The Benefits Of Mulch In The Garden Include Protection From Soil Erosion, Preventing weeds and Promoting Healthy Root Growth

There are tremendous benefits of mulch on your grass, your plants, and anywhere where you wish to promote growth, but you may not know what those benefits of mulch in gardening are, nor how they work. This article is here to help!

Good mulch has been known to substantially protect your soil from erosion during heavy rains, as well as diminish soil compaction. Because it conserves moisture, there is less waste of water.

It will keep the soil at a more constant temperature as well as preventing weed growth. Because it literally sucks up water, as rainwater, it is a natural benefit, and will also prevent soggy gardens.

One of the gardening benefits of mulch is that it promotes root growth, and when mulch contains organic matter, it feeds the plants the nutrients that are needed as well as giving an ideal environment for beneficial soil organisms such as earthworms.

Mulch also will keep fruit and vegetables much cleaner as dirt won’t splash onto them during rainfall. Finally, it gives your garden a highly “finished” appearance.

Mulch has often been referred to as Mother Nature’s blanket, retaining the heat in the soil and protecting the soil and the plants from freezing.

Often this keeps your plants from stressing, due either to too much heat, or when it’s cold too much cold. And do not forget the water saving benefits of mulch.

Best Mulch Materials

• Grass clippings can become mulch, however they are vaguely unsightly around beautiful plants. Some people use newspapers, which retains moisture commendably as well as controlling weeds.

• Raked leaves, or even decomposing leaves make excellent mulch, as well as feeding your plants. Compost is wonderful mulch, as it not only inhibits weeds, but feeds the plants as well. Depending on the source however, compost has been known to be odiferous.

• Other well-known mulch materials are bark chips as well as composted bark mulch. Hay and straw is good mulch, as is seaweed, ground corncobs, as well as pine needles.

• Different kinds of mulch have a different benefit on the plant. For instance hay or and straw are excellent mulch, however they may also contain weed seeds, and pine needles should only be used on acid-loving plants.

• Acid loving plants range from blueberries, cranberries, raspberries, strawberries and even potatoes. Rhododendrons, hollies and azaleas love an acidic soil, as do ferns, conifers, hydrangea, and magnolias.

Not all mulch is beneficial when gardening and the following is not recommended when there are so many beneficial mulches.

Some people are partial to gravel or other small stones and while this lends a nice eye-appeal to the garden, it is not terribly beneficial to the plants or the soil.

Neither gravel nor stones retain water, nor give any nutrients to the plants. One can also recycle car tires to be used as mulch.

They must be ground into fine pieces first, and do leave an obnoxious odor. Of course they do not give benefit to the soil or plants.

Now that you know of the wonderful benefits of mulch, you’ll be inordinately pleased to see how well your plants thank you with tremendous growth and fabulous plant health!

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