Gardening: Mulching for Free
by Ainuddin Mohamad
If your garden is in more need of mulching than your
yard, it is not unheard of to rake up all the grass and
transport it to your garden. By making a small layer around
the vicinity of the plant, you’ll apply all the same benefits
from leaving it in your yard. My yard is rather...
I’m sure that if you are reading this, you have used some form of mulch during your gardening career. However, you probably didn’t know that there are many other options for organic mulching that you can explore. These days, many gardeners are discovering new sources of free mulch that has been there all along; an untapped resource. These include clippings from a lawn, or woody prunings from other plants in your yard. You will be surprised by how beneficial all these things can be, and how often the opportunity arises to use them.
Many gardeners have taken to spreading out their excess grass clippings across the rest of their yard. You may think this will look tacky, with big piles of grass just sitting in your yard as if you were too lazy to rake them up. However, if you spread them out enough then you won’t even be able to tell that there is an excess amount. Leaving the extra grass on the yard acts as a sort of mulch by preventing evaporation and weed growth. With this extra water, you won’t have to water nearly as much to keep your grass green. When I started leaving my grass clippings, I had to adjust the frequency of my sprinkler system because I was worried my yard was getting too much water!
If your garden is in more need of mulching than your yard, it is not unheard of to rake up all the grass and transport it to your garden. By making a small layer around the vicinity of the plant, you’ll apply all the same benefits from leaving it in your yard. My yard is rather green on its own, but I often have trouble with my plants staying green and healthy. So, rather than leave the grass clipping in my yard, I move them all around my plants. It is just a matter of choosing what your highest mulching priority is.
Sometimes, our pruning activities will lead us to have an amazing amount of branches and twigs. If this is the case, you should consider renting a wood chipper to put all of those branches to use. After one day of intense pruning, you would be surprised at just how many branches you end up with. Rather than throw these away, you can turn them into a huge amount of mulch for your plants. However, if your pruning has not left you with that big of an amount, you should bundle it all up and save it to add onto the next batch. This is because the chipping machines can be slightly expensive to rent, and you want it to be absolutely worth it!
Over time, all organic mulches need to be replenished. This is because they will naturally decompose in the conditions of your yard. Usually you can tell for yourself just by looking at it, but sometimes it can look perfectly regular but still have problems. If you start to notice any poor plant growth whatsoever, you should replace your mulch. Always keep in mind that during the process of decomposition, your mulch will use up the valuable nitrogen in the soil. Without this, the plants will be missing a key nutrient. There are several types of fertilizers available on the market that are specifically designed to deal with this problem.
The use of mulches in the yard and garden is something everyone should try. Not only can it save lots of time by reducing the amount of garbage you have to transport out, but it increases the healthiness and integrity of your plants by putting that so called garbage to good use. So if you think you would be able to save a good amount of branches and twigs for chipping, or if you think that you are ready to stop raking up all your grass clippings, then I think that mulching is for you.
About the Author
Ainuddin Mohamad is the Webmaster of
http://www.BestWebsites.com.my which is a Directory of Best Websites. Since
July 2000
BestWebsites.com.my has featured thousands of best websites in many
categories of interest with descriptions/reviews given by leading publications
and webmasters.
Related Articles: Gardening: Choosing a Garden that is Perfect for You
Gardening: Choosing and Planting Perennials
Gardening: Creating Microclimates to Facilitate Growth
Gardening: Creating a Raised Bed
Gardening: Dealing with Garden Pests
Gardening: Getting Started in Container Gardening
Gardening: Growing Your Own Herbs
Gardening: Improving Your Garden by Adding a Fountain
Gardening: Installing a Drip Irrigation System
Organic Gardening - A Growing Trend
Gardening: Maintaining a Compost Heap
Gardening: Mulching for Free
Gardening: Optimizing Your Garden for Drought or Water Conservation
Gardening: Other Factors in Garden Creation
Gardening: Picking a Healthy Plant
Gardening: Picking the Ideal Location for your Garden
Gardening: Picking the Right Gardening Tools
Gardening: Preparing Your Garden fo the Winter
Gardening: Preparing Healthy Soil
Gardening: The Horrors of Hail
Gardening: The Psychology Behind Gardening
Gardening: Using Gardening to Get in Shape
Gardening: Using Rain Barrels to Survive Droughts
Gardening: Using Vines to Decorate your Garden
Gardening: Using Xeriscaping to Save Time and Water
|
