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More about mulch ...
Mulches provide many benefits
to plants. Benefits vary with the material used, the type of
soil, the kind of plant and the cultural practices used. Mulches
also may be used to make landscapes more attractive and usable
and to reduce the amount of maintenance work.
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Why mulch?
Surface insulation
to conserve moisture to moderate extremes in temperature to control weeds
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Soil amendment
to improve soil aggregation and granulation
to increase water absorption and retention to prevent soil compaction and improve aeration
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Beautification
to make surface areas more attractive to make surface areas more usable for paths, play and sitting areas to make areas easier to maintain
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Types of mulch
Many types of material,
organic and inorganic, may be used as mulch. Organic mulches
may break down in one season or less or persist for more than
one season. The first type is used mainly in vegetable and flower
gardens or around newly planted trees and shrubs. They are usually
decomposed enough by the end of the growing season that they
can be spaded or plowed under, increasing the organic matter
content of the soil and thereby improving soil structure. Vinland
Valley Nursery recommends the double ground hardwood mulch for
this purpose.
Organic mulches that persist
for more than one growing season are more useful around permanent
plants. Vinland Valley Nursery recommends the single ground hardwood
mulch for this purpose.
Inorganic mulches may be gravel, crushed stone or some manufactured product. Most of these materials are not as beneficial to plants as the organic mulches because they don't improve the structure or nutrient content of the soil. Spun-bonded or woven landscape fabrics (geo-textiles) are well suited for landscape purposes. Normally these fabrics are covered with a more decorative mulch rather than used alone (in our vegetable and berry beds we leave the fabric exposed). Vinland Valley Nursery offers a high quality woven landscape fabric in 3' and 6' widths. We recommend using the fabric only in permanant beds where annuals or groundcovers are not used.
Though not generally considered
mulches, some low-growing ground cover plants produce many of
the same benefits as mulch. They shade the soil surface, keeping
it cool in summer and at the same time preventing evaporation.
Vinland Valley Nursery can recommend good plants for your specific
site.
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