How to Choose Mulch

Top dressings and mulches are applied to the surface of the soil for several reasons. They all help plant growth in one or more ways. All help reduce moisture loss by evaporation. Some add nutrients to the soil, enrich the humus content of the soil and improve soil texture and workability. Some, such as gravel, have no nutritional value but are used to aid drainage, regulate soil temperature, deter pests such as slugs, and suppress the growth of weeds, moss, lichen and other undesirable organisms on the surface of the soil.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Bark
• Farmyard manure
• Cocoa shells

1. Choosing organic mulch. Mulches can be divided into organic and inorganic types. They share many attributes, some organic mulches having the added benefits of nutritional value. This is not always desirable, however, as described above. For example, garden compost has many good properties, but it also provides a perfect environment for germinating weeds. It is, therefore, not the best choice for weed suppression.

2. Choose bark. Available in a variety of scales, from finely shredded to large chunks, bark is popular mulch. It improves surface drainage and suppresses weeds. Coarsely shredded bark takes a long time to break down, repaying the initial investment. It should last two years before it needs replacing. Bark is also sufficiently heavy and will not blow about the garden. It is very attractive and is often used to top dress borders.

3. Choose cocoa shells. Cocoa shells smell wonderful, as if you're applying a blanket of grated chocolate to the soil. Apart from this sybaritic benefit, a cocoa shell mulch is very attractive, making it the next most popular ornamental border mulch after bark. Cocoa shells are slightly acidic, so soil dressed with them will need to be supplemented with fertilizer. Until cocoa shells settle, they are also very lightweight and susceptible to being distributed around the garden by wind and birds. They are also quite expensive.

4. Choose farmyard manure. Once popular, farmyard manure has lost popularity as a mulch in the flower border. It does help the humus content of the soil and has some nutritional benefit, as well as its moisture-retaining and soil texture properties. However, it is not attractive, is often smelly, and its fertility promotes weed growth. It must be used only when well rotted, or it may damage your plants.

5. Apply the mulch. Always apply mulch to warm, moist soil. If mulch is applied to a frozen or dry soil, you will find that it just works against you, simply sealing in the problems. If organic mulch is applied to a soil rife with weeds, the weeds will benefit as much as the desirable plants and reap the benefits of an enriched soil and improved moisture retention.

Tips & Warnings

• Apply mulch up to, but not touching plant stems, as this can encourage rotting.