If used properly, these two concept can change your garden soil from unproductive sterile one to a growing heaven.

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May 2012 - Front Yard Reno

Over the past few years, the periwinkle in my front garden had advanced and advanced until it now fully controlled the garden bed. Never having had enough time on weekends to keep the spreader at bay, it just slowly took over.
Well - I have the time now because I am retired. And I am determined, that even though I have lost a few battles so far, I plan to win my front garden back!!
I first assessed the situation:

YIKES!!!! Yup, just as bad as I thought.
So one May morning, I woke up determined to get right out there and start digging it out.
Bad idea.
I wasn't even strong enough to get the shovel in the ground. Dry soil plus a dense plant with lots of roots = no success.
I thought about it and realized that I could ask my Godson Rob for help. Sure enough he was able to come over on the Sunday of Victoria day weekend and give me a hand.
Look what he managed to achieve in 2 hours!!

He piled all the dirt, plants and roots into our little trailer, where it will be hauled away to the dump tomorrow. (We added some pruned shrub branches as well!)

I bought one of those big yellow bags of triple-mix so that I would have plenty of fresh, new soil to work with.

I dug out many wheelbarrows full and filled the area. I knew I had several really nice medium sized rocks that had disappeared beneath said ground cover so I managed to find those and get them to the new area without putting my back out :)

Then I brought my selected plants and placed them to see how they would look: 2 Barberry bushes, Blue Oat grass (I split up a plant that the periwinkle had swallowed in another section) and lots of annuals: petunias, Geraniums, Dusty Miller, Ageratum and allyssum.

Starting to look pretty good! Then I added mulch and was all done. My summer job will be keeping the area watered and keeping the invasive periwinkle at bay.

So, now that the front garden is "finished, let me take you on a tour:

Get down and dirty in Tuscany

Wow - yes I truly believe spring is here. The Cherry Tree is positively a burst with rosy glowing buds, spring bulbs are pushing their way into the fresh air with gladiator like vigour and every hour of the day our passionflower is twirling its way onwards and upwards over its new arbour.

As spring arrives here in Tuscany life gets busy in the garden both in the veg patch and in amongst the flower beds. This season our garden has a wholly more healthy appearance every single plant has a sheen, a strength and an urgency to thrive. Romantic as I may be even I know that the reason the fruit, vegetable and flowers are so bursting with life is not simply because they are alive in Tuscany, the reason goes deeper, much deeper, literally.

Pots brimming with homemade compost / mulch

Mulch, the magic word. One often reserved for allotment holders in the UK but in all seriousness mulch is without a doubt the answer to many Tuscan gardeners dreams. Tuscany is so varied, from rolling hills to glass sided mountains, from the arid beaches to alpine pastures, Tuscany has no 'standard' climate. To grow things we love and enjoy in every sense here in Italy requires patience and hard work. In high summer we need to give water and provide shade, in winter we have to protect from the freezing mountain winds and sudden dramatic ice storms. However, there are some very simple steps that can be taken to give our gardens here in Tuscany a helping hand and which will bring joy to those who simply love to grow things.




Homemade compost or for use as mulch

 Muching is easy, it is simple and it is utterly miraculous. Most areas of land in this part of Italy require attention in terms of creating an environment where plants can thrive. Although a firm believer in planting plants that are native or suitable to there natural surroundings, the effect that feeding the soil can have is literally and physically ground breaking. Although the dictionary term mulching means “to provide a protective covering of organic material laid over the soil around plants to prevent erosion, retain moisture, and sometimes enrich the soil” it is a whole lot simpler than that. Mulching is a slow but utterly efficient way of enriching and enlivening the ground.


Let’s not complicate the issue, most organic waste will feed your garden, it can aerate, feed and add nutrients to your chosen patch. Mulching can strengthen flowering plants helping them fight disease, it will give your vegetables, herbs and fruit the kind of growing power only seen in the likes of books and ultimately give you the encouragement needed to continue growing in what can be challenging terrain.


Whether you have a small terrace and are growing a few herbs in pots or are fortunate enough to have space to grow a variety of plants the benefits of mulching are the same. 
Once you have decided to embark on this wonderful and addictive path you must first get used to collecting large cardboard boxes. Yes that is right, you want to collect as many large sheets of cardboard as possible, Bakers and Supermarkets will all discard these and just before bin day you will find lots of lovely cardboard near recycling bins. Scoop these up as quick as you can and take them home.

Secondly you need to clear the soon to be mulched area of weeds and plants the very best you can, you do not need to break your back doing this but the clearer the area the better.

Now lay the cardboard across the soil covering every area you can, do not leave any space for light to get through. Weight down the cardboard with stones or logs, OK it will look rather untidy, but not for long. Once the garden, pots, allotment or veg patch are covered with cardboard the weeds underneath will be starved of light and start to die. In the meantime you will be getting to grips with collecting all organic waste, better known as composting.

Having a large comport bin close to your kitchen will mean you are able to really give your garden the best support you can. Everything from eggshells to potato peelings, teabags and coffee granules can all be disposed of in the compost bin, combine this will ample grass cuttings and brown stuff such as chopped up twigs and leaves (not pine however) and you will start to have a rather stunning compost. Really get into a routine of saving your organic waste and using your composting bin and, if you are really feeling brave feed it when you can with a bit of pee which helps the breakdown the waste. After a while you will notice how the compost is starting to turn into just that ‘compost’ a rich fertile and life giving mulch. As soon as your beds, or patch are covered in your cannily collected cardboard you can start layering grassing cuttings and dried leaves on top, the layers of mulch start to feed the ground beneath and act as protective layer, storing moisture. Once your compost bin is starting to contain broken down organic matter this too can be placed on top of the cardboard, and so the rhythm continues, the more mulch you apply to the garden the more rich the soil beneath becomes, you also now have beds that you no longer need to dig, a miracle in itself. You then simply plant through the mulch, dig small holes for you plants and then watch them thrive, yes you will find the odd renegade weed appearing but mostly you will not need to dig or weed heavily and your young plants will be given the very best environment in which to thrive.



In brief, mulching will become a way of life one that saves you hours of watering, digging and weeding. Mulching your Tuscan garden will mean that you are able to grow wider varieties of plants, ones you love to eat, enjoy the summer scents of and ones that simply enhance your environment. Working with nature and supporting it is what Tuscans have done for centuries, with a little lateral thinking we can all enjoy the romanticism of Italian gardens with allot less of the toil and struggle.