Mulches provide ntany benefits for a garden
NEWARK, Del.lf the
weeds in your garden seem
to have more energy than
you do, why not try
mulching? Delaware Ex
tension horticulturist Dr.
Charles Dunham says
mulches cut down on weeds
and also help the home
gardener in a number of
other ways.
Mulches conserve water
by cutting evaporation
young’s ”
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losses, and may also help
water penetrate into the soil,
' especially from hard
showers, when most of the
water normally runs off
Mulches also protect
vegetables and flower plants
from splashing mud and
dirt. Some mulches may
even help protect plants
from insect damage.
Many kinds of materials
make good mulches,
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Dunham says. Practically
anything will work, so long
as it allows the penetration
of water and does not pack to
exclude air from the soil.
Organic mulches break
down-some faster than
others-thereby enriching
the soil. However, Dunham
cautions, if the mulch
contains a high ratio of
carbon to nitrogen, a tem
porary nitrogen shortage in
the soil could result unless
extra nitrogen is added.
Sawdust and straw will do
this.
Where appearance is
important such as around
the house or in a flower bed,
choose an attractive mulch.
Many organic mulches
provide a neat covering that
makes a nice foil for flowers
and shrubs.
Availability and cost are
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two prune factors in the
choice of a mulch.
Bark and wood chips are
ideal mulches, especially for
shrubs and ground covers.
They are attractive and
long-lasting. Use the coarser
grades for trees and shrubs,
the finer grades for flowers
and ground covers, Dunham
says. Apply a four to six inch
layer for long-lasting weed
control in shrubs. On
flowers, however, use only
one to two inches.
Licorice root, sold as Right
Dress, is one of the most
satisfactory mulches for
flower beds.
Cocoa bean hulls are
available in some areas.
These do tend to pack, so
they should not be used more
than two inches deep. They
are also sometimes toxic to
azaleas. However, for many
plants they are quite
satisfactory and very at
tractive.
Grass clippings are among
the cheapest and most
readily available of
mulches. The problem with
grass clippings, however, is
that they tend to rot and
pack tightly. This can be
overcome by drying the
clippings first, or by stirring
repeatedly until dry once in
place. Grass clippings are
probably most at home in the
vegetable garden.
Straw is another excellent
mulch for the vegetable
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garden. Wheat straw is
available for many fanners
right now.
Pine needles make an
attractive mulch, especially
for azaleas, rhododendrons,
wild flowers, and in
naturalistic settings.
Coffee grounds are an
excellent mulch for small
areas. They have a nice
texture and color.
Black plastic is a good
mulch for controlling weeds,
although it may be hard to
apply after plants are
already in the ground.
Widely used on vegetable
gardens, it can be dressed up
for the flower garden with a
thin cover layer of another
attractive mulch.
Newspaper also makes an
effective mulch that looks
better when covered with a
thin layer of another
material. First give the soil
some extra nitrogen fer
tilizer. Then spread three to
six sheets of newspapers on
the ground. Cover with a
fancier mulch material for
the flower garden, or with a
thin layer of soil for the
vegetable garden in order to
hold it in place.
Another excellent mulch
for weed control in
vegetables is aluminum foil.
It has the added advantage
of keeping the soil cook It
also aids plant growth by
rejecting light back up
under the plants.
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