/
protects soil,helping provide abetter growing environment.Mulching is protects soil,helping provide abetter growing environment.Mulching is

protects soil,helping provide abetter growing environment.Mulching is - PDF document

pasty-toler
pasty-toler . @pasty-toler
Follow
394 views
Uploaded On 2015-09-10

protects soil,helping provide abetter growing environment.Mulching is - PPT Presentation

is a cooperative project of The US Department of Agriculture USDA prohibits discrimination in all its programs and activities on the basis of race color nationalorigin gender religion age d ID: 125928

cooperative project of: The

Share:

Link:

Embed:

Download Presentation from below link

Download Pdf The PPT/PDF document "protects soil,helping provide abetter gr..." is the property of its rightful owner. Permission is granted to download and print the materials on this web site for personal, non-commercial use only, and to display it on your personal computer provided you do not modify the materials and that you retain all copyright notices contained in the materials. By downloading content from our website, you accept the terms of this agreement.


Presentation Transcript

protects soil,helping provide abetter growing environment.Mulching is one of the simplest andmost beneficial practices you canuse in the garden.Mulch is simply aprotective layer of a material that isspread on top of the soil.Mulchescan either be organic--such as grassclippings,straw,bark chips,and simi- is a cooperative project of: The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits discrimination in all its programs and activities on the basis of race, color, nationalorigin, gender, religion, age, disability, political beliefs, sexual orientation, and marital or family status. (Not all prohiball programs.) Persons with disabilities who require alternative means for communication of program information (Braille, large print,audiotape, etc.) should contact USDAÕs TARGETCenter at 202-720-2600 (voice and TDD). To file a complaint of discrimination, wriUSDA, Director, Office of Civil Rights, Room 326W, Whitten Building, 14th and Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, DC 20250-9410 or call (202) 720-5964 (voice or TDD). USDAis an equal opportunity provider and employer. Backyard Mulching works in gardens,aroundtrees and shrubs,and in other areas. provide organic matter which helpskeep the soil loose.This improvesroot growth,increases the infiltrationof water,and also improves thewater-holding capacity of the soil.nutrients and provides an ideal envi-ronment for earthworms and otherbeneficial soil organisms.While inorganic mulches have theirplace in certain landscapes,they lackthe soil improving properties oforganic mulches.Inorganic mulches,because of their permanence,maybe difficult to remove if you decideto change your garden plans at alater date.Therefore,this tip sheet islimited to the use of organicmulches.You can find mulch materials in yourown yard! Lawn clippings makeexcellent mulch.While not particu-larly attractive for a flower bed,theywork wonderfully in the vegetablegarden.The fine texture allows themto be spread easily even aroundsmall plants.However,grass clip-pings are becoming scarce becauseof the increased popularity ofmulching lawnmowers that providemany of the same benefits ofmulching to lawns.Newspaper,as amulch,works especially well to con-trol weeds.Leaves are another readi-ly available material to use as mulch.Leaf mold,or the decomposedremains of leaves,gives the forestfloor its absorbent spongy structure.Compost makes a wonderful mulchif you have a large supply.Compostnot only improves the soil structurebut provides an excellent source ofplant nutrients.Bark chips and composted barkmulch are available at garden cen-ters.These make a neat finish to thegarden bed and will eventuallyimprove the condition of the soil.These may last for one to three yearsor more depending on the size ofthe chips or how well composed thebark mulch is.Smaller chips tend tobe easier to spread,especiallyaround small plants.Depending onwhere you live,numerous othermaterials make excellent mulches.Hay and straw work well in the veg-etable garden,although they mayharbor weed seeds.Seaweed mulch,ground corn cobs,and pine needlescan also be used.Pine needles tendto increase the acidity of the soil sothey work best around acid-lovingplants such as rhododendrons andblueberries.Time of application depends onwhat you hope to achieve bymulching.Mulches,by providing aninsulating barrier between the soiland the air,moderate the soil tem-perature.This means that a mulchedthan an adjacent unmulched soil;while in the winter,the mulched soilmay not freeze as deeply.However,since mulch acts as an insulatinglayer,mulched soils tend to warm upmore slowly in the spring and cooldown more slowly in the fall thanunmulched soils.If you are using mulches in your veg-etable garden or flower garden,it isbest to apply them after the soil haswarmed up in the spring.Cool,wetsoils tend to slow seed germinationand increase the decay of seeds andIf adding additional layers of mulchto existing perennial beds,wait untilthe soil has warmed completely.Mulches used to help moderate win-ter temperatures can be applied latein the fall after the ground hasfrozen but before the coldest tem-peratures arrive.Applying mulchesbefore the ground has frozen mayattract rodents looking for a warmover-wintering site.Delayed applica-tions of mulch should prevent thisproblem as,hopefully,the creatureswould already have found someMulches used to protect plants overwinter should be loose material suchas straw,hay,or pine boughs that willcompacting under the weight ofsnow and ice.One of the benefitsfrom winter applications of mulch isthe reduction in the freezing andthawing of the soil in the late winterand early spring.These repeatedcycles of freezing at night and thenthawing in the warmth of the suncause many small or shallow rootedplants to be heaved out of the soil.This leaves their root systemsexposed and results in injury ordeath.Mulching helps prevent rapidfluctuations in soil temperature andreduces the chances of heaving.1.Begin by asking yourself the fol-lowing questions.a.What do I hope to achieve by mulching? Weed control?Moisture retention?Soil improvement?b.How large is the area to be mulched?c.How much mulch will I need tocover the area?Mulch is measured in cubic feet.As an example,if youhave an area10 feet by 10 feet and you wishto apply 3 inches of mulch,youwould need 25 cubic feet.(10' x 10' x .25' = 25 cu.ft.)2.Determine what mulch material touse and purchase or accumulatewhat you need.a.Mulch can often be purchasedbagged or bulk from garden cen-ters.Bulk may be cheaper if youneed large volumes and have a BACKYARD 2 way to haul it.Bagged mulch isoften easier to handle,especiallyfor smaller projects.Most baggedmulch comes in 3-cubic feetbags.b.Compost--Refer to the tip sheet on com-posting for information on howto make your own compost.c.Leaves--1.Collect leaves in the fall.2.Chop with a lawnmower orshredder.Whole leaves tend tocompact if wet or blow away ifdry.Chopping will reduce thevolume and facilitate composting.3.Compost leaves over winter.Some studies have indicated thatfreshly chopped leaves may inhib-it the growth of certain crops.Therefore,it may be advisable tocompost the leaves over winterbefore spreading them.d.Grass clippingsÐ1.Spread them immediately toavoid heating and rotting.e.NewspaperÐ1.Save your own newspapers. BACKYARD 3 Bark mulch Wood chips Grass clips Mulch materials Smaller chips are easier to spread,especially around small plants.Excellent for usearound trees,shrubs,and perennial gardens.When spreading mulch around trees,keep the mulch an inch or two away from the trunk.A couple inches of mulch isadequate.There is no need to apply the mulch 6 or 8 inches high,as often is seen.Similar to bark mulch.If using fresh wood chips that are mixed with a lot ofleaves,composting may be beneficial.Best to chop and compost before spreading.If using dry leaves,apply about sixinches deep.Thicker layers tend to compact and rot,becoming quite slimy and smelly.Addadditional layers as clippings decompose.Do not use clippings from lawns treatedApply sheets of newspaper and cover lightly with grass clippings or other mulchmaterial to anchor.If other mulch materials are not available cover edges of paperwith soil.Applying on a windy day can be a problem.Excellent material for enriching soil. 2-4 inches2-4 inches3-4 inches2-3 inches1/4 inch3-4 inches BACKYARD 4 2.Use only newspaper text pages(black ink);color dyes may beharmful to soil microflora andfauna if composted and used.3.Use 3 or 4 sheets together,anchored with grass clippings orother mulch material to preventblowing away.3.The amount of mulch to apply willbe determined by the mulch materialyou are using.General Guidelines:a.Do not apply mulch directly incontact with plants.Leave aninch or so of space next to plantsto help prevent diseases flourish-ing from excessive humidity.b.Remove weeds before spreadingmulch.Bark mulch and wood chips aresometimes used with landscape fab-ric or plastic.The fabric or plastic islaid on top of the soil and then cov-ered with a layer of bark chips.Acaution to this practice:while theplastic or fabric may initially provideadditional protection against weeds,as the mulch breaks down,weedswill start to grow in the mulch itself.The barrier between the soil and themulch also prevents any improve-ment in the soil condition and makesplanting additional plants more diffi-Check under mulches or garden cen-ters or nurseries in the Yellow Pages.Your local community may also havewood chips from the removal ofstreet trees that are available free toresidents.Farmers use mulches in many ways.Conservation tillage is a commonpractice that creates a mulch on thesoil surface.Unlike the once com-mon practice of plowing all cropresidue into the soil,conservationtillage leaves the crop residue on topof the soil.These pieces of cornstalk,straw,or bean stems help pro-tect the soil against wind and watererosion.Corn crops harvested forgrain return large amounts of residueto the soil surface and are moreeffective in preventing soil erosionthan crops with less residue such assoybeans.Mulching is a common practiceamong strawberry growers in north-ern climates.In this situation,mulchis used to protect the crop duringthe winter and to help prevent earlyblooming of the plants.Plants thatbloom too early are more likely to bedamaged by spring frosts.The mulchalso helps keep the berries cleaner,Inorganic mulches are also widelyused in commercial agriculture.Clearplastic mulch can be particularlybeneficial in giving warm seasoncrops a head start.The clear plasticacts as a mini-greenhouse,warmingthe soil underneath it.Particularlywhere early sweet corn brings a pre-mium price,this practice can give agrower a couple of weeks head start.Also,research is showing that leav-ing crop residues helps hold carbongreenhouse gases.Printed by the National Association of Conservation Districts 1-800-825-5547