Mulching seems like one of the worst summertime jobs, but there are valuable reasons why you should spend a bit of time adding it to your flowerbeds. According to Home Depot, mulch has a lot of benefits, including reducing weed growth and encouraging earthworms to move in, which directly improves air and water levels in the soil. Mulch also helps with protecting against extreme temperature changes and may even retain more water in the soil. Placed properly, it may also help prevent against erosion.
Many people mulch to improve the way their landscaping looks. There’s nothing quite like that crisp, dark coloring that allows flowers and shrubs to jump out at you. It may even boost your curb appeal.
You may know to mulch flower beds and tuck some under a tree to create an impressive look for your home. There are a few other places you may not be using mulch that could also benefit. Where’s the most beneficial place to put mulch you could be skipping?
Mulch your new plants
It’s easy to see the value of mulching to cover a flowerbed once a year. You may even know that doing it to all your growing plants during the fall months provides protection over the winter.
However, you also need to add new mulch around plants you are just planting. If you plant a shrub, new perennials, or even a garden full of fruits and vegetables, mulch then, too. Mulching at this time is essential to encouraging those new plants to grow, according to Mulch America. Earthworms can dig into the area, creating tunnels for the plant’s roots to grow. Mulch also helps to hold onto more water, allowing the plant to remain moist continuously.
The next time you plant anything, add a few handfuls of mulch around the base of the plant right away. This helps give it the best fighting chance to get started and to flourish.
Where else should you use mulch?
Most areas benefit from mulching. It’s one of the best ways to create walkways and paths throughout your landscaping, around your home, and in your garden.
Did you know that mulch is better for the environment than grass? According to Growing with Nature, mulching between garden beds is the better option for an eco-friendly landscape because the alternative, grass, requires mowing, which is detrimental to the landscape. More so, the grass uses a lot of nutrients, often depleting the soil quickly.
Mulch doesn’t do this. Adding mulch to the garden is often good because it creates a strong place for beneficial fungi to grow. When organic mulch is laid, it breaks down over time restoring nutrients to your garden.
For those that don’t like to cut grass, replacing some of it with organic mulch could be beneficial. It’s a great surface for kids running and playing, and it makes cleaning up a dog’s waste products a bit easier, too.
