How To Use Mulch For Landscaping
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Mulch offers a cleanly landscaped yard that not only looks great but also provides nutrients for your bustling garden or shrubs.
Choose between organic and non-organic mulch for a variety of colors, textures, and materials to customize your future landscape project.
Organic Mulch
Let’s start with the organics. Organic mulch generally comes in two forms: Fresh mulch and Aged mulch. While both share many properties, aged mulch is better used for new plants that are just forming their root system. Aged mulch won’t take up as much nitrogen because it’s further along in its decomposition process than fresh mulch. However, fresh mulch will last nearly twice as long as its aged counterpart.
Both organic mulches with improve your soil quality, encourage growth, and will continue to release nutrients into the soil as it decomposes.
You can look into a variety of straws and grasses to use as mulch. Wheat straw grass makes a great barrier to protect anything underneath from brutal sun or the frigid freeze. It wards off fungus and disease like root rot while also providing protection for new seedlings in your yard from birds or other pests. You can also use pine needles or pine bark for insulation, moisture retention and both are an excellent option for slopped areas because they hold onto other pieces of bark or needles to create more stable ground. Pine is also wonderful for Hydrangea gardeners as it will release acids and aluminum into the soil as it decomposes.
Manure is another popular option if you’re looking to stay organic. Most manure is quick to begin decomposition, greatly improves soil structure and releases loads of minerals into the soil. It works fabulously with vegetable gardens or flowering shrubs.
Non-Organic Mulch
If you’re looking for a non-organic alternative, rocks are a beautiful statement mulch that provides loads of texture and allows you to be very creative and customize the color you’d like.
You can also use a sheeting made of plastic, recycled tire rubber, and non-woven geotextiles. These all provide great protection and are very customizable.
The main drawback with non-organic mulches is they don’t release nutrients into the ground. They can also hold too much moisture or not allow enough in. When weeds begin to pop through, they’re difficult to get out of certain non-organic mulches. They are however very versatile, durable and can add a modern touch to your yard.
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